2012 - US Auto
Ford leads the sector after commanding top Buzz for autos in 2011. New models like the Ford Escape and Dodge Dart helped draw out buyers. The Chevrolet Cruise was the top-selling car in the country in June 2012, and its brand comes in at number 5 on the Buzz list. Volkswagen, which has revealed a cheaper and revamped lineup this year, also made it to the top 5.
Japanese carmakers are taking back sales and consumer perception. Toyota continued its improvement in Buzz, since vehicle recalls in Jan - March 2010 preceded a 70 dive in Buzz score. Toyota and Honda’s inventory took a hit last year because of the earthquake in Japan but production has been back on track this year. Kia's rise deserves honorable mention as several creative marketing integrations have successfully improved the brands competitive positioning.
These brands were rated using YouGov BrandIndex’s Buzz score which asks respondents, "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?"
The Buzz Rankings chart shows the brands with the highest average Buzz scores between January and June 2012. The Buzz Improvers chart ranks the brands with the highest increase in Buzz between Jan-June 2012 and the same period in 2011. Both scores are representative of the general population.
All Buzz scores listed have been rounded to a single decimal place, however, we have used additional precision to assign ranks.
