Australian Reactions to Auto TVC's

What makes Australians React to car TV commercials? Article No. 1836 - October 12, 2012 Hundreds of Australians have given their Reactions to some of Australia’s most frequently aired car ads on TV.  Commercials for Holden, Honda, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Renault, Subaru and Volkswagen were tested with the Roy Morgan Reactor, the proven ad testing technology that captures the second-by-second reactions of people who score the appeal of the ads with the Reactor slider-bar on their computer or smartphone. Playing to people’s emotions features heavily, probably most notably in the commercial for the still-to-be released Holden Volt. This ad was received quite well with an average Reactor Score of 58.  Its emotional imagery and Australian references appealing slightly more to women (R-score 60) than men (R-score 56). The use of hit songs is also another cue used with the Honda Civic hatch commercial, featuring music from New Zealand’s The Naked and Famous, drawing a positive Reaction (R-score 55) across all segments. Surprisingly the Honda Civic ad was favoured more by men than women (the Male Peak Score was 59, compared to females with 55.  Likewise, Renault uses Sydney band Nantes, but does not seem the draw the same attraction. The Reactor scores were fairly even for the different age groups among the ads in this Reactor test. The notable exception was for Hyundai’s i30 commercial ­— the over 50 segment dropped below the ‘50’ line for most of the ad, possibly struggling to associate themselves with the playful take on Queen’s I want to break free. With an R-score of 49, Mitsubishi’s End of Financial Year Sale didn’t score well, even with 18-34 year olds, suggesting this demographic may not be particularly attracted by price promotions. The comedy of the new Volkswagen Up commercial drew a very positive response.  Importantly, although the stars of the commercial were young and old males, females had the highest Peak Score at 64, with men at 57. Marcus Tarrant, Ad Research Director: “Our Reactor test shows us that commercials with an emotional focus are generally more appealing to most market segments than purely informative or feature-heavy commercials. “Using hit songs alone does not seem to guarantee a positive reaction. Strong, easy to understand visual elements, not necessarily of the car, are important for the whole experience.” “And of course, as the Volkswagen ad shows us, well executed comedy can create positive reactions in everyone.”