Slides from my keynote at the LA Auto Show on brand attachment, including our 2014 Automotive Brand Dependence Index results.

1. November 19, 2014
Attached
to The Ride
presented to
Motor City West
at the
2014 LA Auto Show
@lvincent

2. 2
Why do
we brand?

3. UTA Brand Studio
Conventional wisdom
3
Awareness Consideration Purchase
Intent
Preference

4. 4

5. Experiences
Expectations
Brand Equity =
5

6. UTA Brand Studio
A higher level of branding
6
Preference
Affinity
Awareness & Familiarity
Given a choice, an orientation to choose
the brand over other options
A natural liking or sympathy
for the brand
Recognition that the brand exists and
knowledge about what it is/does
Attachment
A strong connection between
the brand and the self

7. 7

8. Insight
Liking a brand is not
the same as feeling
a brand is like you.
8

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Attachment begins with specific
behaviors in children, such as
seeking proximity with the
attachment figure when upset or
threatened … this behavior is
universal across all cultures.

11. As we grow older, attachment
transfers to objects and places.
11

12. 12

13. UTA Brand Studio
Connecting beliefs and brands
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14. UTA Brand Studio
14
NIKE’S BRAND PURPOSE
Bring inspiration and innovation
to every athlete in the world.

15. UTA Brand Studio
Quantifying attachment
15
Building and leveraging the power of attached audiences
Deborah MacInnis and C. Whan Park,
co-creators of UTA’s Brand Dependence methodology.

16. UTA Brand Studio
16
Why attachment matters
Attachment is the most
effective predictor of
difficult brand behavior.
EFFECTED BEHAVIORS
Willingness to pay a premium price
Strong defence of the brand
Recommending the brand to others
Co-marketing
• Willingness to pay a premium
• Tendency to defend the brand
• Likelihood to recommend
• Propensity to co-promote
• Permission to extend

17. UTA Brand Studio
Driving brand attachment
17
enablement enticement enrichment
Functional benefits
Attributes connected to the
problem that the brand
solves
Hedonic benefits
Attributes connected to the
emotional and experiential
appeal of the brand
Symbolic benefits
Attributes connected to the
beliefs and values the brand
stands for and supports
Brand attachment is driven by three statistically validated types
of brand-specific attributes.

18. UTA Brand Studio
Brand Dependence™
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n=2,006 US adults 18+; each brand evaluated by current users
Survey conducted February 24-28, 2014

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Every man is entitled to
life, liberty and a car in
which to pursue happiness.
Evan Esar

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Brand Dependence™
in Automotive

21. UTA Brand Studio
Automotive Brand Dependence
Over 4,500 US drivers 18+ surveyed
23 best-selling sedan brands
Field work in October, 2014
Statistically representative of
the general US adult population
Respondents only evaluated
maker brands they currently drive
All respondents stated they
planned to purchase a new
vehicle in next 24 months
21

22. UTA Brand Studio
Automotive brands studied
Audi
Acura
BMW
Buick
Cadillac
Chevrolet
Chrysler
Dodge
Ford
Honda
Hyundai
Infiniti
Kia
Lexus
Lincoln
Mazda
Mercedes-Benz
Mitsubishi
Nissan
Subaru
Toyota
Volkswagen
Volvo
22

23. 23
#1 Audi
BD Score: 77
out of 100

24. UTA Brand Studio
Brand Dependence Index
24
#1 Audi
BD Score: 77
2 BMW (71)
3 Cadillac (70)
4 Mercedes-Benz (69)
Acura (69)
5 Toyota (68)
6 Honda (67)
7 Lexus (66)
8 Subaru (64)
Volkswagen (64)
9 Chevrolet (63)
Lincoln (63)
10 Kia (62)
11 Nissan (61)
Ford (61)
Volvo (61)
Hyundai (61)
Infiniti (61)
12 Mazda (60)
13 Mitsubishi (59)
Dodge (59)
Chrysler (59)
14 Buick (57)

25. UTA Brand Studio
Brand Dependence Index
60
25
Top Five Middle Index Bottom Five
Audi
BMW
Cadillac
Mercdes-Benz
Acura
70
69
69
71
77 Toyota
65 68 71 74 77
Honda
Lexus
Subaru
Volkswagen
Chevrolet
Lincoln
Kia
Nissan
Ford
Volvo
Hyundai
Infiniti
64
64
63
63
62
61
61
61
61
61
68 Mazda
67
66
56 59 62 65 68
Mitsubishi
Dodge
Chrysler
Buick
57
59
59
59
48 51 54 57 60

