Press Release Headlines

Recent Automotive Brand Health and Advertising Performance Research Shows Substantial 'Cross-Over' Between Non-Luxury and Luxury Top-of-Mind Presence

DETROIT, March 8, 2012 — Phoenix Marketing International, a Honomichl Top-50 market research firm, recently reported results from its ongoing research in the automotive industry. Phoenix tracks the brand health of leading automotive companies in two categories (luxury and non-luxury) each month and measures advertising performance across five vehicle segments (non-luxury car, non-luxury cuv/suv, truck, luxury car, and luxury cuv/suv). Data are collected from among U.S. consumers who were recently or are currently in the market for a new vehicle.

Results from the fourth quarter 2011 study highlight substantial "cross-over" between non-luxury and luxury top-of-mind brand landscapes. Ford prevails as the top-of-mind automotive brand as it received the most first mentions for brand and advertising awareness in both the luxury and non-luxury categories. Lexus and Toyota are the second most frequently mentioned brands in the luxury and non-luxury categories, respectively. Moreover, Toyota is the only manufacturer to have two brands rank among the highest top-of-mind automotive brands.

In general, non-luxury brands predominate the top-of-mind landscape, i.e. they come to mind first and most often across both the two categories. While luxury brands certainly break through onto the "brand radar" of luxury vehicle owners and purchase intenders, they do not necessarily come to mind first within the automotive industry overall. "Because of our extensive historical data and continuous tracking from month-to-month, we are able to quickly see the ebb and flow of top-of-mind presence as it relates to in-market promotional activities across the industry," states Kevin Severance who is a Senior Analyst for the monthly study.

Phoenix Marketing International's monthly automotive study surveys current vehicle owners and purchase intenders about key brand health and advertising performance metrics for a multitude of non-luxury and luxury automotive brands. It measures brand impression and consideration in addition to the effectiveness of advertising spots from these brands based on a variety of cognitive, emotional, creative, and persuasive metrics.

Non-Luxury brands tracked for advertising and brand data include Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Mazda, Mini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Ram, Scion, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, and Volkswagen. Advertising and brand data are also collected on the following luxury brands: Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes, Porsche, Range Rover, Saab, and Volvo.

Phoenix Contact:
Brian Maraone/Vice-President, Phoenix Automotive
(248) 430-8042
Email

# # #