Does your brand portfolio strategy affect how much people talk about your cars?

Automotive research: Masterbrand v Product Brand

Does brand portfolio strategy affect social media engagement?

Contact:Dan MilesNew Business – Brand [email protected] 7264 6316www.precise.co.uk

Contents

Objective and approach 1

Key findings 2

Overview of themes of conversation 3

Themes of conversation about BMW 4

Themes of conversation about Volkswagen 6

Themes of conversation about Volkswagen Beetle 8

Conclusions and considerations 10

Objective and approach

1

Objective

To investigate the hypothesis that the brand

portfolio approach taken by automotive

manufacturers impacts on the level of focus and

cohesion of conversations around the

manufacturer brand, by performing an analysis on

the themes of conversation around BMW,

Volkswagen and Volkswagen Beetle.

Approach

We identified all English-language mentions of ‘BMW’,

‘Volkswagen/VW’ and ‘Volkswagen/VW Beetle/Bug’

within social media from 12th March to 12th June.

We analysed the content for each brand/model in

terms of the focus of each post, using market-leading

software including Crimson Hexagon.

This analysis was then explored in order to provide an

understanding the drivers of conversation for each

brand/model and the differences which exist (or not).

Key findings

2

Conversations about BMW were driven and dominated

by aspirational mentions. These mentions tended to occur

on Twitter and contained little or no detail regarding model or

style. Aspirational posts also made up a considerable

proportion of conversations about Volkswagen, but were

more likely to be driven by mentions of model brands,

particularly the Beetle and Campervan.

Mentions of models were common for both BMW and

Volkswagen in conversations which shared news and

information about specific models, and posts such as this

were predominantly generated within blogs and forums, or

comprised Tweets with links to external online content.

Mentions of models were also common within posts in

which consumers posed questions or shared advice and

experiences. These conversations predominantly took place

within forums, were specific in focus, and contained a high

level of detail.

A large proportion of negative mentions of BMW

referred to the drivers of BMW-made cars and failed to

discriminate by model. In contrast, negative mentions of

Volkswagen were driven by and differed by model-brand. For

example, negative mentions of the Volkswagen Beetle were

driven by comments on male drivers and the sharing of a

joke referencing the model brand.

The marketing activities of both BMW and Volkswagen

drove a similar proportion of conversation.

Conversations about the marketing activities of both often

did not include mentions of models and therefore served to

drive buzz around the manufactures as a whole.

Overview of themes of conversation

3

Other/Passing mentions

Generic negative comments/ Comments about the drivers

I have/had a BMW/VW/VW Beetle

Comments on the business

Problems/Questions & advice

Marketing and sponsorship

Reviews and comments on models

Positive and aspirational comments

Adverts/Selling/Buying

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Themes of conversation within social media by brand

BMW Volkswagen Volkswagen Beetle

BMW’s monolithic branding consolidated aspirational comments around the master brand.

BMW experienced a lower proportion of mentions of the master brand in connection with models. Given the lack of a brand name with which to otherwise identify the models in discussion, this is somewhat surprising, and indicates that conversations about BMW are quite homogeneous, master brand and aspiration-driven.

The relatively high proportion of posts seeking or giving advice for Volkswagen was a product of its more fragmented and evenly dispersed topics of conversation.

Volkswagen Beetle has its own perceptual profile, which drives more singular conversations than the master brand.

Volkswagen’s Beetle attracted a relatively high proportion of negative mentions about its drivers, however negativity was attributed to the model brand rather than the Volkswagen Brand overall. This was not the case for BMW, where similar negativity did not discriminate by model and instead was attributed to the BMW Brand as a whole.

