The future of media is a popular topic but the answer seems to depend on the axe being ground. Seven heavyweights were assembled by Media Post Publications for a recent panel discussion on the topic. They represented: Facebook, Gaming, Huffington Post (Arianna herself) the Weather Channel, a major media company, an ad agency and the marketing chief for Subway.  An audit of their talks is available at Media Shows, Hashtag #MPFuture. Some of the major trends identified by the panel were:

• Convergence – utilizing all available mediums to communicate a message with seamless digital transfer from one medium to another.

• Empowerment – authenticity and transparency in the delivery of messages and information.

• Platforms - more means for audience members to respond and express themselves.

• Integration –advertising not an "uninvited guest" but part of and not interrupting the content (see reference to Media Post Daily editor Joe Mandese's piece on "Advertising Jumps The Shark" in this issue's Road Signs.)

• Stress Release – Arianna's belief in a counter trend to our growing addiction to technology. A "technology disconnect" she says her eponymous publications try to serve.

• "Do Good" Initiatives – Catering to a perceived increasing desire of individuals to "do good." (e.g. "Cause Marketing.")

• Gaming - Not gambling per se but engaging in an online activity that offers some sort of reward for active participation.

Still another prediction for media‘s future comes from the Museum For Media History. Notable in this crystal ball: Google and Amazon merge to put newspapers and news services as we know them out of business in 2014 with the introduction of EPIC (Evolving Personalized Information Project). Supposedly, EPIC is broader, deeper and wider than any news service before it. Unfortunately, the monologue notes, EPIC is filled with useless trivia with no concern for democracy or media ethics. See: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1vNCP4

Perhaps the most likely but hardly prescriptive recent prediction for the future of media is the generalization offered by the CEO of Publicis Group when, according to Media Daily News' Steve McClellan, he told an audience of investors, the future of marketing and communications will focus on the "always connected consumer."

What do you think?

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Maynard "Mac" Gordon is our Detroit Correspondent.

Once Foes, Now They’re Best Of Pals

PARIS-A step-up in the cadence of global automaker alliances is on tap following the consummation of an agreement between France’s PSA Peugeot Citroen and the first of the world’s ‘dynamic duo,’ Japan’s Nissan and France’s Renault. In a surprise move, Germany’s automaking pioneer-Mercedes Benz-said it is completing plans to assemble cars at the huge facility… Continue Reading

So…what’s the latest auto fashion?

2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid now invades global markets, becoming a role model for automakers everywhere. Ford Fusion wins the gold medal, offering Hybrid edition sales that lift its ‘fully loaded’ suggested price to $38,665, equivalent to SRP of $36,800 on base Lincoln MK2. Fusion’s surge into global segments reflects market and styling updates. Fusion’s outreach… Continue Reading

Bait and Swtich Auto Ads Under Fire

Times & Post outdo rivals in number of stories exposing dealer and factory ‘bait & switch’ lease and loan offers on late-model vehicles. Hundreds of dealers using ‘bait & switch’ ads have lost franchises. ‘Tough’ stories on dicey new-model ads have been used by Times and Post writers despite dealer and factory ad blitzes. Many… Continue Reading

Click here for all the Detroit Dispatches.

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Joe Mandese, in Online Media Daily writes that ads developed for digital platforms are reversing the historic model of editorial being a conduit to distribute advertising, advertising is becoming a means for distributing content. In the article headlined "Advertising Jumps The Shark" he reports a company named Kontera has unveiled a "''content activation platform', powered by a sophisticated semantic technology it developed that crawls millions of professionally produced and user-generated pages of content on the Web and associates, and filters them based on their contextual relevance to a brand's advertising message." Kontera's president says "the ads need to follow rigorous business rules protecting the rights of copyright holders and individual users posting comments and content on social media platforms."

"The Fold from the Washington Post" is a new nightly news cast designed specifically for Google TV and Android devices, Gavin O'Malley reports in Online Media Daily. He says the 15-minute show will serve as a modest platform for Post reporters to deliver timely news and analysis. Viewers can watch the entire show or jump to the news they choose. The Fold is one of several cross-platform forays by the Post. . . .This cooperation between Google and legacy journalism reflects Google's considerable efforts to make peace with the newspaper industry, as recounted by Megan Garber in an article for The Atlantic: "Google News at 10 - How the Algorithm Won Over the News Industry." Not the least of the incentives for making peace is the traffic Google sends to news outlets worldwide, "more than 4 billion clicks each month" Garber reports.

