June 17th, 2024, Bhavika Bansal
According to recent data from YouGov BrandIndex - which monitors consumer perceptions toward brands daily – Hyundai, Audi and BMW register the highest Ad Awareness scores amongst all automakers in the UK Since the beginning of 2024. Ad Awareness asks consumers if they have seen an advertisement for the brand in the prior two weeks.
Sitting atop the top 10 list, Hyundai scored 14% between January 1 and June 13, 2024, followed by Audi (11.7%), BMW (11.1%), Kia (10.3%) and Mercedes-Benz (10.3%).
A closer look at the top three automakers and the change in their Ad Awareness scores between the last six months of 2023 (i.e. July 1 – December 31, 2023) and the first six months of 2024 (i.e. January 1 – June 13, 2024) reveals further nuances.
Hyundai registers the biggest gain in Ad Awareness - its score increases by 3.1 percentage points from 10.9 in the second half of 2023 to 14 in the first half of 2024.
Despite placing third when ranked by Ad Awareness score from January to June 2024, BMW comes in second when ranked by change in score. The German automaker registers an increase of 2.8 percentage points followed by Audi which saw its score increase by 2.5 percentage points.
How has Hyundai, BMW and Audi’s Ad Awareness changed since the start of 2024?
A look at the brands’ scores for the last six months - from January 1, 2024, to June 13, 2024 – reveals interesting trends.
Hyundai
Hyundai sees its Ad Awareness rise from a low of 10.3% on January 1 (its lowest score in the six months) to 19.9% on January 29 (its highest score in the six months).
This surge in the brand’s Ad Awareness can be attributed to not just ads promoting the automakers’ range of new petrol, hybrid and electric models since the turn of the year but also a few key launches. In January, Hyundai Motor UK revealed smart home charging business Ohme as its official home charging partner to offer consumers a chance to connect with the grid in real-time and enjoy optimal pricing. The announcement was also followed by the launch of the new ‘Experience’ test drive which gave potential buyers up to 24 hours with a Hyundai EV. January also set the stage for the TUCSON Hybrid Upgrade Event, which offers car owners a complimentary upgrade to a Premium trim worth up to £2,200 plus £1,750 towards their deposit and 6.9% APR Representative, and the launch of the new Hyundai Bayon crossover SUV and the Kona Electric N Line.
Though the brand’s Ad Awareness score sees a sharp decline over the next few weeks, it eventually stabilises without any substantial highs or lows for the remainder of the year.
In more recent news, the auto giant teased the Hyundai Inster, its all-new affordable EV set to be an alternative to the Citroen E-C3. Hyundai has also bagged the Rory Reid Award for its IONIQ 5 N at the Auto Trader New Car Awards 2024 and released a new ad spot featuring the Hyundai Tuscon. Will these events together aid the brand’s Ad Awareness to see another major increase? Only the coming few weeks can tell.
BMW
While the brand’s Ad Awareness score does not register many highs and lows during the first six months of 2024, it saw its most significant rise from 8.6% (its lowest score in the six months) on January 17 to 12.3% (its highest score in the six months) on February 14. Having had an award-winning start to the year, BMW held the BMW Group UK Spring Multi-Model Launch event at the end of January, featuring first drive opportunities for the BMW iX2 and the new MINI Countryman. Along with the launch of the new MINI Cooper, the brand also announced multiple model updates for 2024. More recently, the brand announced its partnership with Manchester Airports Group to elevate the airport passenger journey through premium chauffeur-driven experiences. In a move to further enhance customer experience, BMW is also gearing up to offer Britons increased connectivity by integrating a new Personal eSIM solution across its model portfolio.
Audi
Audi begins to register a steady uptick in Ad Awareness towards the end of the first quarter, reaching its highest score on March 26, 2024 (13.6 percentage points). Despite some minor fluctuations, the automaker further enjoys a substantially stable Ad Awareness score between April and June 2024.
February saw the brand forge a headline partnership with Wilderness, a four-day festival held in Cornbury Park, Oxford, to offer a bespoke 'Audi' experience to festival goers. In early March, the auto giant reaffirmed its commitment to Formula 1 and announced plans to accelerate preparations for successful entry into the 2026 season. Recently, the brand celebrated the 25th anniversary of the RS 4 Avant, with the launch of a special 25-year edition model along with the new RS 5 Sportback Performance Edition.
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Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. A brand’s Ad Awareness score is based on the question: “Which of the following consumer brands have you seen an advertisement for in the past two weeks?” Data from surveys of adults aged 18 years and above residing in the UK from July 1, 2023, to June 13, 2024. Ad Awareness scores are based on a four-week moving average. The change in scores for each brand is calculated by taking the difference between the scores at the beginning and end of the scoring period. Learn more about BrandIndex.