Improving MG’s Brand Awareness in Finland

Abstract

This thesis explores Finnish consumer perceptions of Chinese car brands, with a particular focus on the MG brand. Chinese car brands have recently increased their exports to Europe and have rapidly been gaining market share. The commissioning company has recently begun the import and distribution of MG cars in Finland. MG is a 100-year-old originally British brand known for its historical sports cars. The brand has been reborn and is now owned by the massive Chinese car manufacturer SAIC.

The brand’s relaunch in Finland has been difficult, the Finnish new car sales market is at a record low and most of the competing brands have been operational in the market for decades. Efforts towards increasing consumers’ brand awareness and building a stronger brand presence are required. The objective of this thesis is to aid the commissioning company Hedin MG Finland in their efforts by combining relevant brand awareness theory and related models with consumer research which focuses on forming an image of Finnish consumers’ current level of brand awareness and the brand’s current strength in the market. The thesis concludes on creating a plan with set actions for strengthening the brand in Finland.

A quantitative research was conducted in the form of a survey. The goal was to receive a large number of responses from consumers in order to form an overview of the market’s current perceptions concerning Chinese car brands as a whole and in particular evaluate the MG brand’s strength in relation to Keller’s Brand Equity Model.

The most important results of the research indicated that while the brand awareness of MG in Finland is already high, consumer perceptions of Chinese car brands and MG remain mixed. Value for money and the aesthetics of MG cars are viewed more positively whereas reliability and reputation were rated as below average. The slight majority of respondents expressed openness to purchasing a Chinese car. The results do however show concerns related to the quality of Chinese cars, geopolitical and ethical issues were also identified as key barriers. Consumer engagement with the MG brand was mostly limited to viewing online content, few respondents had more direct experience through test drives or visits to dealerships.