Facebook on the other hand, may not bode well on the news front: A pundit cited in Britain's Media Digest Sept. 19 believes a Facebook-owned news application is "inevitable" and "will funnel news to you from a variety of sources based on data it already knows about you and your friends. Readers won't realize they're consuming news from an echo chamber designed by Facebook's feed algorithm. And just as Facebook reports a billion members worldwide an analyst reports in Business Insider that the company is dealing with seriously declining usage and Erik Sass, reports in Social Media Daily, a recent survey projects to millions of that billion being children while another study of Facebook users shows being "liked" can inflate feelings of self-worth and a corresponding lack of self-control. To be fair, Sass notes other studies have identified other affects on some Facebook users and that it likely has no affect on large numbers of them.

What do you think?

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When Bugatti opts for a presence on Facebook, Flickr and YouTube, its reasonable to ask why a $2.2 million dollar car like the Veyron is socializing with the masses. Karl Greenberg of Marketing Daily did ask, speaking with John Hill, Bugatti's director of sales for the Americas. The answer is it's a way to create awareness and "cement the desirability and status of the brand." The real marketing is done one-on one reaching out to interested prospects who can afford the car.

With California passing regulations for driverless cars on its highway, the invention documented on this video of a 1951 Cadillac may find acceptance after all. Watch Fifth Wheel Parking.

Hasan Dudar and Jeff Green writing for Bloomberg News, cite a number of surveys and sources that document Generation Y's relative disinterest in cars, to the extent of an estimated loss of 2 million units per year. Reasons offered as to why millennials are not buying: a slow economy, multiple other ways for them to connect with the outside world, hence a spending priority of Iphones, laptops, apps, data plans before owning a car, which many in the 18-to-34 year-old age bracket consider, at best a necessary evil. . . . Jeff Mohr is happy to pass along this photo and plugs from over seas for his Superbumper: "We have lots of employees getting rear ended on a regular basis. I am putting them on all our office vehicles. The 4” model on my personal vehicle has been “bumped” numerous times with no damage (to my vehicle at least)," Thad Osterhout, American Embassy, Dakar, Senegal, Africa. "Just mounted the bumper, and it fits great and looks great. I am very pleased with the quality of the system; the packaging and instructions were top quality, too. Thanks," Eric P., Italy.

This photo taken in front of the Castle of Carovigno (Castelo Dentice di Frasso) in the province of Brindisi, in the region of Puglia, Italy

What do you think?

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This is a different spotlight provided by frequent correspondent Jesse Bowers from Just A Car Guy. AWCom featured him in a previous newsletter but did not do his car knowledge justice. Even if he doesn't know all the answers, being able to come up with the questions alone is evidence that he is really into autos. (We've asked Jesse to send the answers for the next issue. If you can't wait you can email him.)

1. What cars were factory Super Stockers in the 1960's drag racing wars? (Made by GM, Ford, Chrysler, AMC... and factory built only to drag race, sometimes not street legal in any way)

2. What models of Chevys came with a base and a Super Sport option?

3. How many cars were pickup bed versions of a normal car (example El Camino and Chevelle) can you name? Not including Australian cars.

4. What were the 1970 high impact colors for Mopars?

5. How many car companies can you name from Italy, Japan, France, Germany, Great Britain( England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland) , the USA, and Australia?

6. What were the Canadian car model names of the GM (Pontiac, Chevrolet, and Buick) cars? Hint, there were 4 that I know of... and one was available in a convertible that was never available in the USA model that it was identical to.

7. What were the Chrysler car (and one truck) model names? There are 8 that I know of.

8. How many dead car companies from America can you name?

9. How many AMC models can you name?

10. What models did Chevy have that started with the letter C?
    
    Click here for more questions.

11. Who patented the car, and legally forced all the big car companies to pay him a licensing fee until Ford took the case to the federal government because it was cutting into profits too much?

12. What company had the first modern mass production line?

13. Who made the Jeep prototype for the government contract but wasn't really able to produce it in numbers that the US govt needed to supply the Army in WW2?

