Saturn is Best Auto Brand Manager, Automotive News Survey Discovers
6 April 1998
Saturn is Best Auto Brand Manager, Automotive News Survey DiscoversDETROIT, April 6 -- Saturn Corp. has done the best job of brand management in the auto industry, according to an exclusive survey of auto marketing professionals. Results of the survey will be released in a special joint report on auto marketing in Monday, April 6, editions of Automotive News and Advertising Age. Saturn topped luxury automakers Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and BMW in brand management, the craft of building a brand's image and value in the public eye. Surveyed were 100 brand managers and marketing executives at auto manufacturers and their advertising agencies. Brand management gained a high profile in Detroit in 1995 when GM hired brand managers for all of its vehicle nameplates. Ford later followed suit. "Brand management is now a state of mind for the industry," said Jay Houghton, marketing manager in the Southfield, Mich., office of A.T. Kearney Inc., a consulting firm. Kearney conducted the survey. The auto-industry pros also said: -- General Motors should reduce its brand lineup. -- The dealership experience is the most important factor in a buyer's opinion of a brand. -- Brand management will cause the auto industry to boost Internet and TV ad spending but cut radio ad spending. In addition to the survey, the joint report explores how brand management is changing auto marketing and advertising. Automotive News and Advertising Age are published each Monday by Crain Communications Inc., a privately held company that publishes 29 consumer, business and trade publications. SOURCE Automotive News