Honda and Volkswagen Hit Top of Teens’ ‘Wish List’ Says New Research by NFO WorldGroup; Ford and Chevrolet Losing Ground With Girls

GREENWICH, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–July 31, 2003

NFO WorldGroup–

— Teens React to Recent Auto Manufacturer Marketing Campaigns,

Concluding that Some Brands Haven’t “Like” Got a Clue

Not since the Olsen Twins got their driver’s licenses have teenagers and automobiles been burning such hot rubber. From the launch of the new car models to hip ad campaigns geared towards the Gen Y set, the automotive industry is aggressively competing for shares of this market. But what brands are really winning over teens?

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According to a recent study by NFO Automotive, a division of NFO WorldGroup, one of the world’s leading providers of research-based marketing information and counsel, Honda and Volkswagen are capturing the largest percentages of the teen market with teens putting the two manufacturers on the top of their wish list. Surprisingly, some brands that have been trying hardest to capitalize on this market are at the bottom of the scale and so are some teens’ reactions to their recent marketing campaigns.

Part of the study, which looks at teens’ first car purchase intentions as well as perceptions about brands, indexed teens’ responses toward brands against 2002 light vehicle sales, resulting in an index ranking. Honda and Volkswagen which took the top two slots each score in the HIGH (over 120) category, meaning that their teen share has overtaken last year’s overall market share. Honda scored a 217 and Volkswagen a 200. Pontiac was in third place with a score of 167. Hence, so far this year, these brands have the highest recognition and appeal to the teen market.

Domestic brands such as Ford and Chevrolet also score high in terms of purchase intentions but these numbers are weak in comparison to their overall market share, landing them in the AVERAGE category (80-100). Ford’s teen score of 94 indicates that 17% of teens express interest in buying this brand’s models, but this number is slightly less than its 2002 market share of 18%. Chevrolet ranked similarly. Brands that fell into the WEAK category include Toyota, Jeep and Nissan scoring below 80. These brands are traditionally associated as teen-oriented and recently have been putting more efforts behind marketing to this demographic.

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