Thanks to raves about its quality, size, style and dealer experience, Toyota achieved the highest rating of 69 followed by Honda (68), Lexus (68) and Acura (67).

Creating a positive brand image online has grown in importance because that’s where most consumers go to research their purchase decision. “Before people buy a new vehicle they are looking to the Web and social media sites,” said Julie A. Enzweiler, automotive research director, Nielsen Online.

“Auto marketers have to understand that the positive and negative comments people say will impact the sale. It can either pick up a brand up or weigh it down.”

Despite Hyundai’s new offerings and extensive advertising efforts, the brand’s rating falls lower than many other automakers because of quality issues and poor dealership experiences among survey respondents. It scored a 46. Only Isuzu (39), Suzuki (41) and Jaguar (43) ranked lower.

Kia, meanwhile, found itself in the middle with a score of 52. Price and value drove its advocacy, which is common among lower priced brands, however quality concerns dragged down Kia’s overall score.

For brands to be successful and gain advocates, Enzweiler said, “their brand pillars must resonate with consumers. If you want to be known for great quality vehicles, your top consumers need to perceive you that way. The BAQ is a snapshot in time for brands to see the lay of the land and adjust accordingly.” — Kenneth Hein

The automaker took home the prize for Most Effective Auto Ad of the Year for its spot featuring several real-life women test-driving a Ford Focus for the first time. Other winners included Lexus for Most Effective Green Ad of the Year and Volkswagen for Most Effective Sales Event Campaign of the Year.

Winning ads were determined by results from Nielsen IAG’s 2.5+ million viewer panel measuring the recall and likeability of the ads.

Winners will be announced by Lois Miller, President of  Nielsen IAG Automotive, at the New York Auto Show on Wednesday, April 8.

“The automotive industry faced a very challenging year in 2008,” said Miller. “These awards celebrate the creative advertising process and they recognize how the talents of great ad agencies, savvy media planners, and automakers with a vision can work together to effectively reach their audience.”

Nominees for the ad categories are as follows:

GREEN AD OF THE YEAR

• Lexus – “Missing H” – Agency: Team One, Media: Team One
• Chevrolet - “Disappear 2.0 Volt Reveal” – Agency: Campbell-Ewald, Media: Starcom Mediavest
• Cadillac Escalade Hybrid – Checkmate – Agency: Modernista! Media: Starcom Mediavest

SALES EVENT CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR

• Toyota – “Toyotathon of Toyotathons” – Agency: Saatchi and Saatchi, Media: Saatchi and Saatchi
• Volkswagen – “Autobahn for All” – Agency: Crispin Porter and Bogusky, Media: Mediacom
• Lexus - “December to Remember” – Agency: Team One, Media: Team One

AUTOMOTIVE AD OF THE YEAR

• Chevrolet – “My Truck Anthem” – Agency: Campbell-Ewald, Media: Starcom Mediavest
• Volkswagen – “Nimoy” — Agency: Crispin Porter and Bogusky, Media: Mediacom
• Ford – “Focus Briana” — Agency: J Walter Thompson, Media: Mindshare

For more information on this year’s awards or for media credentialing, please contact Ian Beavis at (714) 813-6300 or ian.beavis@nielsen.com.

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.

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.

Likeability refers to the percentage of television viewers who report liking an ad “a lot” after viewing it, among those who are able to recall an ad’s brand.

A traditional ad’s “likeability score” is the percentage of television viewers who report liking an ad “a lot” (among those who can recall an ad’s brand) after being exposed to it during the normal course of viewing primetime TV on the broadcast networks.

Likeability scores are indexed against the mean score for all new traditional ads during the time period to calculate an ad’s “likeability index.”

A likeability index of 100 indicates average recall. A likeability index of 153, for example, means that an ad was 53% better liked than the average new ad during the four-week time period.

Read coverage of Nielsen’s findings in Ad Age.