1. SPECTRUM CAR BRAND INDEX
Which car brands generate consumer interest on social
media and why?
The motor industry invests
billions each year in growing its
brands, trying to shift and shape
perceptions in order to press the
right emotional triggers.
It knows that buying a new car is a decision made with the heart rather
than the head – otherwise we’d all be driving old bangers and putting
the money we save into our pensions.
So how do the main players compare in a branding game that
contributes approximately 5% of Google’s ad revenues each year?
Spectrum’s Car Brand Index sets out to show just that. By
benchmarking and tracking changes in online content, conversation
and behaviour we lift the bonnet on what brands really mean to us.
spectrum-consulting.net

2. Premier League
These top ten car models generated the highest volume of
mentions on Twitter in October – December 2011 (base –
car brands sold in the UK):
RANK CAR RANK 1
1 HONDA CIVIC
2 FORD FOCUS
3 HONDA ACCORD
4 AUDI A4
5 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT
6 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF
7 VAUXHALL ZAFIRA
8 FORD FIESTA
9 HONDA CR-V
HONDA CIVIC
10 LAND ROVER FREELANDER
FORD FOCUS HONDA ACCORD
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3. Which brands appear most frequently This is how visible car brands were compared to each
other (share of voice) in content returned by Google
when consumers Google search in December 2011:
for cars?
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
Alfa Romeo
Aston Martin
Audi
Bentley
BMW
Chevrolet
Chrysler
Citroen
Ferrari
Fiat
Ford
Honda
Hyundai
Jaguar
Jeep
Kia
Lamborghini
Land Rover
Lexus
Lotus
Maserati
Mazda
Mercedes
Mini
Mitsubishi
Morgan
Nissan
Peugeot
Porsche
Range Rover
Renault
Rolls-Royce
Saab
Seat
Skoda
Subaru
Suzuki
Toyota
Vauxhall
Volkswagen
Volvo
Renault was the most visible brand, followed by Ford and
BMW Mini was the least visible brand In Q4 2011, (chart
not shown), Ford was the most visible brand
spectrum-consulting.net

4. Online brand profile:
Ford
• ord was positioned as the top brand for families in
F
Q4 2011
• he topic of ‘safety’ was a key benefit associated with
T
the brand, thanks to mentions of its active and passive
safety systems
• ord was also the brand most viewed as ‘innovative’
F
• t was also best ‘value for money’, beating Fiat and BMW
I
Ford Focus • ord received 21,072 likes on its Facebook wall in
F
December 2011, less than 1/10th of the volume received
by Ferrari
• ord generated more Twitter mentions than any other
F
manufacturer in Q4 2011
spectrum-consulting.net

5. Online brand profile:
Toyota
• oyota was positioned as the top brand for environment
T
in Q4 2011
• he subject of ‘hybrid’ appeared in 19% of online coverage
T
for Toyota in December 2011. Only Honda came close to
this level
• mong 40 competitors, Toyota had the fourth largest
A
number of mentions relating to ‘running costs’
• oyota received only 321 likes on its UK Facebook
T
Toyota Prius
wall in December compared to almost 5,000 likes for
Volkswagen’s UK wall
• he Toyota Prius was the model in 16th place on the
T
league table of brands most talked about in Tweets in
Q4 2011
• oyota was among the top five brands on Twitter overall,
T
with 12,967 mentions among Tweets for ‘cars’
spectrum-consulting.net

6. Online brand profile:
Honda
• he Honda Civic was the most talked-about car model
T
(sold in the UK) in online conversation on Twitter in
Q4 2011
• he recall of 304,000 cars due to concerns over faulty
T
airbags meant Honda received a high volume of Retweets
in December 2011
• Hybrid’ appeared in 15% of Honda coverage after it
‘
showcased its plug-in hybrid at the Tokyo Motor Show
Honda Civic
• onda received only 509 Facebook wall comments in
H
December 2011, its lowest level in any month that year
and ten times lower than its best month (5,012 in October)
• fter Toyota, Honda was the car brand most closely
A
associated with ‘environment’ in December 2011
spectrum-consulting.net

