Chairman of the "Car of the Year in Russia" award VLADIMIR BEZUKLADNIKOV spoke about the history and prospects for the development of the award and about the new project "Ratings", which will allow identifying the qualitative motives of the consumer in the process of choosing a car.

Vladimir Bezukladnikov: “The idea of not a quantitative, but a qualitative study of consumer interest was recognized as promising”
Photo: Sergey Kiselev, Kommersant / buy photo

BUSINESS GUIDE : How did the idea of organizing the award come about?

VLADIMIR BEZUKLADNIKOV: It was at the turn of 2000 and 2001. The editorial board of the automobile magazine in which I then worked was puzzled by the search for contact with the end consumer, that is, the search for feedback from the consumer directly involved in choosing the optimal car for himself. In addition, we perfectly understood that such feedback would be necessary and interesting not only for the magazine and its readers, but also for car manufacturers. So, as a result, it was decided to establish an award in which consumers would answer with their votes the only question - which car do you think is the best. When developing the idea, we came to the obvious conclusion that all models need to be divided into classes. Since then, a vote has taken place every year from January to March, during which consumers choose the best car in its class by a simple majority vote.

BG: How did the award develop, what strategic goals were set?

V.B.: The first prize, awarded in 2001, was a completely local event. As an example, there were only 1.5 thousand people who voted, and they voted using questionnaires printed on paper forms. Now it feels like it was the last century! We were immediately supported by the Russian Automobile Dealers Association, and the first presentation of the award had a great resonance, so it immediately became clear: if we make an effort, our brainchild will have a great future. In order to reach the level of a national automobile award—and this is precisely the strategic goal we set for ourselves—it was necessary, first of all, to significantly increase the number of voters. From year to year, we offered motorists new, more accessible and convenient voting methods: SMS messages, online voting, voting through Qiwi payment terminals. The award has its own website autogoda.ru. During election months, a federal advertising campaign takes place. As a result, the number of voters over the past almost 15 years has increased by 1 thousand times. This year, more than 1 million people voted for the award. Naturally, the geography has also expanded: the last time voting took place in more than 5 thousand settlements in Russia. The presentation of the award from a local event has grown to the level of a full-fledged ceremony. For the past few years, the award ceremony has been a large-scale theatrical show, comparable to the presentation of film awards. Of course, we didn’t grow out of nowhere—the market also grew. For example, at the beginning of the 2000s, sales of new foreign cars did not exceed 100 thousand units per year, and last year more than 2 million new cars of foreign brands were sold in Russia.

BG: To whom is the award primarily addressed: the consumer or the manufacturer?

V.B.: For manufacturers, the “Car of the Year in Russia” award is certainly of interest. Victory makes it possible to use this fact for marketing purposes. For the consumer, the premium is also important because it allows him to express his opinion about his favorite model, and on the other hand, serves as a guide when choosing a car. I am convinced that a car is a very emotional subject, so it is extremely important that car enthusiasts have the opportunity to express these emotions and opinions as part of the award. In addition, we additionally motivate car enthusiasts to participate in award voting by drawing valuable prizes using a mathematical draw among those who have registered on our website. So the “Car of the Year in Russia” award is a purely regional award, based on a quantitative study of the automobile market in Russia.

BG: What are the foreign analogues of the “Car of the Year in Russia” award?

V.B.: In the automotive world, professional, expert awards are much more common. As for consumer ones, which are essentially based on sociological research, there are not many of them at all. But they exist, and they are in great demand and authoritative, which gives us confidence in the prospects of our efforts. As an example, I can cite the award of the American company JDPower. This company has been researching the American automobile market since the late 60s of the last century and only then established its own award. We have partly gone the opposite way - from the prize to research, but the essence does not change.

BG: How do you see the prospects for the development of the “Car of the Year in Russia” award?

