Nielsen Wire » Automotive buzz

Will Facebook Overtake MySpace For Auto Ads, Too?

Nielsen Wire — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:42:56 +0000

Online advertising remains strong, even as ad spending has decreased across other media, and MySpace has benefited from this trend with several large-scale campaigns from auto makers. But in recent months, Facebook has surpassed MySpace in terms of monthly unique audience and stickiness: its monthly unique audience grew 177 percent in the last year compared to a 9 percent decrease for MySpace and time per person on Facebook went from 1 hour 8 minutes in March 2008 to 3 hours 16 minutes in March 2009.

When it comes to auto ads, MySpace continues to garner more overall ad spend: Honda, Chevrolet, Ford, Nissan and Toyota all recently ran ads, with the Honda Fit campaign generating more than 600 million ad impressions in the first quarter of 2009. A year earlier, Toyota generated over 2.5 billion impressions for its Matrix. This year, Toyota has allocated more of its ad dollars to Facebook.

As Facebook continues to grow, it will be interesting to track whether the automotive ad spending follows. To receive detailed monthly updates on the auto industry contact Julie Enzweiler

Automotive Buzz: Hyundai Plan Assures Approval Rating

Nielsen Wire — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:18:09 +0000

While buyers may be delaying new vehicle purchases, consumers still actively post tens of thousands of brand and vehicle related messages each month. In its latest Automotive Industry Overview, Nielsen Online found that consumers have enthusiastically responded online to the Hyundai Assurance program (which allows leasers to return a vehicle with no penalty if they lose their income). Since the plan debuted in January, 2009, more than 1,900 messages have been posted, helped by general curiosity, praise from the media, Super Bowl commercials and the Assurance Plus addition in February. With an overall positive sentiment of 85%, Hyundai Assurance buzz occurs at a higher rate on non-automotive sites than general brand buzz, which is driven by newly interested consumers or by those asking about the “fine print.”

Hyundai Brand and Assurance Source Breakdown

For more information on the Automotive Industry Overview, contact Larry Black and Julie Enzweiler

Driving Buzz: Nielsen Analyzes International Auto Show Chatter

Nielsen Wire — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:20:35 +0000

Amid the backdrop of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Nielsen Online analysts Joe Colacurcio and Scott Hamm discuss online auto conversations and value of pre-buzz on auto blogs like Jalopnik.

Most Buzzworthy Auto Brands Of 2008

Nielsen Wire — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:15:47 +0000

By Julie Enzweiler, Nielsen Online

The automotive industry has witnessed an extremely volatile and game-changing 2008. With Ford, BMW, Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen leading the way, here is a look at the top 25 automotive brands that consumers discussed online in 2008 relative to all online discussion.