automotive hybrid landscape
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TRANSCRIPT
Confidential © 2009 The Nielsen Company
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Automotive
Hybrid Landscape
Prepared by:
Julie Enzweiler
Automotive-Research Director
April 22, 2009
Confidential © 2009 The Nielsen Company
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Key Takeaways
• 2010 Honda Insight is having a tough time breaking out of the Prius’shadow
• Prius is generating interest from an older audience, while the Insight is appealing to a younger demographic
• 2010 Honda Insight tweets outpace the 2010 Prius & 2010 Fusion Hybrid on Twitter
• Prius typically represents two-percent of all vehicles shopped online, but rose to eight-percent when gas prices peaked in May 2008
• Hybrid shoppers are moving more mainstream
• Japanese dominate American automakers in hybrid vehicle shopping
• Hybrid online shopping is a leading indicator for gas prices
• The Paris & Detroit Auto Shows generate the largest buzz spikes for the 2010 Insight & 2010 Prius, while the 41 mpg announcement drove the largest spike for the 2010 Fusion Hybrid
3Confidential © 2009 The Nielsen Company
Research Objectives & Project Parameters
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Timeframe October 1, 2008 – March 31, 2009
Total sites Over 80 million blogs, 10,000 discussion boards, 50,000 Usenet groups
Total messages 358,039,862
Through this project, Nielsen Online seeks to address the following objectives:
• What are online hybrid shopping trends?
• Who currently owns a hybrid and what is the profile of those shopping for a hybrid?
• What are the buzz levels for the 2010 Honda Insight & 2010 Toyota Prius?
• What are the key online communities driving discussion for 2010 Honda Insight and 2010 Toyota Prius?
• What are the key topics of discussion within conversations about 2010 Honda Insight and 2010 Toyota Prius?
• What is consumer sentiment toward 2010 Honda Insight and 2010 Toyota Prius?
4Confidential © 2009 The Nielsen Company
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Methodology
Discussion TopicsProcess: Use keywords and proprietary software to create a random sample of messages about each brand within the project timeframe. Categorize messages based on topics naturally occurring within discussion.
Results: Presented as a percentage of sample size. Topics analysis is not statistically significant; it is intended to give quantitative directional insight. Because messages may be scored for more than one topic, numbers may add up to more than 100%.
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12/30/2007 1/30/2008 3/1/2008 4/1/2008 5/1/2008 6/1/2008
Brand A Brand B Brand C Brand D Brand E
Buzz VolumeProcess: Use proprietary software and keyword strings to isolate messages relevant to each brand within the project timeframe.
Results: Presented as a percentage of total conversation within the dataset.
11% 12%8%
36%25%
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Positive Negative Mixed Unsure No Opinion
Consumer SentimentProcess: Use keywords and proprietary software to create a random sample of messages about each brand within the project timeframe. Categorize messages into one of four sentiment areas: Positive, Negative, Mixed or Neutral.
Results: Presented as a percentage of sample size. Sentiment analysis is statistically significant with a margin of error of ±10% and a confidence level of 95%.
Qualitative InsightsNotable quotes from messages, organized by key themes, are included to provide qualitative assessment of how consumers discuss each brand.
5Confidential © 2009 The Nielsen Company
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“Hybrid Wars”: Vehicle Comparisons Dominate the Hybrid Landscape
6Confidential © 2009 The Nielsen Company
Enjoy the outdoors
• Shop at REI = 7.26 times more likely
• Cross-country ski = 3.71 times more likely
Read
• The Oregonian = 4.39 times more likely
• Atlantic Monthly = 3.53 times more likely
• The New Yorker = 3.47 times more likely
Drive
• Toyota = 3.16 times more likely
• Honda = 2.07 times more likely
• Subaru = 1.78 times more likely
Live in
• San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose = 3.19 times more likely
• San Diego = 2.50 times more likely
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Hybrid Owners: Who Are They?
Source: Nielsen Online @Plan, Spring 2009 Survey
7Confidential © 2009 The Nielsen Company
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Japanese automakers continue to increase their share of new hybrid shopping, while American hybrids fall to their lowest levels
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Japanese Hybrids American Hybrids Gas Prices
Source: Nielsen MegaPanel
8Confidential © 2009 The Nielsen Company
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Prius represented 8% of all vehicles shopped in May ‘08 at the height of gas prices & continues to dominate hybrid shopping
• Prius typically represents 2% of total vehicles being shopped, but accounted for 8% during the May 2008 peak in gas prices
• Hybrid shopper profiles are transitioning from an older, more educated, & higher income consumer to a more mainstream consumer
• Hybrid shoppers regardless of model over-index on males, while the Insight over-indexes on females
• Prius shoppers over-index on consumers over 45 years of age, while the Insight over-indexes on consumers between 21-34 years of age.
• Hybrid shopping is a leading indicator for gas prices
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Insight Prius Civic Hybrid Escape Hybrid Gas Prices
8%
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Source: Nielsen MegaPanel
9Confidential © 2009 The Nielsen Company
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Insight official sales date fails to generate as much buzz as the Paris & Detroit auto show debuts
Buzz Volume for 2010 Honda Insight, 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Ford Fusion
Buzz volume is depicted as a percentage of 358,039,862 messages occurring between October 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009.
