Driving consumer choices in the UK’s car market
Consumers have never had more choice of car brands and models in the UK market. Understanding consumer rationale behind car-buying is, therefore, key for marketers hoping to make sense of this market. By Kantar Media’s Alice Dunn.
Latest insight from Kantar Media’s TGI survey reveals that when it comes to the UK car market, there is significant variation between what is driving consumers to buy different brands.
TGI’s newly-released WHY Code data comprises a suite of tools designed to reveal the drivers behind these consumer choices. Sometimes these confirm commonly held stereotypes but they can also dismantle them.
WHY Code insights reveal that BMW-owners are just over twice as likely as the average car owner to cite brand image and performance as the most important factors when choosing a car. They are also over 50% more likely to say design and build quality are key deciding factors.
This perhaps fits with our image of BMW-drivers as being flashy and image-conscious. The good news for marketers is that they are also 74% more likely to cite advertising as an important factor, meaning they are likely to be receptive to strong brand messages.
Taking Renault and Peugeot, our preconceptions might suggest their reasons for buying a car could be comparable as both French brands occupy a similar space in the UK market. Both have a similar demographic split, fairly even across the age groups but with a bias towards the younger end of the spectrum – Renault and Peugeot-owners are 39% and 29% more likely respectively to fall into the 15-24 age category. They also have a similar even gender split.
WHY Code insights, however, reveal a different story. Renault-owners are most likely – 44% – to cite personal recommendation as the most important factor when choosing a car. They are also significantly more likely to cite specification as important, as well as security, user reviews and taxation-related benefits.
This gives the impression of a consumer who is influenced by what others think and gives marketers a strong steer on what means to exploit to appeal to them
The picture for Peugeot-owners, however, looks different. They are most likely – 36% – to say credit facilities are the most important factor when choosing a car. They are also significantly more likely than the average car-owner to cite local dealers, how environmentally friendly a vehicle is and its interior space as important deciding factors. This gives the impression of a considered and canny consumer.
The ‘Social DNA’ component of The WHY Code indicates an individual’s levels of cultural and economic capital. Rooted in accredited academic thinking, cultural capital is determined by knowledge and cultural activities while economic capital is determined by income and savings. Combinations of cultural and economic capital can vary significantly.
Insight from TGI reveals what we perhaps already know about BMW-owners: they have high amounts of both kinds of capital, but with economic dominating. This fits with our impression of them as having a high disposable income. Again fitting with our preconceptions, they are 69% more likely than the average car owner to say their car should catch people’s attention.
They are also 60% more likely to say their car should express their personality – they certainly have the economic capital to back this up.
Renault-owners and Peugeot-owners also differ in their amounts of capital. Renault-owners are 22% more likely to have medium amounts of both kinds of capital, but with cultural dominating. Whereas Peugeot-owners are 29% more likely to have low amounts of both kinds of capital, but with economic dominating.
This helps to explain why their deciding-factors for choosing a car are so different: Renault drivers are perhaps influenced more by what is going on around them and what they see, whereas for Peugeot owners, money plays a more important role in shaping their purchase decisions.
When it comes to reaching these different consumers, there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. BMW-owners are 42% more likely than the average car-owner to be amongst the heaviest fifth of consumers of cinema.
Renault-owners, however, are 21% more likely to be amongst the heaviest fifth of internet-consumers. Peugeot-owners are more media-neutral.
Being able to plan marketing activity both at the car market level as a whole as well as drilling down deeper is key to brands gaining a competitive edge.