Dodson Motorsport has grown from a specialist New Zealand automotive engineering business into a globally recognised performance drivetrain brand, supplying clutch and transmission components to customers in markets around the world.
Based in Auckland, the company has built its reputation by focusing on engineering excellence, product innovation and customer support, helping high-performance vehicles achieve greater reliability and power.
Today, Dodson products are used by leading workshops, race teams and enthusiasts worldwide, with the company’s presence extending across North America, Europe and beyond.
Ahead of his appearance at the EMA’s Global X Summit, Dodson Motorsport CEO David Sweas shares some of the lessons his team has learned about building a world-class brand from the bottom of the world.
Q: When people think about global brands, they often think about big marketing budgets. How has Dodson approached brand building?
David Sweas: We’re not really brand guys. We’re engineers. I’m an engineer and a finance guy, and I’m a spreadsheet guy.
We’ve got 85 employees, including 10 engineers, and until 12 months ago we only had one marketing person.
I think that’s a lot of how we built the brand. We led with the product. We focus on having a good product, good customer service, and making sure we have the product available and in stock.
At the end of the day, why are customers coming to us in New Zealand and halfway around the world to get these parts instead of buying locally? It’s got to be a better part. The service has to be there and we have to have it available.
We built a best-in-market product and an operation that we could stand behind to match it. That’s really what the brand has been built off.
Q: How important is product quality when you’re exporting from a country as far away as New Zealand?
David Sweas: It’s absolutely critical. Why are customers coming to us in New Zealand and halfway around the world to get these parts instead of buying locally?
It’s got to be a better part. The service has to be there and we have to have it available and in stock.
If that’s not the case, then there’s no reason to do it.
Q: You’ve spoken about having a clear vision for what you wanted the Dodson brand to represent. What did that look like?
David Sweas: Early on, after I took over the company seven years ago, I worked with Andy Haines from Origami, a brand consultancy, to help us build the brand.
We defined what we wanted the brand to be, and there were two case studies that we essentially modelled the Dodson brand on.
One was Intel Inside, the famous marketing campaign launched by Intel in 1991. It turned a hidden computer part, the microprocessor, into a trusted symbol of high quality.
You don’t necessarily see the Dodson product, but if a car pulls up and it has that sticker on it, we want people to think, “Oh man, there’s a 1500 horsepower drivetrain in that car.” That’s what we wanted the brand to stand for.
The other example was Renthal handlebars in motocross. When you see those on a bike, it signals that the person is serious.
That’s what we wanted for the Dodson brand. We wanted people to see it and think, “Oh, wow, this person’s serious.”
You see that validation in places like YouTube videos at races, where people talk about what they’re running in their cars, and even in car listings, where a full Dodson transmission can be listed as a feature of the car.
Watch: how the EMA helps the company with health and safety, HR and training.
Q: What advice would you give exporters trying to build their own brand?
David Sweas: Unless you’re a brand expert yourself, get some good help. That’s what we did with Andy at Origami.
The second thing is to know what you’re trying to achieve with the brand. Have your case studies and look at other people who have done a great job with their brand that you can try to emulate, even if they’re in a different industry.
And the third thing is that you have to stand behind the brand. It’s got to be more than just marketing.
Q: Has being based in New Zealand helped or hindered your global growth?
David Sweas: I actually don’t think it’s a disadvantage for our business being in New Zealand. I actually think it’s a big advantage.
Down here, people can’t see what we’re up to, so no one sees our R&D until we’re ready to launch it. People don’t have access to our IP, and we’re isolated from some of the more competitive markets.
And then there’s the opportunity when you’re building a brand to make the most of that “fake it till you make it” period.
No one knows what your operation looks like. You can market as a big brand and stand behind it with product and operation. You show up to trade shows with a big presence and a big, slick booth.
People see it and think, “Oh wow, I didn’t know Dodson was such a big company.” By the time they know otherwise, you are a big company.
Q: Trade shows and events remain a major part of exporting. Why are they still so important?
David Sweas: Absolutely. We’ve got sales staff overseas, with one in New Jersey, one in Atlanta and one in Gloucester in the UK, and we have a whole calendar of events.
Just about every week of the year, we’ll have someone somewhere, either at a race, visiting customers or at a big trade show.
For us, the events are just as big as the traditional trade shows. We go to a handful of those trade shows, probably four or five a year, but it’s the race events that are particularly important.
There’d be at least one of those a month that we’re going to. We set up in near the pits with our product on display, and the events are specifically the drag racing events that cover our target market.
We go to those events to promote the brand, but also to support our customers. If a customer has a problem with their transmission, I’ve climbed under cars at the track before to see what’s going on. We’re not afraid to get our hands dirty if there’s something we can help with or an issue we can understand.
We also get a lot of leads on new products at those types of events.
Q: What can attendees expect from your session at Global X?
David Sweas: I’ll be sharing some of the lessons we’ve learned building a global brand from New Zealand.
For me, there are three themes: unless you’re a brand expert yourself, get some good help; know what you’re trying to achieve with the brand and look at case studies of brands you admire; and make sure you stand behind that brand.
It’s got to be more than just marketing. The brand starts with the product, the operation and the customer service, and the marketing helps tell that story to the world.