J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Associations with NASCAR and Action Movies Fuel Online Conversation about Chevrolet and Dodge Among Generation Y

J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Associations with NASCAR and Action Movies
Fuel Online Conversation about Chevrolet and Dodge Among Generation Y
While Domestic Automotive Brands Spark High Volumes of Discussion among Early
Careerists, Teens Discuss Imports Most Frequently

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Promotional ties with NASCAR
and the recent "Transformers" movie are driving online conversations about
domestic automotive brands--particularly Chevrolet and Dodge--among social
media users in their twenties, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009
Teens and Early Careerist Tribe Intelligence Reports.(SM)

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Perceptions of the automotive industry vary widely among Generation Y social
media users, with teens commenting most positively about import brands and
their older counterparts more frequently discussing domestic brands.

The inaugural reports, conducted using J.D. Power and Associates Web
Intelligence Tribe Analysis,(SM) examine online discussions of two important
subsets of Generation Y: teens (ages 12 to 18) and early careerists (ages 22
to 29). Although both groups are broadly categorized as part of Generation Y,
or the Millennials (those born during the 1980s and early 1990s), each subset
has markedly different views, opinions and behaviors from the other. The
reports are designed to help brand managers and marketers better understand
these increasingly important consumer segments, which have the potential to
attain greater spending power than any previous generation. In addition, the
reports provide valuable insight into Gen Y consumer perceptions of brands as
well as what drives consumers to purchase those brands.

Automotive brands that receive the greatest volumes of online discussion among
teens and early careerists, relative to volumes among social media users in
other age groups, are as follows.

Rank Early Careerists Teens
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Dodge Toyota
2 Chevrolet Honda
3 Toyota Audi
4 Land Rover Cadillac
5 Mazda Chevrolet
6 Jeep Jeep
7 Lexus Mercedes
8 Honda Volkswagen
9 Ford Nissan
10 Buick BMW

The report finds that among early careerists, Dodge and Chevrolet are the two
automotive brands discussed most often, relative to mentions by social media
users in other demographic groups. Online mentions of these brands also tend
to be largely positive. Discussions of these brands focus primarily on their
association with NASCAR. Other frequently mentioned topics include nostalgia
references to models such as the Chevrolet Camaro, including the Camaro's
appearance in the recent "Transformers" movie, and the Dodge Challenger.

"Domestic automakers are benefitting from their strong marketing ties and
product placement," said Chance Parker, vice president and general manager of
J.D. Power and Associates Web Intelligence Division. "When the NASCAR drivers
they sponsor win, domestic automakers also win in terms of recognition among
many social media users in their twenties."

Despite this positive brand affinity, domestic auto manufacturers have
incurred strong negative sentiment from early careerists for being bailed out
by the government.

"Early careerists cite domestic automakers' lack of innovation and disregard
of consumer demands as reasons for their difficulties," said Parker.

Among teens, Toyota and Honda garner the largest volumes of discussion. Both
teens and early careerists perceive Toyota, as well as other import brands, as
more innovative not only in vehicle features and styling, but also for
enhanced fuel efficiency, safety and reliability. Lexus and Land Rover are
premium brands discussed among early careerists as brands they most aspire to
own.

Online discussions by teens indicate shifts in perceptions regarding the
necessity of and desire to have cars. Aware of the economic difficulties their
parents may be currently facing, teens are less interested in incurring the
costs involved with maintaining and fueling a vehicle. Also, with the advent
of social media and other forms of electronic communities, teens perceive less
of a need to physically congregate, and less of a need for a mode of
transportation.

"The negative perceptions of the automotive industry that teens and early
careerists hold could have implications on future vehicle sales," said Parker.
"Generation Y could have the greatest spending power of any generation--even
surpassing that of the Baby Boomers. It will be essential for automakers to
earn the trust and loyalty of Gen Y consumers, who are particularly critical
of brands and products."

The Teen and Early Careerist Tribe Intelligence Reports analyze more than
300,000 spontaneous online conversations among teens and more than 475,000
online conversations among early careerists that took place in the blogosphere
and on message boards between January and August 2009.

The J.D. Power and Associates Web Intelligence Division is unique in its
ability to assess both what is being said and who is doing the speaking in the
online world, enabling companies to understand the attitudes and behaviors of
various consumer segments. Its patent-pending technology enables the
classification of blog posts and the ability to estimate the gender and age of
a poster, as well as rapid identification and elimination of spam posts. The
Web Intelligence Division analyzes voices of the online community by using
proprietary natural language processing and machine-learning algorithms to
dissect the who, what and why of online opinion, offering in-depth insights
for some of the world's leading brands.

About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a
global marketing information services company operating in key business
sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web
intelligence and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and
satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers
annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance,
health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D.
Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global
information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial
services, education and business information markets through leading brands
such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power
and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries.
Sales in 2008 were $6.4 billion. Additional information is available at
http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.

J.D. Power and Associates Media Relations Contacts:
Syvetril Perryman; Westlake Village, Calif.; (805) 418-8103;
media.relations@jdpa.com
John Tews; Troy, Mich.; (248) 312-4119; media.relations@jdpa.com

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this
release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and
Associates. www.jdpower.com/corporate

SOURCE J.D. Power and Associates

Syvetril Perryman, Westlake Village, Calif., +1-805-418-8103, or John Tews,
Troy, Mich., +1-248-312-4119, both of J.D. Power and Associates,
media.relations@jdpa.com