According to data from Nielsen’s People Meter sample fused with the respondents of MRI’s Survey of the American Consumer, NASCAR race viewers in Q1′09 were more likely than the average consumer to drive American:

• Drivers of Chevrolet, sponsor of Tony Stewart and Hendrick Motorsports, had 70% higher ratings compared to the composite.
• Drivers of Ford, who sponsors one of NASCAR’s brightest stars in Carl Edwards, had 64% higher ratings.
• Drivers of Dodge, which is now partially owned by a Fiat, is still considered by many an American car, and had 59% higher ratings.

It should be no surprise that NASCAR’s racing teams work closely with the automakers not just under the hood, but also on ways to increase sponsorship visibility - including car signage, uniform apparel, and training the drivers to weave in audio mentions to their interviews – all in hopes of moving the needle when their fans head out to their local car dealership.

As the Big Three American automakers attempt to change public perception and get their cars back on the right track, NASCAR may be the best sponsorship vehicle.

On the eve of General Motor’s bankruptcy, New York Times blog writer, James G. Cobb, asked consumers to share their experiences with GM vehicles. His personal contribution relates to family vehicles, from deep pride in his parents’ first new Chevy to a later Biscayne exhibiting various quality issues that would ultimately be cited as a reason neither he nor his family have owned GM products since.

This experiential theme resonates among consumers responding to the blog post. Within the 57 percent of consumers expressing mixed to negative experiences, many speak to excitement in their new GM family car tempered or soured by various vehicle problems.Others speak to watching vehicle quality decline over a series of GM vehicles they, family, or friends once owned.

Sentiment breakout from NYT Wheels blog post (May 31 – June 2, 2009)

With nearly half of the stories relating to childhood and family-related experiences, the power of first and early impressions appear to play a large role in shaping the current buying behavior of consumers. Seeing family members disappointed with a GM vehicle or experiencing their own frustrations with a GM model make very powerful impressions on potential buyers.

• 18 percent of memories contain first new car experiences.
• More than twice as many consumers state that they no longer buy GM products (36 percent) than those who mention currently owning or a willingness to consider owning one (16 percent).

While consumers state various reasons why they no longer buy GM – including lack of models that interest them or fit their needs – past experiences with poor quality factor heavily into this decision. Two in five experiences contain some type of quality issue, often including frequent or sometimes expensive maintenance. While these quality problems ranged in severity, several consumers also mention the dealer service experience did little to mitigate the irritation of taking the car to the shop – and sometimes made it worse.

Perceptions extend beyond experiences, and the GM bankruptcy generates significant levels of discussion outside of personal vehicle experiences. Peripheral buzz from the broader spectrum of GM bankruptcy reactions also indicates how closely consumers are monitoring the situation and if they might be more susceptible to brand advocates or detractors.

• 13 percent express hope that GM will emerge stronger and have success in the future, which speaks to opportunities for connecting with advocates as GM moves into “Chapter 1” of its new beginning.
• 10 percent discuss dealership/plant closures and other aspects of bankruptcy that impact current and former employees. Some mention knowing employees or retirees whose income or benefits have been affected.
• 19 percent state opinions about what factors were driving GM to bankruptcy.

Both personal experiences and overall perceptions shape the entire customer experience. Understanding both aspects via listening to online buzz and acting on those findings can help brands toward the goal of improving consumer perceptions.

Consumer reactions to recent government moves toward U.S. automakers GM and Chrysler range from skeptical to supportive, based on Nielsen Online’s analysis of Internet consumer buzz.

The Obama Administration’s weekend request for GM CEO Rick Wagoner’s resignation is merely “symbolic” for some consumers, contributing to their belief that Wagoner is being made a “scapegoat.”

Despite the President’s assurances that the federal government has no intention of running an automotive company, consumers remain concerned about the future of American capitalism and what some perceive as a shift toward socialism. Yet, some consumers agree that the government has a right to take these actions given that automakers asked for government-backed bridge loans and taxpayer support.

These recent developments have created significant Internet buzz since March 30th, surpassing discussion levels from mid-February related to the submission of restructuring/viability plans from GM and Chrysler.

GM, Chrysler and Government Loan Situation Buzz (January 1 – March 30, 2009)

Given the skepticism toward the government’s involvement in Wagoner’s resignation, what do consumers think about the President’s announcement of a government-backed Warranty Commitment Program for domestic automakers to bolster consumer confidence? Nearly half of immediate consumer responses to the Warranty Commitment Program are negative, influenced heavily by concerns about government involvement in the automotive sector. Consumers do not trust the government’s ability to manage the program and fear this level of regulation erodes the basic principals of capitalism, a sentiment that overshadows the intended impact of the program.