7. Online brand profile:
Renault
• enault was the most visible car brand in content
R
returned by Google search for ‘cars’ in December 2011
• nline coverage positions Renault as a ‘family’ car,
O
although to a lesser extent than Ford
• mong 40 competitors, Renault is a middle-of-the-
A
road brand when it comes to generating mentions in
consumer Tweets, with ~1,200 per month
• enault’s global fan page attracted 10,345 likes
R
Renault Megane
in December
• he highest-placed Renault model in the league table
T
of most-mentioned cars in Twitter was the Mégane
spectrum-consulting.net

8. Online brand profile:
BMW
• he BMW 3-Series fell just outside the top ten most
T
talked-about car models on Twitter in Q4 2011
• MW is strongly associated with ‘premium’ in online
B
coverage – only Jaguar scores higher against this term
• mong 40 competitors, BMW is also the brand most
A
associated with ‘speed’ in online coverage for ‘cars’
• ttracting 87,810 likes on its wall in December 2011,
A
BMW was the third most liked brand behind Ferrari
BMW 3 Series Coupe
and Mercedes-Benz
• n Facebook consumer comments, BMW is the brand
I
most often referred to as ‘best’
spectrum-consulting.net

9. Online brand profile:
Volvo
• olvo was the brand most talked about in relation to ‘fuel
V
consumption’ in online coverage from December 2011
• olvo is one of the few brands whose online share of voice
V
versus 40 competitors has increased steadily since 2010
• olvo was mentioned in Tweets 2,942 in Q4 2011,
V
compared to Volkswagen’s 9,725 mentions
• olvo was 6th on the list of brands associated with ‘safety’
V
in consumer comments on Facebook in December 2011
Volvo XC90
• n Facebook, Volvo accumulated 5,020 wall likes in
O
December 2011, compared to Saab’s 16,439
spectrum-consulting.net

10. Online brand profile:
Citroen
• itroen’s links with ‘family’ were strengthened in
C
December 2011 when BBC’s Top Gear named the
DS-5 ‘family car of the year
• he Citroen Xsara was the model that achieved the
T
highest place in the ranking of most talked-about
car on Twitter – 48th place in Q4 2011
• itroen generated a respectable, 7,815 Facebook wall
C
likes in December 2011, ahead of Peugeot’s 5,010
Citroen DS-5
• n Twitter, Citroen was outrun by Peugeot, with 1,708
I
mentions in Q4 2011 compared to Peugeot’s 2,783
• itroen was the brand with the smallest number of
C
Retweets in December 2011, with 5 Retweets compared
to Honda’s 468
spectrum-consulting.net

11. Online brand profile:
Mercedes
• ercedes was the top car brand for ‘luxury’ in December
M
2011, ahead of BMW and Rolls-Royce
• he brand was also closely associated with ‘servicing’
T
in online comments
• ercedes was second only to Ferrari in generating
M
consumer comments on its Facebook wall in Q4 2011 –
315,630 new comments
• n Twitter for ‘cars’, Mercedes generated 18,611 mentions in
I
Mercedes C Class
the six months to December 2011, but was overshadowed
by BMW’s 30,577
• he Mercedes C-Class was 17th in the list of most talked-
T
about car models on Twitter in Q4 2011
spectrum-consulting.net

12. About Us
Spectrum provides evaluation and customer insight across a range
of industries and markets, based on what people say about brands
in online and social media, whatever language they speak. Our
cost-effective, in-depth research goes far beyond metrics to
comprehensive strategic and tactical insights and recommendations.
Please get in touch for a copy of the Spectrum Car Brand Index.
Or, ask us a different question about how your customers are
engaging with your brand and why.
www.spectrum-consulting.net
83 Baker Street, London
+44 (0) 207 7034 7090
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