A premium automotive marketer is turning summit insights into bold new strategies for emotional storytelling and global brand growth
Held on April 16–17, 2025, at the McCormick Place Convention Center, Digital Summit Chicago brought together some of the most influential minds in marketing, tech, and content strategy. Known for its national series of conferences, the Digital Summit has earned a reputation over the past decade as a go-to event for forward-thinking professionals eager to stay ahead of rapidly evolving trends. The Chicago edition of the summit featured dozens of expert-led sessions on everything from AI-driven personalization and content strategy to ethical data use and brand storytelling.
This year’s speaker lineup included industry heavyweights such as Jon Youshaei (former Instagram and YouTube creator strategist), Amanda Natividad (VP of Marketing at SparkToro), Katie Del Angel (Global Product Marketing Lead at TikTok), and Ross Simmonds (Founder of Foundation Marketing). With over 1,500 attendees, the event created an immersive, idea-rich environment for marketers aiming to bridge creativity and performance.
Among them was Abdulbasyr Makhtibekov, a brand strategist and marketing advisor known for his work in the premium automotive customization space. Since joining Papin Garage, Abdulbasyr has led the company’s strategic repositioning as a high-end creative house for custom builds, introducing content frameworks, partnerships with top-tier automotive photographers, and narrative branding strategies. The company specializes in premium vehicle personalization, combining engineering precision with artistic design to create one-of-a-kind automotive projects. Abdulbasyr is also architecting the upcoming launch of Papin Garage’s new luxury brand, Erblich, set to debut in the UAE. With a track record that spans luxury marketing, content innovation, and growth strategy, Abdulbasyr attended the summit with a clear goal: to push Papin Garage beyond beautiful builds and into the realm of meaningful brand storytelling.
In this interview, Abdulbasyr shares key takeaways from the summit and how they’re informing his work in turning performance builds into meaningful brand stories.
Abdulbasyr, thank you for sharing the insider ideas with us. What motivated you to attend the Digital Summit Chicago this year?
I went in with a very practical goal: to understand how top marketers are integrating AI, content strategy, and storytelling frameworks to drive real engagement. The agenda hit several pressure points we’re actively dealing with at Papin Garage: how to scale content without diluting brand quality, how to humanize storytelling in a luxury context, and how to better connect with niche audiences.
I was also particularly interested in the sessions on AI-powered B2B lead generation, social SEO, and influencer marketing, especially as we prepare for Erblich’s entry into the UAE market.
What sessions or moments challenged your existing approach to content and branding?
Jon Youshaei’s keynote, for instance, made a big impact. He talked about how perfectionism kills momentum. That hit a nerve. At Papin Garage, we obsess over every frame, every shot. But maybe what people want isn’t just the final masterpiece, it’s the messy, human story behind it.
One line from him stuck with me: “Audience research is a business-wide problem, not just a marketing problem.” That broadened my view of how audience insight should inform not just our content, but our design choices, partnerships, everything.
Amanda Natividad also spoke about “Content Pyramid” as an important framework. You got some insights, didn’t you?
Yes, and it’s already reshaping our strategy. It gave structure to what we were already feeling our way toward. We’d been layering content intuitively, but her approach helped us give it real shape. Once we reworked our fall 2024 calendar using that model, with the McLaren “Alice in Wonderland” film as our anchor and a cascade of supporting pieces like behind-the-scenes footage, artist interviews, and process time lapses, we saw our reach jump by 35%.
More importantly, though, it’s changed how we think. We’re no longer sprinting to a big launch and then going silent. Now we’re building narratives that unfold over time. That shift has kept our team energized and our audience tuned in, not just to the final result, but to the whole story behind it.
Your team’s visuals, from carbon G-Wagons to the fully painted McLaren, have become a Papin Garage signature. Has your view on visual storytelling changed after the summit?
We’re not stepping away from high-end visuals, they’re part of our brand style. But the summit made a strong case that “perfection creates distance.” That’s especially true in video. So we’re shifting from only cinematic to a blend, combining polished storytelling with raw, real moments.
For example, we’re filming vertical, behind-the-scenes clips: designers debating color choices, fabrication mishaps, client feedback in real time. These moments create intimacy, which is rare in the luxury segment.
You’ve transitioned from 8–10 monthly leads to 12–15 and reached your engagement KPIs. Has your view on metrics evolved post-summit?
Definitely. Those numbers matter, but they’re just the surface. The summit made it clear that behavioral signals are where the real story lies. We now measure how long someone watches our build videos, how often they save or share content, and whether they revisit our site.
We’re using tools like GA4 and Meta’s journey mapping, plus custom UTM tracking, to understand which posts actually move someone from curious to committed. And we segment that across casual fans, superfans, and high-intent buyers.
Beyond metrics, what internal workflow changes are you making as a result of the summit?
We’re rolling out two big changes. First, we’re adopting “content sprints,” a method from product development where the whole team, editors, videographers, strategists aligns around a single campaign or theme for a fixed period. It improves focus and creative alignment.
Second, we’re restructuring our creative approval process. Not every asset needs a full review. Our flagship videos still go through detailed feedback, but social Stories and short Reels move through a faster pipeline. That speed matters, especially when you’re trying to stay relevant.
Lastly, how do these insights shape your plans for Erblich’s launch in the UAE?
We’re approaching Erblich not as a car brand, but as a design culture. The storytelling begins before the first car is shown. We’re building the brand through values, design philosophy, emotional craftsmanship, and visual narratives.
We’ll be working with influencers and creatives in the Gulf region, but it won’t be about product placement. It’ll be about collaboration, introducing Erblich through ideas, not inventory. For a market that values both heritage and innovation, that emotional grounding is essential.