14. What are the most famous car companies to make aircraft engines?

15. What is the last and only independent car company in England?

16. What were the three cars to be made in America that are synonymous with ugly?

17. What cars did Hurst get their name on through ventures with the big corporations?

18. How many companies can you name that made bodies for car companies because rich customers could afford better designs than Packard, Duesenburg, Cadillac, etc were selling?

19. What companies merged to become American Motor Corporation?

20. What car had the most options in the 1960's?

21. What cars had hood scoops, and which Mopar is a glaringly obvious model that didn't?

22. What Mopars came with 3 two barrels?

23. What caused them to name the Buick model, the Century?

24. What cars raced in the 1st New York to Paris?

25. What cars raced in the 1st Paris to Beijing?

26. What mid or rear engined cars can you name?

27. How many Mustang and Corvette customizing companies can you name?

28. What are Duntov heads, Clifford intakes, 6 pack carbs, Gurney Eagles, side oilers?

29. How many carburetor companies can you name?

30. How many camshaft companies can you name?

31. Where would you find a Dana 60, a 9 inch, and a 12 bolt?

32. 2 car parts are known as banjos, what are they?

33. Who invented the fuel log?

34. What car part did Nicola Tesla patent?

35. How many transmissions can you name?

36. What are sprints and midgets?

37. What 12 races did Steve McQueen enter in 1970?

38. What race car is Steve McQueen most commonly associated with?

39. What was the rarest car Steve McQueen owned?

40. What is the SCCA, SCTA, GNRS, SYC, OEM, NOS, COE?

41. What are the following people famous for: Ed Cole, Ed Roth, Ed Winfield, Barney Oldfield, Barney Navarro, Wally Parks, Norm Grabowski?

42. Name the land speed record setting cars (not jet engine cars, piston powered).

43. Name land speed record setting drivers.

44. Name land speed racing locations.

45. Name the hot rodders' 1940's dry lakes, there are at least 4.

46. Who made the Dude and the Demon?

47. How many Chevy car models that came with a Super Sport option level can you name?

48. Name the most famous engine builders of Hemi's.

49. Who is the Snake, the Mongoose, the Professor?

50. What cars came from the factory with flat black hoods?

51. What cars did Hurst collaborate on and get the Hurst name on?

52. Name the Aero war cars of 1968-1971 that were developed to get more NASCAR victories and sold to the public only because of the homologation rule?

53. Name the after market shifter companies.

54. What Super Stock cars can you name?

55. What was the sister car to the Torino Talledaga?

56. What were the AMC "X" car models?

57. What was the last of the muscle cars in the 1970's?

58. What 4 car companies comprised Auto Union, represented by the 4 rings.

59. What cars came from Mopar with the 426 hemi?

60. What cars did Shelby put engines in or his name on?

61. Name at least 6 types of rims, not rim making companies.

62. When did the big 3 switch from generators to alternators?

63. What car company made the Jeep prototype, but who built them in numbers needed for WW2?

64. What was the Jeep truck model named?

65. When vinyl tops were options, what was the point of getting your car optioned with one?

66. What were the big blocks in the 65-75 muscle cars years from the big 3?

67. What were the AMC v-8s sizes?

68. What was the biggest of the muscle car v-8s? Hint, smaller than the 460 truck engine.

69. Which cars had stripes on the nose or tail?

70. Cars had the engine sizes indicated with numbers on the outside of the car in many ways... how many can you name? Stickers are a way, not a type. Mopar had at least 2 stickers with specific names that gave the engine size.

71. Who made "the Machine"?

72. Name the awesome muscle car era car dealerships you would go to to get the fastest cars.

73. How many VW models can you name, pre 1971?

74. What company did Ford have build the Boss 429 Mustangs?

75. Who put together the ZL1 Camaros?

76. What is a UTE?

77. What cars came from the factory with dual quads?

78. What is the give away in the Mopar engine bay that you would look for to indicate a track pack optioned car?

79. Where was the name "Camaro" claimed by Chevrolet to have come from?

80. Who made the Delmont, Beaumont, Wildcat, Cyclone, Biscayne?

81. What did a Mustang GT-A come with?

82. What was Briggs Cunningham known for? Art Arfons? The Blastolene Brothers? Mad Man Muntz? Frank Kurtis?

83. Who were the Drag Masters?

84. What was the Wagon Master?

85. What was the Candymatic?

86. What cars came factory optioned with the Boss 302, Boss 429, ZL1?

87. What is a mountain motor?

88. What was the Rent a Racer?

89. What was the famous Alabama state trooper car?

90. How many supercharger manufacturers can you name?

91. Name the 2 seater sports cars made in America, before 1971. Not kit cars.

92. The top of the line Cougar was called the ? Coronet? Mustang? Charger? Road Runner? Maverick?

93. What cars have had a retro comeback? (A modern remake design in the past decade or two because the car companies are too stupid to innovate anything interesting)

