• Brandweek, Wednesday, November 21, 2007 12:47 PM

Foreign-based automakers spent an average of $182 per shopper in 2006, compared with $223 per shopper from the domestic car manufacturers, according to data compiled by Compete, a Boston-based research firm. Last year, Honda had the most proficient spend per shopper at $118, trailed by Toyota at $158. Ford was the least effective in the million-plus sales range at $240 a shopper.

Saturn's "like always, like never before" campaign helped bring down its cost-per-shopper by 35%, from $187 in 2005 to $121 last year, the report notes. Scion dropped to $30 per shopper from $44 the previous year. Kia also honed its cost from $191 to $144.

"The smaller brands with a clearly defined target performed the best," says Mike Jennings, head of the automotive practice at Compete. "Ford has to go from an F250 truck to a Fusion." Jennings, who compiled the study, uses ad-spend figures from Nielsen Monitor-Plus and Compete's data-gathering from 29 third-party auto shopping sites, including kbb.com and cars.com.

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