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Media Coverage and Car Manufacturers' Sales

Author

Listed:
  • Ralf Dewenter

    (Helmut-Schmidt-University Hamburg)

  • Ulrich Heimeshoff

    (Heinrich-Heine-University of Duesseldorf)

  • Tobias Thomas

    (Media Tenor International)

Abstract

A wide range of media-provided information on many products is based on reviews or expert opinions. The effects of such information on product sales is analyzed in a small but growing literature in economics and marketing science. However, there is much more general coverage on companies and products in the media than product reviews and ex-pert opinions. Based on a unique dataset, we test whether coverage of car manufacturers in leading media outlets has significant impact on new car registrations in Germany. We find that positive media coverage has a statistically significant effect on the number of new cars sold by several leading manufacturers on the German car market.

Suggested Citation

  • Ralf Dewenter & Ulrich Heimeshoff & Tobias Thomas, 2016. "Media Coverage and Car Manufacturers' Sales," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 36(2), pages 976-982.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-16-00168
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Julia Wolfinger & Lars P. Feld & Ekkehard A. Köhler & Tobias Thomas, 2018. "57 Channels (And Nothin On) - Does TV-News on the Eurozone Affect Government Bond Yield Spreads?," CESifo Working Paper Series 7437, CESifo.
    2. Bernhardt, Lea & Dewenter, Ralf & Thomas, Tobias, 2020. "Measuring partisan media bias in US Newscasts from 2001-2012," Working Paper 183/2020, Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg, revised 15 Nov 2022.
    3. Beckmann Klaus B. & Dewenter Ralf & Thomas Tobias, 2017. "Can News Draw Blood? The Impact of Media Coverage on the Number and Severity of Terror Attacks," Peace Economics, Peace Science, and Public Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 23(1), pages 1-16, January.
    4. Benesch, Christine & Loretz, Simon & Stadelmann, David & Thomas, Tobias, 2019. "Media coverage and immigration worries: Econometric evidence," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 52-67.
    5. Thomas, Tobias, 2020. "Zur Rolle der Medien in der Demokratie," Research Papers 12, EcoAustria – Institute for Economic Research.
    6. Ralf Dewenter & Uwe Dulleck & Tobias Thomas, 2020. "Does the 4th estate deliver? The Political Coverage Index and its application to media capture," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 292-328, September.
    7. Céline Bonnet & Jan Philip Schain, 2020. "An Empirical Analysis Of Mergers: Efficiency Gains And Impact On Consumer Prices," Journal of Competition Law and Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 16(1), pages 1-35.
    8. Bernhardt, Lea & Dewenter, Ralf & Thomas, Tobias, 2020. "Watchdog or loyal servant? Political media bias in US newscasts," DICE Discussion Papers 348, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE).
    9. Dewenter, Ralf & Linder, Melissa & Thomas, Tobias, 2018. "Can media drive the electorate? The impact of media coverage on party affiliation and voting intentions," Research Papers 7, EcoAustria – Institute for Economic Research.
    10. Hirsch, Patrick & Köhler, Ekkehard A. & Feld, Lars P. & Thomas, Tobias, 2020. ""Whatever it takes!": How tonality of TV-news affects government bond yield spreads during crises," Freiburg Discussion Papers on Constitutional Economics 20/9, Walter Eucken Institut e.V..
    11. Dewenter, Ralf & Linder, Melissa & Thomas, Tobias, 2019. "Can media drive the electorate? The impact of media coverage on voting intentions," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 245-261.
    12. Bernhardt, Lea & Dewenter, Ralf & Thomas, Tobias, 2023. "Measuring partisan media bias in US newscasts from 2001 to 2012," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    media coverage; consumer behavior; car registrations;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • L6 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing

    Statistics

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