Themes of conversation about BMW (i)

4

Passing mentions

Other

Generic negative comments

"I own a BMW"







0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

BMW: themes of conversation within social media

Themes of conversation about BMW (ii)

5

Opinion-based consumer conversations about BMW within

social media were dominated by aspirational posts. These

were predominantly generated on Twitter and, although some

posts did cite specific models, (“I want a 1990 bmw 325i...#boss

s***”), posts were more likely to omit details, (“I want a BMW

#wishfulthinking”), or quote other details, such as colour, (‘”I've

also always wanted a 1999 white convertible BMW”).

The aspiration surrounding BMW was also evident in the 5% of

conversations in which consumers informed people, either

directly or indirectly, that they, or someone they’re connected to,

owned a BMW. Within these posts it was again common for

consumers to omit details about the specific model they owned

(“So I just bought a BMW... #TheUltimateDrivingMachine”).

BMW’s marketing activity drove 7% of all consumer

conversations, but despite being widely shared and

commented upon on sites such as Twitter, again consumers

more often than not failed to cite which model was being

advertised (“@TheFatKidNaTion I love that commercial with the

BMW racer wearing the head cam. So cool.”).

Reviews of or comments on specific models made up 12%

of all conversations. These discussions primarily took place on

blogs and within forums, and tweets commonly linked to longer-

form content. They tended to comprise reviews, news, and more

general consumer comments (“BMW AG revealed a convertible

roadster version of its i8, a high-performance plug-in hybrid

concept car.”)

Mentions of specific models and their respective features

were also common within the 7% of conversations in which

consumers discussed problems, offered advice and shared

experiences in very detailed terms (“My car is an n54 with a

step-tronic transmission. No launch control from bmw, but I

discovered that if you do a 2nd gear launch, you can build up to

2500rpm and have no wheel-spin during the first 20ft.”)

Negative comments about BMW tended to focus on their

drivers, with a link to a study which found that BMW owners

are ‘twice as likely to be adulterers’ featuring prominently

(“Study: #BMW owners twice as likely to be adulterers as drivers

of other brands: Filed under: Etc., BM... http://t.co/ORtxAmz8”).

Themes of conversation about Volkswagen (i)

6

Other

"I own a VW"


Generic negative comments






0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Volkswagen: themes of conversation within social media

Themes of conversation about Volkswagen (ii)

7

As with conversations about BMW, posts commenting upon

specific models, and positive and aspirational posts were

the most common drivers of conversation about

Volkswagen. However, these topics of conversation were

significantly less dominant for Volkswagen than they were for

BMW, and topics of conversation about Volkswagen were more

evenly spread.

Posts mentioning and commenting upon specific models

were more common than positive or aspirational posts

within conversations about Volkswagen. These posts tended

to comprise the sharing of news or reviews of various models

(“This VW Passat just drove a record-breaking 1,626 miles on a

single tank of gas! http://t.co/7ZvRx6Qy”), and commonly linked

to external online content.

Unlike posts about BMW, positive and aspirational

comments about Volkswagen tended to be driven by

mentions of specific models, most commonly the Volkswagen

Beetle (“I want a Volkswagen beetle so bad:( “) and Volkswagen

Campervan (“I want an old school VW campervan”).

Negative comments were varied, but included a significant

proportion of jokes and comments on the drivers of specific

models, such as the Volkswagen Beetle.

As in conversations about BMW, a significant proportion of

conversational about Volkswagen comprised posts asking

questions or sharing advice and experiences, most

commonly within forums. Within these posts, mentions of

specific models and their respective features were again

common and posts often included a high level of detail (“I've

removed the pedal cover assembly using this "howto", Brake

master cylinder removal on VW Passat and I've lubricated all of

the moving parts with first 5-56 spray [...] but still, no luck.”).

Marketing activities drove a similar proportion of

conversation for both BMW and Volkswagen, and as with

conversations about BMW’s advertising, consumers were not

likely to mention the model advertised. Instead, posts about

Volkswagen's advertising tended to comprise short comments

without much detail (“That new Volkswagen commercial is

#priceless #DasAuto”).

