ROCHESTER, Mich., Nov. 24, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Foresight Research 2014 Word of Mouth Immersion Report™ explores giving and getting Word of Mouth (WOM) and how that influences new auto purchases. "WOM is a prominent influencer in new auto purchases…almost one-third of new auto buyers say they were moderately or completely influenced by it, and that can go as high as 45% for a highly-influenced brand like Audi," said Nancy Walter, VP Business Development at Foresight.
"Word of Mouth is all about getting more from your marketing dollars," said Walter. "Marketers want to encourage buyers to recommend their brand and influence additional purchases." MINI, Subaru, and Volvo buyers stand out as the most likely to recommend their brand (all at 96%), but this report dives deeper into Word of Mouth – who gives and receives personal advice and how, the impact of professional advice via articles and news stories/P.R., and channels and messages for reaching the people who give the most advice.
So who are the people who give advice? Meet TalkersPlus™, a group of highly influential buyers who are 15% of the buyer population, but generate 59% of the Word of Mouth. They are more likely to be brand loyal males who comment about their new vehicle purchase online. They spend $246 more on accessories, are more likely to be influenced by social media, use a mobile device, and attend a motorsports event.
To put the giving and getting "sides" of WOM in perspective, Foresight developed The Amplifier Index™. showing the strength of WOM for a brand, segment, or buyer characteristic. The soaring Audi Amplifier Index™ score of 251 reflects high levels of creating and nurturing brand advocacy. Audi beats out a strong second-place Mercedes-Benz at 2.14, and scores double the industry average of 1.22.
The Amplifier Index™ for any given brand can be driven more by the giving or the receiving side of WOM. For instance, RAM buyers score an above-average 1.30 Amplifier Index™ because they advise the most people about car purchases (7.3), while the Subaru buyer 1.61 Amplifier Index™ score is driven by a very-high 43% WOM influence.
This report is built from Foresight Research's CHIPS Study, which is conducted annually among 7,500+ recent new auto buyers.
About Foresight Research – www.foresightresearch.com
Foresight Research specializes in syndicated and custom studies focusing on key influencers of purchase decisions in the automotive industry. Since 2008, Foresight Research publishes several syndicated reports each year that provide information, strategies and best practices to help auto companies and their partners build, frame, and support marketing insights and actions.