NMA UK Automotive full report

This 13-page study provides essential insights into crafting automotive advertising that works effectively in press.

Good newspaper advertising can be a powerful ally for motor brands. It can engage buyers emotionally while at the same time giving them the information they need on this major purchase.

National newspapers are the only medium that fulfils both brand and information roles superlatively. That has been proved in effectiveness testing by Millward Brown.

Now, new research by BMRB for the Newspaper Marketing Agency, involving 2665 recent or intending new car buyers, has shown yet again that the best newspaper ads can achieve success in both emotional engagement and information delivery.

When 70 ads were scored across 19 measures, the best performing ad – for the VW Touareg – left the others trailing. It scored well on all the measures, helping newspaper readers to identify with the brand while also providing a strong reason to buy.

Times are tough for motor brands, and every penny of the marketing budget has to be made to count. Our research showed that too much of that budget is being spent on ads that are not working hard enough for their brands. A wasted opportunity in such a powerful medium.

More than half (55%) of those surveyed said the ads were boring. That’s a lot better than the 78% who gave the same response when the NMA surveyed 1000 car buyers in 2006. Things have certainly improved in the last two years. But a lot more work is needed to overcome consumer disappointment with national newspaper car advertising.

Download this full report to get maximum results from your automotive press campaign.

Source: NMA UK - Motors brands and national newspapers

NMA UK - Motors brands and national newspapers (2m, Acrobat (.pdf) format)

Complete automotive report

Newspapers & Car Advertising presentation (3m, PowerPoint (.ppt) format)

Research from 2008