Consumer Sentiment within Warranty Commitment Program Buzz

(Sample of 100 Comments from March 29-30, 2009)

Buzz has been rapidly evolving over the past few days. No doubt online consumers will continue to discuss unfolding events while the clock ticks for GM and Chrysler.

However, 20% of consumers do respond favorably to the warranty program, saying that it improves their perceptions of GM and Chrysler products or that the program accurately addresses a concern for prospective buyers. This includes prospective owners who say the program has a positive impact on their consideration to buy a GM or Chrysler product.

Topic Discussion within Warranty Commitment Program Buzz

(Sample of 100 Comments from March 29-30, 2009)

Buzz has been rapidly evolving over the past few days. No doubt online consumers will continue to discuss unfolding events while the clock ticks for GM and Chrysler.

*Scott Hamm also contributed to this analysis

Nielsen’s Guide To March Madness, tracks a range of consumer and media information surrounding the event including advertising trends and demographic reach of the multi-week event. Ad buys for CBS’s coverage of the NCAA Tournament have risen steadily over the last five years – from $434 million in 2004 to $580 million in 2008 – a surge of almost 34 percent.  Spending for the Final Four Championship game has grown 47 percent over the last five years.  Last year’s final game saw $97.5 million in advertising, with the cost of a 30-second commercial over $1 million.

Over the last five years, General Motors has spent the most on ads with a total of $317 million. Last year, the auto company was the top spender, with $64.7 million in spending.

The automotive category was the top-spending category for each of the last five years.  Last year, automotive was top, followed by financial – investment services, fast food restaurants, wireless phone services and beer.

Scoring With Fans?

Are these advertisers reaching their targets?  According to Scarborough Sports Marketing, a joint venture between Nielsen and Arbitron, the answer is a resounding “yes.”  Viewers and listeners of the tournament are likely to be male, educated and married.  They have higher than average annual household incomes and and a wide range of interests, hobbies and consumer preferences:

An NCAA Fan Is…

• 10 percent more likely to have visited a casino in the last year
• 17 percent more likely own three or more vehicles in their household
• An avid fast food consumer, and is 34 percent more likely than the average adult to have visited a fast food chain 10 or more times in a week
• 33 percent more likely to have consumed any beer in the last month, with Bud Lite, Budweiser and Corona the leading brands in the light domestic,  regular domestic and imported categories.

Download Nielsen’s complete Guide To March Madness

In the past year, Nissan N.A. and Ford Motor Co. Web sites are showing signs of increased consumer interest as evidenced by comparing the unique visitors from January 2008 to January 2009. In terms of year-over-year growth in site visitors, Nissan N.A. saw an increase of 14% while Ford Motor Co. showed a 9% increase. Chrysler LLC experienced the steepest decline in site traffic at 26% followed by General Motors (-17%), Toyota Motor Sales (-11%) and Honda Motor Co. (-5%).

In January 2008, visitors to Chrysler LLC sites also visited or overlapped with General Motors sites (24%) followed by Ford Motor Co. (22%), Honda Motor Co. (15%), Toyota Motor Sales (14%) and Nissan N.A. (9%) sites. The overlap landscape has significantly changed for Chrysler in January 2009 as General Motors and Ford Motor Co. are the only automakers to be cross-shopped with 16% and 3% respectively. Further analysis of online discussion reveals that consumer confidence toward Chrysler’s products, leadership and future viability is decreasing, which poses a threat to potential sales.

Interestingly, Ford is showing signs of becoming a stronger competitor to Toyota, Nissan and Honda, while having less audience overlap with Chrysler and General Motors. In January 2008, roughly 15% of consumers that visited a Toyota Motor Sales site also went to a Ford Motor Co. site, while in January 2009 this rose to 20%. Nissan N.A. sites witnessed a similar overlap increase from 20% to 27% with Ford Motor Co.

Is this change in consumer behavior due to Ford’s improved products, a sign of consumer confidence that Ford refused to receive any government bailout money, or both? Online discussion is indicating that Ford’s strong leadership and refusal of bailout money is giving them the competitive advantage over Chrysler and General Motors. As the threat of bankruptcy grows stronger for General Motors and Chrysler, it is my hypothesis that Ford will continue to benefit from their decision to refuse government aid both in terms of site traffic as well as sentiment of online discussion.

