BYD teaches Audi a lesson in South Africa
BYD is dominating Audi in South Africa in one very important area – how the brand is reported on in the media.
This was the finding of Press Pulse’s latest online media sentiment ranking, which compared the performance of top German luxury car brands and their Chinese competitors.
The media sentiment ranking produced by Press Pulse uses an artificial intelligence (AI) sentiment-measuring system for online media reports in the country.
With a focus on South African reporting from top-tier online media publications, it measures a company’s success in achieving positive exposure and share of voice in the market.
The ranking showed that Audi has the worst media sentiment score among the automotive brands measured – beaten by BMW, Mercedes, GWM, Chery, and BYD.
The graphic below shows the latest Press Pulse online media sentiment rankings.
BYD achieved the top sentiment score, which was 38.58. Audi achieved the lowest sentiment score, which was -3.36.
Worrying sign
The substantial loss to BYD in media sentiment score is particularly relevant to Audi.
While many Chinese car brands have positioned themselves as a great choice for entry-level and mid-level car buyers, BYD offers a range of high-end luxury vehicles that compete directly against Audi.
The BYD Sealion 7 SUV, for example, starts at over R1.1 million – and goes up to R1.32 million for the top-end version. This puts it in the same price bracket as the Audi Q5 SUV.
Another good example is the BYD Seal and the Audi A5.
The BYD Seal is a five-door sedan that starts at R1 million, and is positioned as a vehicle an executive would drive.
The Audi A5 is a five-door sedan that starts at R1.1 million, and is positioned as a vehicle an executive would drive.
With both brands offering high-end technology and luxury, and also being similarly priced, the decision on which vehicle a South African buys will therefore come down to perception.
Positive media sentiment is extremely important in this regard, as it allows them to build trust with potential customers.
If an automotive brand has a large, positive share of voice in the media space, it makes it a lot easier to attract new clients.
Car buyers will see the brand in a positive light and trust them with their purchase.
This is why automotive companies spend a lot of time and money developing powerful media strategies, using a combination of paid-media, advertorials, press releases, thought leadership content, and executive interviews to deliver their message.
By doing so, they ensure they position themselves as a market leader in South Africa.
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