In this episode of the 100 Marketers Project, Andrew Street and Matthew Davis sit down with Kate Howell, the Marketing Director for Mullinax Automotive, a group spanning 12 rooftops and 13 stores. Kate discusses her journey of transitioning from a building products agency into automotive and the unique challenge of building an in-house ad agency from the ground up.

The conversation dives into the importance of brand identity—specifically Mullinax’s "shiny, happy, simple, easy, fun" philosophy—and how to maintain a distinct look in a market full of cookie-cutter advertising. Kate also shares her perspective on the "power in numbers" when building relationships with OEMs like Ford and her forward-looking goals for 2026, including a major focus on data hygiene and CRM integration.

• From Building Products to Ford Trucks: Kate’s transition into the auto industry.
• The Stealth Scale-Up: How Mullinax secretly built an internal agency and replaced their outside providers in just months.
• "Shiny Happy People": Defining and defending a strict brand style guide in a sea of generic ads.
• The First One-Price Store: Leveraging "no dealer fees" and transparent pricing as a powerful marketing hook.
• Winning at Reputation: How Mullinax reached the top 10 in the country for review velocity and response.
• Power in Numbers: Partnering with other dealers to influence OEM technology and dashboards.
• The 2026 Roadmap: Why data hygiene and DMS cleansing are the next big frontiers for dealership profitability.
• Ringing the Bell: Why the marketing director’s primary job is to get them to the door and drop them off.

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