26. UTA Brand Studio
Gender differences
26
Audi 81
Cadillac 75
BMW 73
Mercedes-Benz 71
Acura 69
Subaru 68
Honda 68
Lexus 67
Toyota 66
Volkswagen 66
Lincoln 65
Chevrolet 65
Volvo 65
Ford 65
Nissan 64
Dodge 63
Mitsubishi 63
Mazda 63
Infiniti 63
Hyundai 61
Buick 61
Kia 60
Chrysler 60
Audi
Toyota
Acura
Mercedes-Benz
BMW
Cadillac
Honda
Lexus
Volkswagen
Kia
Subaru
Chevrolet
Hyundai
Nissan
Lincoln
Infiniti
Ford
Mazda
Volvo
Chrysler
Dodge
Mitsubishi
Buick
(+4)
(+5)
(+2)
(+2)
(—)
(+4)
(+1)
(+1)
(-2)
(+2)
(+2)
(+2)
(+4)
(+4)
(+3)
(+4)
(+4)
(+3)
(+2)
(—)
(+4)
(-2)
(+1)
72
69
68
68
68
66
66
65
63
63
62
62
61
60
60
59
59
59
58
58
57
57
55
(-5)
(+1)
(-1)
(-1)
(-3)
(-4)
(-1)
(-1)
(-1)
(-1)
(-2)
(-1)
(—)
(-1)
(-3)
(-2)
(-2)
(-1)
(-3)
(-1)
(-2)
(-2)
(-2)

27. 27

28. UTA Brand Studio
Brand Attachment A LOT LIKE ME
COMPONENTS OF ATTACHMENT
Brand-Self Connection
People see the brand as being a lot
like themselves; sharing their values.
Prominence
Thoughts and feelings about the
brand come to mind automatically;
requiring very little conscious effort.
ATTACHED BRAND
A lot
like me
Ignored Brand Brand for Others
Easily forgotten Prominent
Unconnected Connected
When I
think
about it
I never
think
about it
Not
for me
Respected
Brand

29. UTA Brand Studio
Brand Dependence™
29
B
A
E
C
D
G
I
M L
K
J
N
O
0 10
10
B R A N D - S E L F C O N N E C T I O N
9
7 7
P R O M I N E N C E
H
F
P
A Audi (77)
B Mercedes-Benz (69)
C BMW (71)
D Cadillac (70)
E Acura (69)
F Toyota (68)
G Honda (67)
H Lexus (66)
I Subaru (64)
J Volkswagen (64)
K Lincoln (63)
L Chevrolet (63)
M Nissan (61)
N Ford (61)
O Mazda (60)
P Hyundai (61)
Q Infiniti (61)
R Volvo (61)
S Chevrolet (63)
T Dodge (59)
U Buick (57)
V Chrysler (59)
W Mitsubishi (59)
P R
T S
U V
W
3

30. UTA Brand Studio
Attachment drivers
30

31. UTA Brand Studio
Differences in perceived identity
31

32. UTA Brand Studio
Attachment’s predictive value
32

33. UTA Brand Studio
Aligning curves
33

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Average Attachment Score by Class
68 vs. 62 Luxury Non-Luxury

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64 Average Brand Attachment Score by Model
vs. 62 Green Models Non-Green

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Prius owners attachment
to Toyota brand:
74
Average score for
Camry and Corolla owners
67

37. 71% of US consumers agree:
“I make it a point to buy
brands from companies
whose values are similar
to my own.”
— Young & Rubicam, 2010
37

38. UTA Brand Studio
Branding activities that matter
• Unique identity
• Appealing names
• Perceived “honesty” and
credibility in the brand’s voice
• Architecture that leverages the
strength of hero brands
38
There was a strong, statistically significant relationship between driver
attachment to a brand and satisfaction with the following branding activities:

39. UTA Brand Studio
Two questions to ask
The Identity Question
What about my brand connects with
my target audience’s identity?
The Experience Question
How can I create experiences that consistently
summon identity-relevant thoughts and feelings
about my brand.
39

40. UTA Brand Studio
Takeaways
Include brand attachment when
measuring brand health
• Complements attitudinal measures, satisfaction scores, NPS
• Better predictive value and high correlation with key behaviors
• Optimal use is with existing drivers
Attachment is a great guide for
developing brand creative
• Provides rich understanding of how consumers internalize a brand
• Identifies the gaps creative teams needs to address
to improve a brand’s health
40

41. UTA Brand Studio
Where to find more
41
utabrandstudio.com
@lvincent
@utabrandstudio
slideshare.net/lmvincent
brandrealbook.com

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