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2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid 2010 Honda Insight 2010 Toyota Prius
2010 Prius revealed
in Detroit
2010 Insight
revealed in
Detroit
2010 Insight
goes on sale
Ford announces
Fusion Hybrid
Fusion rated
at 41 MPG
2010 Insight
debuts in
Paris
10Confidential © 2009 The Nielsen Company
2010 Honda
Insight
61%
2010 Ford Fusion
Hybrid
23%
2010 Toyota Prius
16%
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Insight dominates Twitter mindshare post-launch & is used to share vehicle experiences
Twitter Share of Voice for 2010 Honda Insight, 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Ford Fusion
“I just drove a new Honda Insight and it was terrific. Driving around Cville, I was averaging 50 mpg. My Honda Insight arrives on Monday!”Sunbiosis, 03-28-2009
Twitter Share of Voice is depicted as a % of total messages about the three brands of interest occurring between March 22, 2009 and April 10, 2009.
11Confidential © 2009 The Nielsen Company
31% 28%
15%
7%
16%
9%
38%
56%
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2010 Honda Insight 2010 Toyota Prius
Positive Negative Mixed Neutral
Honda Insight buzz more polarized than Prius
Sentiment Toward 2010 Honda Insight & Toyota Prius During March 2009
Sentiment and topics of discussion are qualitatively assessed. Volume is determined as a percent of a sample of 100 messages about each brand during March 1 – 31 2009.
12Confidential © 2009 The Nielsen Company
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Competitor Mention
Price
Fuel Efficiency
Interior/Exterior Design & Size
Demand/# for Sale
Advertising/Promo/Video
Features
Performance
Considering Buying
Battery
Hype/Smugness
Govt. Regulation/Tax Credits
Owners Manual
Personal Review/Test Drive Results
2010 Honda Insight 2010 Toyota Prius
Insight is having a tough time breaking out of the Prius’ shadow
Sentiment and topics of discussion are qualitatively assessed. Volume is determined as a percent of a sample of 100 messages about each brand during March 1 – 31 2009.
Discussion Topics for 2010 Honda Insight and Toyota Prius During March ‘09• Comparisons to the
2010 Prius drive Honda Insight discussion. Price is frequently referenced as the Insight’s selling point; however, some do not feel that the difference in price makes up for the Insight’s lower MPG rate (compared to the 2010 Prius) or perceived lack of features.
• Reported solar panel and plug-in options drive features discussion about the 2010 Prius.
• Some consumers are showing early concerns that the Honda Insight might have “road noise”issues.
13Confidential © 2009 The Nielsen Company
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“Let It Shine” generates widespread interestThe “Let It Shine” commercial posted by CreativeReviewTV generates more views than all but one of the videos on the Honda YouTube Channel--even CreativeReviewTV’s “Making Of” video yields over 16,000 views.
Honda should capitalize on the widespread interest in this clever commercial by posting it on the Honda Insight website as well as the Honda YouTube Channel. Honda may want to consider including the video in its search engine marketing strategy.
14Confidential © 2009 The Nielsen Company
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2010 Insight 2010 Prius
Automotive Entertainment Personal Blog Design & Advertising
Sustainability Gadget Other
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Insight discussion is more dispersed, while Prius enthusiast sites generate the majority of buzz
Online Site Breakdown for 2010 Honda Insight & 2010 Toyota Prius
Online site focus is determined as a percent of a sample of 100 messages about each brand during March 1 – 31 2009.
The novelty of the re-release of the Honda Insight as well as the accompanying “Let It Shine”commercial drive interest within non-automotive communities.
15Confidential © 2009 The Nielsen Company
The WHAT SlideWhat (we found) So What (does this mean?) Now What (do we do?)
Consider posting “Let It Shine” on the Honda Insight website & Honda YouTube Channel as well as including the video in its search engine marketing campaign. Clever & engaging ads need to reside wherever the target consumer goes online.
Honda’s “Let It Shine” commercial makes the rounds online; consumers enjoy the clever use of the Insight’s headlights.
The interest in “Let It Shine” expands the reach of Insight discussion—consumers share the commercial on sites outside of the automotive realm. Despite interest, Honda does not have the commercial on its YouTube channel.
The Honda Insight is closely linked to the Prius—almost two thirds of Insight mentions also discuss the 2010 Prius or another vehicle. Some believe that the exterior design of the new Insight looks very similar to the Prius.
If consumers regularly evaluate the Insight as a potential “Prius Killer,” the Insight will fail to emerge with a unique reputation, divorced from the Prius. The perception that the design of the Insight is too similar to that of the Prius highlights the belief that the Prius is the gold standard and all other hybrids must conform to the niche the Prius carved out. The end result of comparisons to the 2010 Prius is increased buzz for Prius.
Be wary of the impact of the “Hybrid Wars” on how consumers are assessing the Insight. Consider openly participating in online conversation to potentially shape perceptions of shoppers.
Hybrid shopping was closely linked to gas prices in 2008, but is showing signs of becoming independent of gas prices & appealing to a more mainstream audience.
Consumers used to perceive hybrids as a lifestyle symbol and was often purchased by wealthy, highly educated consumers. The introduction of new hybrids and growing awareness of energy conservation is changing the profile of hybrid shoppers.
Revisit the advertising target audience to ensure a more mainstream audience is being reached as opposed to the traditional hybrid owner of the past.
Some consumers believe that the Yaris will be more efficient and cheaper than the Insight and may hold out until 2011 (or whenever the new Yaris comes out).
Consumers predict that Toyota’s Hybrid version of its Yaris model will become a direct competitor to the Honda Insight.
Clarify the strengths of the Insight and Fit and stress the importance of purchasing a vehicle now (e.g. tax rebate) as opposed to waiting until 2011. 15
