Brand Valuation for anBrand Valuation for an Automotive Technology SupplierAutomotive Technology Supplier

Business Challenge

One of the largest automotive technology companies in the world rebranded its name, which involved the abandonment of old identity in favor of a new brand identity. After the rebrand, the Client commissioned a brand valuation study to determine the strength of the new brand among its target audience: decision-makers and influencers within High-Performance OEMs.

The research was designed by Jasper Colin to compare the new brand with the major rivals on the levels of awareness, consideration, purchase, loyalty, and brand perception.

Client Background

The Client is a well-established automotive technology firm that provides advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and other related parts to international OEM clients. The company went through a major rebranding process whereby it changed its brand name but retained decades of industry experience and a worldwide consumer base.

After the rebrand, the company needed to know:

• The level of recognition of the new brand name in the market.
• Whether the rebranding had been made known to key decision-makers.
• The perception of the brand in comparison to the competitors in emotional, functional, and strategic aspects.
• What were the obstacles to thinking and buying among non-customers?

Methodology

Survey Design

The questionnaire was divided into three parts: screener, brand funnel, and BEVA (Brand Equity Valuation Assessment)

Target Group & Screener Criteria

The respondents had to qualify as per the strict qualification criteria to be relevant:

• Full-time or part-time (not entry-level / junior) employed.
• Experience in the automotive industry as either an OEM or high-performance OEM.
• Having some control over the buying behavior of suppliers.
• At least a minimum acquaintance with the Client brand (at least known by name).

The departments covered were R&D/Engineering, Procurement, Quality Management, Production, Sales and Marketing, and Logistics. The respondents were between mid-level professionals and C-suite executives.

Competitor Set

The survey had 7 major competitors for brand benchmarking on all essential metrics and included brand logos for recall.

BEVA: Brand Equity Assessment

The BEVA model measured the client brand on five hierarchical status levels of function, market, psychographic, identity, and myth on a standardized 1-5 Likert scale. The following table provides a summary of the scores of all 10+ items measured.

Key Takeaways & Recommendations

According to the survey results, the following strategic recommendations were found:

• Accelerate rebranding communication to improve awareness.
• Boost visibility through trade and digital channels.
• Deepen loyalty with proactive customer support.
• Strengthen innovation messaging and differentiation.
• Refine tagline through focused message testing.

Outlook

The study results gave the client a data-driven, structured baseline of brand equity in its B2B target market right after a significant rebranding. Although there is an inherent difficulty with re-establishing brand recognition following a name change, the Client had significant strengths in reputation, product quality, and customer loyalty among people who are already aware of the brand.

The research revealed definite, practical gaps, especially in the area of market awareness, innovation perception, and tagline recognition, which, when managed strategically, provide a considerable opportunity to increase brand equity and competitive positioning in the global market of OEM suppliers.

It is advisable to conduct a follow-up tracking study 12-18 months after launching the communication initiative to evaluate the success of communication investments and track the development of brand equity over time.

First published by Jasper Colin, Amber & Bull’s parent company.