It’s no secret that word of mouth is the best form of advertising that almost any product can enjoy.  92% of global consumers trust the words of friends and family over any other form of advertising. In fact, advocates twice as likely to recommend a brand than is a typical customer* ( womma.org).   In an industry that has the most at risk and the most to gain, three foreign car makers have come up winners in the U.S. marketplace.

The new Brand Advocacy index, created by global management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group, is a strategic metric that gauges personal recommendations by establishing a direct correlation with top-line growth. And, unlike some other attempts to measure brand advocacy, BCG says it asked what people have actually done to advocate for or against a brand, rather than just asking what they thought.

Surveying more than 32,000 consumers in Europe and the U.S. about more than 300 brands in 12 industries, including banking, telecommunications, groceries and smartphones, in addition to automotive, the BCG only included the top 55 brands in the index.

Bottom Line:

• Kia, Honda & Hyundai are the top auto brands receiving the best U.S. word-of-mouth recommendations, according to the new Brand Advocacy index.
• Measuring how brands perform through personal recommendations…is the objective of Boston Consulting Group’s Brand Advocacy index.
• Kia, Honda & Hyundai scored 63 percent…beating the auto industry average brand rating of 50 percent.