ROCHESTER, Mich., Jan. 20, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Foresight Research Word of Mouth Immersion Report™ explores giving and getting Word of Mouth (WOM) and how that influences new auto purchases. "Word of Mouth is all about getting more from your marketing dollars," said Nancy Walter, VP Business Development at Foresight. "Marketers particularly value those buyers who recommend their brand and influence additional purchases." Audi, MINI, Subaru, and Volvo buyers stand out as the most likely to recommend their brand (all at 95% or 96%).
"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 Walter. 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.
There is a group of highly influential buyers who are 15% of the buyer population, but generate 59% of the Word of Mouth. We call them TalkersPlus™ and they share many characteristics. First, TalkersPlus™ tend to be brand loyal males who spend significantly more on accessories, and attend motorsports events. And TalkersPlus™ are more likely to, well, talk! They show higher likelihood to comment about their new purchase online, be influenced by social media, and use a mobile device.
Foresight developed The Amplifier Index™ to recognize the giving and getting "sides" of WOM. This index can show the strength of WOM for a brand, segment, or buyer characteristic. For instance, the soaring Audi Amplifier Index™ score of 251 reflects high levels of creating and nurturing brand advocacy and doubles the industry average of 1.22. Audi beats out a strong second-place Mercedes-Benz at 2.14.
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. Find out more about it on the Foresight Research website at www.foresightresearch.com.
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, position, and support marketing insights and actions.