Kantar Media highlights risk car makers take if they do not review their target audience segmentation before

embarking on their next marketing campaign

New insights reveal disconnect between the cars that people would like to buy and what they ultimately purchase

26 September 2013 New insights from Kantar Media show that there is often a big disconnect between the cars that people would like to buy and what they finally purchase. A segmentation from Kantar Media TGI of more than 2 million people in Britain intending to buy a car in the next six months highlights their motivations and aspirations, as well as their actual purchasing behaviour. Dreaming Drivers are a group of car buyers who like to drive a car that reflects a sense of style and has a good specification. However, a common reality of their lives is that they are middle aged with children at home and dont have a huge amount of money to spend on a car. This means that whilst they are a third more likely than the average car buyer to intend to buy a BMW, they are also around half as likely as the average to actually own one. This explains why the car-related programme they are most likely to have watched (as revealed by research from Kantar Media Audiences 1) is Worlds Most Expensive Car. Aspiration and pragmatism share no common ground for this group of people, who represent the largest group of car buyers in Britain. Other automotive archetypes revealed in the segmentation are: Speedy Singles tend to drive high performance and well respected car brands to satisfy their wish to drive fast and have a car that expresses their personality. However, despite this and their readiness to spend significant amounts of money on a car, they are not significantly more likely to buy any particular car brand than other car buyers. This is because no single brand has yet sufficiently engaged with this valuable audience and what motivates them when it comes to motoring. Practical Parkers are the smallest group of car buyers and have little interest in cars, needing one only for practical purposes. This is not a collection of people who engage with vehicle brands. Insight from Kantar Media Audiences reveals they are less likely than the average adult to watch automotive-related TV programmes. They do not intend to spend very much on their next car compared to the other car buyers and their general outlook in life is skewed towards the local and low risk, rather than burning rubber and having a car that expresses personality. Renault, Citroen and Ford are amongst the practical vehicles of choice for this group. For Status Seekers image is everything. Brand image, comfort and company reputation all feature highly when they choose a car. However, some of them have the means to afford the car that matches this image and for others it is just a pipe dream. Nevertheless, this groups intended spend on their next car is higher than that of any other segment of car buyers. High end marques like Audi and Mercedes-Benz top the list of vehicles they are mostly likely to intend to buy. This group also watches more car-related TV programmes than any other audience. Ethical Empathisers are a group particularly likely to pay more for environmentally friendly products. Amongst the car brands they are particularly likely to intend to buy is SEAT, which

Information derived from Kantar Media Audiences is taken from BARB programme data using an audience base of Adults 16+. We additionally looked at the speciality automotive audiences, by fusing TGI questions with BARB data (TGR survey).

doesnt appear high up on the wish list of the other segments but has a prominent Ecomotive green car range. Anne Benoist, director, Kantar Media TGI, comments When it comes to car purchasing, it is especially critical that car manufacturers and marketers understand exactly what it is prompting consumers decisions, because the stakes are so high and the competition so fierce. Our segmentation of the consumer circumstances and motivations behind car purchases reveals valuable groups that are neglected by the industry and other segments that might appear more valuable than they are, where aspiration outstrips reality. Ends.

NOTES TO EDITORS: For Further Information Please Contact: Teresa Horscroft, PR Consultant, Eureka Communications Telephone: +44 (0)1420 564346 / +44 (0)7990 520390 Email: kantarmedia@eurekacomms.co.uk Or James Powell, Marketing Manager, Kantar Media TGI Telephone: +44 0208 433 4448 Email: james.powell@kantarmedia.com

About Kantar Media

Kantar Media provides critical information that helps our clients make better decisions about communications. We enable the worlds leading brands, publishers, agencies and industry bodies to navigate and succeed in a rapidly evolving media industry. Our services and data include analysis of paid media opportunities; counsel on brand reputation, corporate management and consumer engagement through owned media; and evaluating consumers reactions in earned media. As the global house of expertise in media and marketing information, Kantar Media provides clients with a broad range of insights, from audience research, competitive intelligence, vital consumer behaviour and digital insights, marketing and advertising effectiveness to social media monitoring. Our experts currently work with 22,000 companies tracking over 4 million brands in 50 countries. For further information, please visit us at www.kantarmedia.com Follow us on: www.twitter.com/kantar_media www.facebook.com/KantarMediaGlobal www.linkedin.com/company/kantar-media