Themes of conversation about Volkswagen Beetle (i)

8

Other

Negative comments


"I have/had a VW"

Comments about drivers




0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Volkswagen Beetle: themes of conversation within social media

Themes of conversation about Volkswagen Beetle (ii)

9

Unlike overall conversations about Volkswagen, consumer

discussions about the Volkswagen Beetle were driven by

positive and aspirational comments. These posts were most

commonly generated on Twitter and were simple in format (“I

want a Volkswagen Beetle so flipping bad. #favoritecar

#cutestthingsever”).

A similar proportion of posts comprised more specific

comments or reviews of the model. These were common on

blogs and within forums, or comprised tweets with links to

external online content (“Volkswagen New Beetle Diecast Model

Car 1/24 Yellow: Made of diecast Opening doors Opening hood

Wheels roll Stee... http://t.co/oMP2zteW”). Posts often shared

news about new releases, with the Fender Edition commonly

cited (“Volkswagen Beetle Fender Edition will hit the roads by

year end Passion Parade: http://t.co/XpCaa1pz”).

The most distinguishing topic within conversations about

the Volkswagen Beetle was comments on the drivers of the

car. The Volkswagen Beetle was widely cited as a ‘woman’s

car’, with almost all posts within this theme comprising negative

comments about men who drive the car (“seeing a guy driving a

VW beetle is actually hilarious #girlycar”; “Any guy that drives a

VW bug should have their man card revoked.”).

Conclusions and considerations

10

Although the themes of conversations surrounding BMW,

Volkswagen and Volkswagen Beetle appear similar at an

overall level, with similar topics driving mentions of each

brand, we identified some significant differences when

exploring these conversations in more detail.

Conversations about BMW were significantly more

homogeneous than were conversations about Volkswagen,

with adverts, positive and aspirational comments, and – to a

lesser extent – reviews dominating the lion’s share of BMW

conversations, with conversations about Volkswagen much

more dispersed across the different themes.

It might be expected that BMW’s monolithic brand approach

would lead to a much higher proportion of model-specific

mentions which were prefaced by a mention of the BMW

master brand. However, the proportion of model brand

mentions were in fact fairly even for each brand analysed, in

spite of the relative lack of other name options open to BMW

drivers wishing to identify their model easily in conversations.

BMW’s more monolithic approach to the branding of its

models appears to have consolidated the desirability of

BMW as a aster brand, whereas the desirability of Volkswagen

is driven more by specific model brands such as the Beetle. The

monolithic branding of BMW resulted in very focused

conversations surrounding desirability, whereas Volkswagen’s

model-brand portfolio led to more fragmented discussions.

Aspirational mentions of the Volkswagen Beetle tended to be

more isolated, and did not drive master brand perceptions very

directly.

The Volkswagen model brand portfolio appears to have

been successful in generating a number of separate brand

identities, which drove relatively isolated and specific

conversations. Although positive and aspirational posts were

therefore less powerful for the Volkswagen Brand overall, this

did mean that negative mentions were also largely confined to

model brand mentions, such as comments about male drivers of

the Volkswagen Beetle. In contrast, where negative themes

arose surrounding BMW – again including comments about

drivers – they tended to encompass the brand at an overall level,

thus strengthening and consolidating the negativity.

Considerations

10

As we have seen that the model-brand approach taken by

Volkswagen led to isolated and fragmented conversations,

it may be useful to conduct an analysis of conversations

surrounding every model brand within a portfolio, in order to

understand the perceptual profiles and themes driving

conversations of each model brand. We could then consider the

impact of these conversations on the master brand.

It may also be insightful to test further the hypothesis that a

monolithic branding approach leads to more homogenous

conversations, and that this is a particularly beneficial approach

to take when seeking to drive perceptions of desirability.

Contact:

Contact:James WitheyHead of Brand [email protected] 7264 6316www.precise.co.uk

Does your brand portfolio strategy affect how much people talk about your cars?

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