BYD Dolphin. Foto: BYD
Following BYD’s European Championship sponsorship, which was often criticized as “poorly implemented”, the market research institute puls asked 1001 car buyers in Germany about the perception and impact of the Chinese brand’s investment in Germany. According to puls Managing Partner Automotive, Stefan Reiser, the focus was on a target group that is crucial to success: namely people who are in the process of buying a vehicle or have already done so. They are particularly involved in the search for and comparison of brands, models, equipment, etc. and are therefore a particularly central target group for BYD’s EM campaign. With the help of comparative data from an analogous sample from July 2023, the effect could be worked out.
Brand awareness: The increase in awareness for BYD is clearly visible: a good one in two car buyers have heard of the brand, compared to less than 25% in 2023. The campaign has also tended to reach the right people, as awareness is particularly high among people who are currently planning to buy a new car and are prepared to spend large sums of money on it. At 69.1%, it is highest among car buyers with a willingness to spend over 50,000 euros. Younger people in the used car segment, on the other hand, were less likely to be reached.
Interest in buying: 8.9% of the car buyers surveyed in July 2024 could imagine buying a BYD in principle. This also corresponds to a good doubling of buying interest compared to the previous year (3.9%). The same applies here: new car buyers who are ready to invest shortly before the purchase are particularly interested. Of course, this rate will not be reflected 1:1 in sales (new BYD registrations Jan.-Jun. 2024 “only” 425 units vs. 63 in the same period last year with fewer models), but the development shows that BYD has taken further steps towards becoming a serious player on the German market.
Further findings: Perimeter board and TV advertising in particular achieve recall after the European Championships, with more than one in two car buyers who watched at least one European Championship match on TV remembering the BYD sponsorship. Weaknesses can be seen in the impact of the content, as hardly any car buyers believe that they are better informed about BYD vehicles as a result of the campaign. In terms of image, the Chinese vehicle manufacturer has a predominantly positive positioning in the minds of German car buyers, particularly when it comes to the perception of drive technology, vehicle design and price/performance ratio.
