According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Online Media Study, targeting upscale new-vehicle buyers at travel, special interest and finance Web sites is considerably more effective for brand marketing than placing advertising on most automotive shopping sites.
Based on a random national sample of 10,724 verified new-vehicle buyers with Internet access who purchased a vehicle in September or October 2005, the study investigates the Internet usage and behavior of new-vehicle buyers.
Steve Witten, executive director of automotive research at J.D. Power and Associates, said "By focusing on new-vehicle buyer behavior on the Internet before they begin actively shopping for their next new vehicle, automotive marketers can identify the Web sites with the highest probability of reaching prospective buyers more effectively ...once consumers visit an automotive shopping site, they've already narrowed their vehicle consideration set."
While most Internet users are reached by the most popular sites such as Google and Yahoo!, the study finds these upscale new-vehicle buyers can be found (following their interests and lifestyles) at sites such as WebMD and Home Depot five times more often than general Internet users.
Percentage of Web Site Visitors among General Internet Users and Verified New-Vehicle Buyers | |||
General Internet Users | New-Vehicle Buyers | Index (New-Vehicle Buyer vs. General) | |
MASS MARKET/ PORTAL SITES | |||
75% | 82% | 109 | |
Yahoo! | 69% | 72% | 104 |
AUTOMOTIVE SITES | |||
Edmunds | 3% | 12% | 400 |
Kelley Blue Book | 4% | 19% | 475 |
SPECIALTY SITES | |||
MSN Money | 3% | 19% | 633 |
Yahoo! Finance | 3% | 20% | 667 |
The Home Depot | 5% | 26% | 520 |
Web MD | 5% | 27% | 540 |
Travelocity | 7% | 35% | 500 |
Expedia.com | 9% | 40% | 444 |
Source: J.D. Power and Associates, 2006 |
Affluent buyers:
"While (upscale) new-vehicle buyers are a niche of only 6 percent of adults in any one year, they are a highly desirable group of consumers for advertisers, and they behave very differently online than general Internet audiences," said Witten.
The study finds that visitation to particular Web sites can vary greatly by the type of vehicle consumers are likely to purchase:
To review the original release, please visit here.