Auto Leaders Chrysler and Honda Round Out the Top Three; Report Also Shows the Top Ten TV Show Matches for Ford, GM and BMW
JERICHO, NY – Ford is the top auto brand with $90.2M of Impact Media Value according to General Sentiment’s inaugural Auto MediaMatch report. Chrysler ($89.6M), Honda ($89.6M), Toyota ($72.1M) and Mercedes-Benz ($71.4M) round out the top five of the 29 automotive brands General Sentiment analyzed between March 1 and May 31, 2012.
The report ranks the top 20 automotive brands by Impact Media Value, which measures a brand’s reach, placing a value on the overall level of discussion and exposure for the brand. The report also uses General Sentiment’s MediaMatch technology to match three of the leading automotive brands – Ford, GM and BMW – to the most suitable TV shows based on audience interest.
“There is no doubt the auto industry has faced its fair share of troubles over the last few years. Financial crisis, quality issues, poor management and the Japanese tsunami hurt top automakers, forcing some into bankruptcy,” said Ari Kahn, CEO of General Sentiment. “However, our inaugural report shows that the auto industry is back on its feet with improved revenues and profits. And the top auto brands are not only focusing on producing innovative products; they’re also finding new ways of reaching the consumer through new media.”
More details on what drove discussion for the top five brands follow:
• Ford had to commit its U.S. assets, including its iconic blue oval logo, to access $23.5B in loans in December 2006. In late May, the company took sole ownership of the logo after Moody’s raised Ford’s credit rating from junk status. Ford‘s North American operations recorded a pre-tax profit of $2.1B in Q1, which was its highest quarterly profit since 2000.
• Chrysler, like Ford, has put previous financial troubles in the past. The automaker recorded a net profit of $473M in Q1, which was its best quarter in 13 years. Chrysler continued to improve in April, posting a 20-percent monthly sales increase. The company’s financial comeback generated positive exposure on Twitter.
• Honda’s small claims battle against Civic Hybrid owner Heather Peters came to an end as a California judge overturned a previous decision to award Peters compensation. Peters had alleged that Honda falsely advertised the Civic Hybrid’s fuel economy. Despite the negativity of the case, Honda’s social media and Twitter sentiment remained high.
• After struggling with recalls and negativity regarding sudden acceleration and production issues as a result of the Japanese tsunami, Toyota’s manufacturing efficiency improved significantly, and the company eased worries about its quality and safety. The automaker expects to triple its operating profit this year as a result of increasing sales.
• Mercedes-Benz dropped to third last year in luxury car sales, but the German automaker is plotting a comeback with the overhauled A-Class. The sporty hatchback will target users of Apple’s iPhone; Mercedes-Benz outfitted the A-Class with technology that transmits iPhone content onto the car’s display.BMW, Chevrolet, Dodge, Nissan and Hyundai complete the top ten.
The report also highlights TV show matches for three of the leading automotive brands – Ford, GM and BMW – which, interestingly, are very similar. In fact, SportsCenter, MythBusters, The Daily Show, the Grammy Awards and Glee are top matches for all three automakers.
The top ten TV show matches based on overlap with the Ford audience, which contains 152,647 Twitter users, are:
1. SportsCenter
2. MythBusters
3. The Daily Show
4. The Simpsons
5. Nightline
6. The Grammy Awards
7. American Idol
8. Dog Whisperer
9. Glee
10. The Big Bang Theory
The top ten TV show matches based on overlap with GM’s audience, which contains 44,761 Twitter users, are:
1. SportsCenter
2. MythBusters
3. Nightline
4. The Daily Show
5. The Grammy Awards
6. The Simpsons
7. 60 Minutes
8. Glee
9. American Idol
10. Fox & Friends
The top ten TV show matches based on overlap with BMW’s audience, which contains 55,998 Twitter users, are:
1. SportsCenter
2. The Simpsons
3. MythBusters
4. The Big Bang Theory
5. The Daily Show
6. The Grammy Awards
7. Family Guy
8. South Park
9. Glee
10. The Oscars
With the competition fiercer than ever, knowing consumers and how to reach them is crucial for auto brands. General Sentiment’s MediaMatch technology offers automakers the edge they need to remain competitive and achieve success. MediaMatch will ensure that the auto brands are putting their ad dollars around the most suitable media – the media that will help them reach their target consumer and best market their products.
To download a full copy of General Sentiment’s inaugural Auto MediaMatch report, click here: http://bit.ly/MWKDQO.
About General Sentiment
General Sentiment is a social analytics company that delivers insights that change the way brands make product and marketing decisions. Fueled by large-scale natural language processing and text analytics developed over the course of eight years at Stony Brook University, General Sentiment offers a real-time social intelligence platform that assists its clients in interpreting online conversations and discovering actionable social insights. General Sentiment provides a dashboard, an API and a custom reporting service, all of which allow corporate executives to comprehensively understand brand perception, identify trending topics in specific industries and optimize the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. General Sentiment also offers quarterly reports which rank and analyze brands and topics across various sectors.
For more information, visit www.generalsentiment.com, or follow General Sentiment on Twitter: @gensent