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Press Releases

GfK, Dstillery launch 79 top-quality segments for targeting automotive brand loyalists, defectors

Press Releases

GfK, Dstillery launch 79 top-quality segments for targeting automotive brand loyalists, defectors



Unsettled by the COVID-19 pandemic and continuing social unrest, consumers are rethinking their purchase plans on an almost daily basis. To help car manufacturers keep pace with their most important buyers, GfK and Dstillery have expanded their partnership by launching 79 new segments targeting key auto intender groups.

These audiences – which focus on auto brand loyalists and defectors, as well as those in the market for a used car – bring the total number of GfK/Dstillery segments to 95. Built on the attitudes and behaviors of people who specifically intend to purchase a new or used automobile, the models –refreshed daily through GfK’s year-round intender research – represent a new standard for targeting accuracy and timeliness.

As online auto shopping and buying continues to gain momentum, and wary shoppers take their pre-purchase research to new levels, car makers need to up their digital advertising games. The new segments include intenders for

  • used cars by class (11 segments)
  • used cars by brand (12)
  • new cars by brand (24)

There are also 17 segments of brand defectors and 15 of brand loyalists.

A robust model for targeting today’s intenders

The modeling begins with GfK’s ongoing AutoMobility™ research, which represents the industry’s benchmark for understanding intenders’ purchase plans and brand attitudes.

By enriching GfK AutoMobility findings with attitudinal data from consumer insights leader MRI-Simmons — then matching respondents to Dstillery’s consumer data platform, with observed anonymous behavior of more than 250 million US individuals – clients can activate real intender segments based on online and location data, refreshed daily.

“GfK’s AutoMobility research shows brands with a high conquest/defection ratio are also some of the fastest-growing in the industry,” said Julie Kenar, SVP on GfK’s AutoMobility team. “Likewise, models that are able to capitalize on competitive vehicles leaving the market have a strong opportunity to grow sales and share. Leveraging data from our AutoMobility study, GfK has developed audiences that allow OEMs to target conquest intenders at the brand and model level with new-found precision.”

“Amid all of the uncertainty in the world right now, consumer buying habits are changing faster than ever before,” said Christopher Lee Boon, SVP of Dstillery’s Enterprise Solutions Group. “With so many consumers moving in and out of audience segments at a rapid clip, marketers can no longer rely on their previous best practices. There is greater need than ever for constantly updated audiences, especially in a tightly contested market like auto. Together with GfK, we are arming car makers with the insights they need to reach these consumers.”

GfK AutoMobility is the leading Auto Intenders Brand and Attitude Insights research in the US – revealing how consumers perceive brands, how they compare to their competitive sets, and – more importantly – why consumers feel this way. Since 1982, GfK’s Automotive Purchase Funnel has been the bedrock for analysis and insights throughout the automotive industry.

Dstillery is the leading custom audience solutions company, empowering brands and their agencies to maximize the value of customer data and transform the way they connect with their audiences. Its premier product, Custom AI Audiences, is built by just-for-your-brand Custom AI models that deliver the ideal combination of accuracy and scale. www.dstillery.com

MRI-Simmons is the leading provider of insights on the American consumer. With thousands of attitudinal and behavioral data points, gathered through ongoing surveys and passive measurement, MRI-Simmons empowers advertisers, agencies and media companies with deeper insights into the “why” behind consumer behavior.

GfK – extracting the signals from the noise

In a world of data overflow, disruption and misuse, picking up the right “signal from noise” is key to win. We at GfK are the trusted partner and have more than 85 years of experience in combining data and science to help you make the right business decisions. Together with our attention to detail and advanced Augmented Intelligence, we provide you with world-class analytics that delivers not just descriptive data but actionable recommendations always-on at your fingertips. As a result, you can make key business decisions with confidence which help you drive sales, organizational and marketing effectiveness. That’s why we promise to you “Growth from Knowledge.”

For more information, please visit www.gfk.com/en-us or follow GfK on Twitter www.twitter.com/GfK.