V.B.: At the moment, we associate the prospects for the development of the award with our new project, “Auto of the Year Ratings,” launched this year. If the award, as I said above, is a quantitative market research, that is, by means of a simple majority of voters we find out which model was the most popular in its class this year, then the “Ratings” are aimed at a qualitative market research. In “Ratings” we do not adhere to the classification of models specified by the manufacturers, but invite the consumer to independently classify this or that model into one of the categories we set and explain their choice through a point vote. What cars the consumer considers feminine, practical, brutal or family-friendly, what evaluation criteria are decisive for him - these are the questions that the “Ratings” answer.

BG: Who processes the “Ratings” data and how often does the sampling occur?

V.B.: Throughout all the years of the award, we have been working closely with Synovate Comcon - this is one of the oldest independent sociological companies conducting marketing research on the Russian market. When the idea for "Ratings" came up, we shared it with our partners at Synovate Comcon. The idea of not quantitative, but qualitative research of consumer interest was recognized as promising. Our partners prepared materials, and we organized a joint seminar, to which representatives of the automotive market were also invited. As a result, the concept of “Ratings” was developed. From July to the end of September, we conducted surveys in five categories. The selection was made on the basis of our database, which contains about 400 models officially sold on the Russian market. At the end of the survey, all data were transferred to Synovate Comcon. As a result, we will get the results and post them on the website autogoda.ru. In the future, we plan to conduct surveys in certain categories on an ongoing basis, and sample them once a quarter.

BG: But at the same time, “Ratings” will not replace the award?

V.B.: Of course not. The annual “Car of the Year in Russia” award is a celebration, a story about victories. But “Ratings” do not reveal the winner; they reveal the consumer’s perception of certain models. The award is an absolutely accomplished story that will not only exist, but also develop. "Ratings" in a certain sense, of course, will contribute to the development of the award. I am sure that thanks to the “Ratings” the audience participating in the award voting will continue to increase. At the same time, the “Ratings” will provide both consumers and producers with valuable sociological material. Based on it, manufacturers will be able to draw conclusions about the consumer’s opinion on certain issues and, accordingly, take this opinion into account in the development of their model range in the future. And thanks to the existence of “Ratings,” consumers will receive a universal platform for exchanging opinions and, most importantly, for preparing for such an important and expensive purchase as a car.

BG: Tell me, how do people choose a car, what qualities of the model are most important for the consumer?

V.B.: Actually, we will get the answer to this question thanks to the “Ratings”. But in general, of course, everything very much depends on each individual consumer. Some people primarily choose the interior, some - capacity, some look at the appearance, and some - engine displacement and horsepower.

BG: Most likely, it is incorrect to ask you about your favorite car, because you have tried hundreds of models. But let's try, based on your experience, to create your ideal car from different cars from different manufacturers. We’ll take the suspension from one, the interior from another, marketing and positioning from a third. Is this possible?

V.B.: I recently calculated: in my personal possession alone, that is, purchased with my own money, I had more than two dozen cars. And there are really hundreds of models that I have driven. Like many in the 1990s, I started with a V8: first I had a cherry car, then wet asphalt with tinted windows, on alloy wheels and with a removable radio - everything was as it was supposed to be then. My first foreign car was a Toyota Carina E. Then there were a lot of things. I had an SUV period for a while, but that seems to be ending now and I'm gravitating towards sedans and hatchbacks again. Answering your question, I can say that I would take the internal volume and amazing transformation of space from the Multivan, I would borrow the interior comfort from Mercedes, and I would note that I would still take a certain emotionality and chic in the interior decoration from the British - Jaguar, for example: no one knows how to work out details, make stitches, select materials like the British do. By the way, I would probably borrow the suspension from the same Land Rover. For me personally, this is the ideal pendant. As for handling and the quality of the driver’s connection with the car, I would borrow it from BMW or Subaru. By this criterion they really have no equal. If we talk about external design and price/quality ratio, then I would take Hyundai, whose activities in the automotive industry over the past few years have clearly produced noticeable results. But nothing and no one stands still, and every year we get something new, sometimes conceptually new, from automobile manufacturers, which gives us a reason to hold a vote year after year and explore the opinions of those who are the true connoisseurs of cars - their buyers.

Interview conducted by Revaz Rezo

"Car of the Year in Russia" is a celebration