In mid-November, following GM released its quarterly earnings report – which highlighted the gravity of the Big Three Automakers’ financial situation, and online consumers began comparing the potential auto bailout to the U.S. government’s bailout of the financial industry or the Chapter 11 benefits/consequences of the airline industry.

Around November 21, the first Congressional bailout hearings spurred consumers’ opinions across the Internet.  Many questioned how the domestic OEMs will be held accountable for using bailout funds.  Others heavily criticized the Big Three Auto CEOs for flying corporate jets to the hearings.

In non-bailout related blog discussions, online consumers expressed enthusiasm about potential future Toyota hybrid models, such as a sport coupe version of the Prius or a Lexus-only hybrid compact.

Online consumers were also abuzz during the L.A. Auto Show, with many expressing interest in alternative fuels and new versions of vehicles, such as the Ford Fusion and Mustang, Lexus RX, Mazda 3, Nissan 370Z, and Cube.

View the complete “Automotive Industry Overview” for November 2008.

Stay tuned on Nielsen Wire for monthly installments of Nielsen Online’s monthly “Automotive Industry Overview” of online, consumer-driven automotive discussions.

Through July 2008, the Big Three American car manufacturers (GM, Ford, and Chrysler) all showed negative advertising growth over 2007, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. Ford and Chrysler each spent 22% less on advertising, while GM dropped its spending by 6%.

Compare that with the relative success of foreign automakers. Honda added the most spending in dollars over 2007 (an extra $71.5 million, or 13%), while Daimler (48%) and Volkswagen (23%) showed the most growth percentage-wise.

But not all foreign automakers saw the same success. Hyundai’s spending dropped by 17%, Nissan’s fell 15%, and Toyota’s numbers remained unchanged. The numbers reflect a 10% dip in ad spending across the entire auto industry through July.

So, for the money that has been spent, where has it gone? Of the total $6 billion spent on car and truck ads, more than $5 billion (83%) were placed in television, while $640 million (11%) were placed in magazines

There were some notable declines in media spending this year. Television is down $323.7 million (-6% compared to last year); budgets for magazines (national, local, and B-to-B) were cut $187.3 million (-23%); and newspapers (national, local, and supplements) dropped $58.8 million (-25%). These significant losses contributed to the overall loss of $640 million, bringing advertising for the automotive category down 11% for the first seven months of this year.

Cable television reported a 5% increase in total spend for the Jan-July time period with $881.9 million in total spend. Another bright star in automotive ad spend is Spanish-language cable television, gaining $1.8 million. Finally, spending in local magazines also climbed, showing the largest increase of 23%.

An analysis of auto-related blog discussions released Tuesday by Nielsen Online found online buzz in October spiked around BMW’s X1 Concept, Lexus’s IS 250C, and Acura’s first V8 engine.

The “Meet the Beckers” series and content from the Lexus L-Studio site were the top consumer-cited videos for October.

Among more sober blog discussions, buzz about a potential GM/Chrysler merger was most prevalent. Consumers speculated about which models might be discontinued and the prospect of job cuts. Many also voiced opposition to funding the merger with a government loan.

In contrast, Porsche’s increased stake in Volkswagen generated far less online buzz. Most consumers who blogged about that merger described it as a good business move.

View the complete “Automotive Industry Overview” for October 2008.

Stay tuned on Nielsen Wire for monthly installments of Nielsen Online’s monthly “Automotive Industry Overview” of online, consumer-driven automotive discussions.

An analysis of GM-related online buzz between September 1 and October 24, 2008 found that consumer chatter on Internet message boards and blogs has focused on how Detroit would change if GM and Chrysler joined forces — and which vehicles might survive the merger.

GM’s forthcoming electric car, the Chevy Volt, also drove a significant portion of GM’s online buzz during the last two months — as did discussions of plant closures, the United Autoworkers union, and the company’s 100th anniversary.

View Nielsen’s proprietary Brand Association Map (BAM) for GM, which charts the attributes most closely associated with the company in online discussions.  The BAM analysis provides an unaided, unsolicited, real-time barometer of consumer perceptions of and attitudes toward a topic discussed online.

What are your thoughts on a GM-Chrysler merger?  Submit your comments below.

In the coming months, the “Monthly Automotive Industry Overview” will include staple features such as top blog posts, most-cited online news articles, “buzz” trends of the top six automotive manufacturers, as well as key topics that are influencing online discussion about the automotive industry. For more information or a complete copy of the report, visit Nielsen Online.