DUBAI: The automotive industry maintains its #1 ranking out of the 15 industries studied in the 2019 Brand Intimacy Report. Over the last three years, the automotive industry has scored the highest among others, demonstrating the strength of the emotional bonds between consumers and automotive brands. Ford ranked as the #1 brand in the industry, followed by Mercedes-Benz at #2 and Audi at #3. Lexus, BMW, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, and Mitsubishi round out the Top 10, in that order.
Ford ranks #1 with female users and high income groups, while BMW ranks the highest for male users, Honda is the #1 brand for users in the 35-64 age bracket, and Mercedes-Benz is preferred by millennials (users from 18-34 years).
Brand Intimacy is defined as the emotional science that measures the bonds we form with the brands we use and love. Top Intimate Brands outperform top brands in the S&P and Fortune 500 indices for revenue and profit. Consumers are also more willing to pay price premiums for Intimate Brands and less willing to live without them, according to the 2019 Brand Intimacy Report. MBLM leverages the yearly study to help client brands create, sustain and measure ultimate brand relationships.
“The most intimate car brands elevate the entire industry, scoring the highest in the fulfillment archetype—when a brand outperforms and delivers more—generally associated with services. We can see that brands that deliver great service in pre- and post-sales services will continue to create strong bonds with consumers,” states William Shintani, managing partner of MBLM.
Other notable findings for the automotive industry include:
- The automotive industry is the most intimate industry for male, female and high income users
- 5% of users have an immediate emotional connection with BMW, 19.7% above the industry average
- 8% of users in the study consider Toyota to be the most essential (a brands a consumer can’t live without) automotive brand, 8.4% above the industry average
- Ford is the most intimate brand in the industry ranking at #1 in 2019, up four positions from #5 in 2018
- Lexus and BMW drop to #4 and #5 respectively, down three places from being #1 and #2 in 2018
- Consumers identify Fulfillment (when a brand exceeds expectations, delivering superior service, quality and efficacy) as the top industry archetype
Methodology: During 2018, MBLM with Praxis Research Partners conducted an online quantitative survey among 6,200 consumers in the U.S. (3,000), Mexico (2,000), and the United Arab Emirates (1,200). Participants were respondents who were screened for age (18 to 64 years of age) and annual household income ($35,000 or more) in the U.S. and socioeconomic levels in Mexico and the UAE (A, B, and C socioeconomic levels). Quotas were established to ensure that the sample mirrored census data for age, gender, income/socioeconomic level, and region. The survey was designed primarily to understand the extent to which consumers have relationships with brands and the strength of those relationships from fairly detached to highly intimate. It is important to note that this research provides more than a mere ranking of brand performance and was specifically designed to provide prescriptive guidance to marketers. We modeled data from over 6,200 interviews and approximately 56,000 brand evaluations to quantify the mechanisms that drive intimacy. Through factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and other sophisticated analytic techniques, the research allows marketers to better understand which levers need to be pulled to build intimacy between their brand and consumers. Thus, marketers will understand not only where their brand falls in the hierarchy of performance but also how to strengthen performance in the future.
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About MBLM: MBLM is the Brand Intimacy Agency, delivering expertise and offerings across three areas of focus: Agency, Lab and Platform. With offices in seven countries, our multidisciplinary teams help clients build stronger bonds and deliver optimized marketing outcomes and returns for the long term. To learn more about how we can help you create and sustain ultimate brand relationships, visit mblm.com.
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