When the weather changes in the spring, the auto aftermarket sector heats up too. Pep Boys, an 89-year-old car maintenance and repair chain, has particularly enjoyed high buzz scores, according to market research firm YouGov.

The Brandweek BrandIndex Report by YouGov is a weekly consumer perception report that analyzes the most talked about brands based on buzz: The scores are based on weighing positive and negative perceptions of a brand. A +100 score is positive, a -100 score is negative, and a rating of zero means that the score is neutral. This week's report also measures value and consumer willingness to recommend a brand.

YouGov interviews 5,000 people each weekday from a representative U.S. population sample. Respondents are drawn from an online panel of 1.5 million individuals.

The report spotlights:

•    Casual dining chains
•    BlackBerry
•    Pep Boys


Pep Boys Drives Consumer Buzz
The bobbleheads of Manny, Moe and Jack—the Pep Boys themselves—have been front and center in what the company calls its biggest marketing campaign and its first in a long time. The campaign carries the tagline: “Does everything. For less.”

Pep Boys is experiencing its second warm weather bump in 16 months. It had a strong lift in buzz from May through September 2009, with scores remaining elevated through December. For the next couple of months, Pep Boys slid back down, before rebounding again this spring.

Gains thus far through July have been impressive, with buzz scores more than doubling from 7.5 in mid-February to the current score of 15.3—a 31-month high for Pep Boys. In 2009, the company peaked at 13.3, while most of 2008 was spent sedately in a lower score range, never reaching higher than 7.




Casual Dining Chains Heat Up
July has been a mixed blessing for four of the largest casual dining chains in terms of value perception. With more families going out to eat in warmer weather, the opportunity is ripe to lure consumers in with more value offerings, seasonal items and packages.

Both Applebee’s (up 10 points) and Chili’s (up 5 points) increased their value scores throughout the month. Chili’s topped the group with a 63.4 score, having just launched a free appetizer promotion with social media location platform Foursquare. Applebee’s is right behind with a current score of 60.8.

TGI Friday’s stayed steady this month in the 38-39 range. Red Lobster, however, slid back several points throughout July. Reportedly, the Gulf oil spill affected the company’s supply and demand for seafood, and no new campaigns helped counter the effect.




BlackBerry's Marketing Push Pays Off
With the iPhone 4’s much hyped entry into the consumer market and subsequent signal problem publicity, BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) saw an opportunity to attract more customers. In mid-July, the company launched a TV and billboard campaign touting its proprietary BlackBerry Messenger system.

Although the service is not new, it provides a sophisticated messaging system that only BlackBerry owners can use. Each TV spot features banjo background music and a vignette showing how BlackBerry Messenger makes communicating and collaborating easy to do—whether it’s selling a car, sending newly arrived products to clients, or turning a short voice recording into a ringtone.

The campaign’s timing with Apple's iPhone controversy proved fortuitous, as BlackBerry’s recommend score for adults 21-34 took a week-long ride up several points from 22 to 31.