Why are millions of vehicle owners and shoppers talking to each other in online communities, discussion boards, blogs and social networks? Among the key reasons:

• Passionate Owners Are Vocal Vehicle owners, including your customers, gather on the Internet to talk about their cars because they are either passionately enthusiastic, upset or somewhere in between. Measuring online buzz highlights vocal consumers and reveals the key issues that fuel their discussions…so that you can make relevant, informed decisions.
• Shoppers Love First-Hand Testimonials Shoppers who are considering purchasing your automobiles want to know what “power users” think about you, your product and your dealers. This notion is fostered by an all-time low in consumer trust in traditional advertising.
• Word Of Mouth Is Most Influential In a networked world where information is readily available online, the most important factor that influences someone’s decision about what vehicle to buy is word of mouth from another consumer who has relevant experience with your company or brand.
• Word Of Mouth Is Highly Disruptive and Discoverable When consumers instinctively turn to the Internet for information, search engines drive them straight to other consumers who are active online as well, often bypassing your Web site, advertising and other marketing platforms.

There’s no department within the auto enterprise that can afford to ignore word of mouth.

Armed with real-time, unsolicited and unaided insights from some of the most vocal and influential consumers, today’s automotive professionals in all key functions can compete more strategically, consistently and cost-effectively.

• Quality & Engineering: Progressive automotive companies are not content to wait for satisfaction surveys or warranty repair data to know what’s going on. They’re actively listening to customers discuss real and perceived issues, often before the dealer has even seen the vehicle. High quality is a necessity in today’s competitive marketplace, and OEMs and other auto companies are using innovative tools to differentiate themselves from competitors.
• Marketing: Some of the most robust online buzz occurs around new product launches. This is an excellent opportunity to measure pre- and post-launch buzz and sentiment around key issues: awareness, interest, competitive set, features, design, advertising, marketing and nearly every other key element important in a new vehicle launch or redesign.
• Marketing Agencies: As promoters and protectors of the brand, agencies ensure that consumers understand the value proposition and key messages of a particular product. In an ever-changing landscape, understanding how the most vocal and influential consumers feel about the brand is critical.
• Corporate Communications: The term “Consumer-Generated Media” was coined for a reason: Online buzz behaves much like traditional media, except it emerges spontaneously, travels faster, and is often more believable. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for smart corporate communication professionals, who know that listening to CGM is absolutely critical.
• CRM: Suppose a customer contacts your call center, where a customer-affairs specialist provides one answer to a question. That same customer then searches the Internet and finds that owners of the same vehicle say something else is true. Guess which answer the customer will believe? In today’s customer transactions, true solutions arise out of transparency, and innovative OEMs and suppliers recognize this challenge and rise to meet it with innovative solutions.

Auto*BuzzMetrics Solutions: Powered by BrandPulse®

Standard Brand Tracking

Our standard Internet monitoring solution provides ongoing analysis and measurement about brands, categories, competitors and specific features that consumers discuss on Internet auto forums, blogs, boards, Usenet news groups, fan sites and other online sources. Log in to our user-friendly, industry touted BrandPulse® reporting tool and interface when you need up-to-the-minute data and reports about how your brand is faring in the marketplace, or to be alerted when an issue requiring immediate action emerges.

Custom Insights

Our custom insight reports provide in-depth data about specific issues that affect the auto industry—hybrid technologies, specific market segments (moms, teens, boomers, etc.), energy-related issues, celebrity spokespersons and more.

Let our Auto*BuzzMetrics solutions help you quantify and learn from this enormous amount of auto-related consumer “buzz” to address key business challenges:

• Monitor, measure and analyze online buzz about a particular vehicle, model or manufacturer. Is buzz growing or shrinking? Negative or positive (or neutral)? What is its trend over time?
• Identify major competitors, as determined by consumers. Assess whether competitors generate more or less buzz…why and why not?
• Factor buzz into the launches of new models and vehicles. How much exists before launch? During? After?
• Gauge which issues and features influence buzz about a particular model or a newly launched vehicle.
• Monitor the ebb and flow of buzz in reaction to specific marketing and promotions programs, announcements, auto shows, etc…and adjust accordingly.
• Assess what customers like and dislike about your customer care process. Are other service or technical issues having an inordinate impact on perceptions about your company or brand?
• Determine whether marketing campaigns create and sustain buzz with consumers and potential buyers.
• Assess how recent issues/events are influencing consumers’ purchase decisions.
• Identify who’s discussing your vehicle/brand, and where they are active online. How can they be leveraged?
• Identify the negative influencers working against your brand. How can you win them over?
• Measure owner reactions to recent technical fixes, upgrades and innovations.
• Determine whether consumers are discussing quality/safety issues that you need to know about.
• Assess whether company/corporate messaging is resonating with actual consumer conversations and perceptions. Should outages be addressed? Can some themes be amplified?

Success Stories