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NORTHEAST

A private collection of car concepts sketches and presentation drawings not available to the public was made available for viewing by NEMPA members Oct. 10 at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Work from the 1940s to 1980s were included. Among them this sketch of a 1968 Mustang proposal by the head of Ford's Mustang studio, Homer LaGassey.

NEMPA members (some) are discussing bloggers' roles in automotive journalism. The unofficial sentiment is, "the cream will rise to the top," and NEMPA members should focus on doing their individual best and promoting their organization within the automotive PR/marketing community. Along those lines, NEMPA President Keith Griffin urges manufacturers intending to compete in the Winter Car Awards to start feeding winterized cars into their New England press fleets so journalists will have adequate time to evaluate them.

SOUTHEAST

Marilyn Bowden, writing for Miami Today reports that the number of electric car-charging stations is growing in the Miami-Dade County area. She quotes the CEO of Miami Beach–based Car Charging as to one reason for the growth. "Government tax incentives, subsidies, loan guarantees and grants make Car Charging able to provide charging station at no charge." Property-owners where the stations are located are reimbursed for the electricity costs and a share of the revenues – small but growing.

ATLANTIC STATES

The introduction of the Ford Mustang 50 years ago at Watkins Glen is being celebrated by the International Racing Research Center located there by designating a 2013 Boss 302 as its 2012 fund-raising raffle car. Only 1,982 raffle tickets will be sold at $60 each or $100.00 for two. The drawing will be held Dec.1. The winner need not be present. For more information call 607-536-9044 or check the Center's website for a ticket form: www.racingarchives.org.

WAPA's annual Rally began with a brief meeting at 10:00 a.m. Friday, Oct. 19 at Indigo Landings, Alexandria, Va. A two-hour round-trip with driver changes along the way and brought them back there for lunch,  judging and presentation of awards. Friends and family were welcome but only WAPA members drove in the rally.

SOUTHWEST

Former TAWA president Harold Gunn celebrated two milestones in his lengthy radio career last month: his Automotive Reporter show entering its 10th year and his Texas Outdoor News starting its 20th. He commented, "It continues to be a great ride."

The much sought-after "Texas Truck of The Year" title will be determined at the three-day TAWA Truck Rodeo outside of San Antonio just in time for the winner to trumpet the honor at the last day of the Texas State Fair up the road in Dallas. The nation's largest state fair, it has a special "Truck Section" that showcases the vehicles like prize livestock and at least two makes have their own stages with live entertainment. (As reported by Karl Greenberg in Marketing Daily). Trucks are big in the Lone Star State.

NORTHWEST

Western Automotive Journalists, their families and friends were invited to Scotts Valley, Calif., for a tour of the Canepa Design facilities there. Vehicle designer and developer, historic car racer, restorer, collector Bruce Canepa served as their guide through his Restoration Shop, Museum and Consignment Showroom. He competed in IMSA, Trans AM and NASCAR events and at Pikes Peak and Bonneville before confining his racing to historic events. He is CEO of Canepa Motorsport and Concept Transport as well as Canepa Design.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Journalists and others hoping to get their credentials for the L.A. Auto Show in the mail, have until Nov. 9 to register. Go to: laautoshow.com/pressdays for a registration link. . . .The Petersen Automotive Museum will hold its annual Swap Meet Saturday, December 1. The event offers a chance tof find needed parts for your exotic, classic or muscle car – or motorcycle. Restoration projects can be purchased or, possibly, your dream car. For more information contact Chris Brown at 323-964-6320 or cbrown@petersen.org.

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Writer, journalist Kevin Clemens set two national and international land speed records at Bonneville this year with a lightweight electric motorcycle he built in his Lake Elmo, Min, workshop. Waiting ratification by the appropriate sanctioning bodies, they are 78.4 mph in the156 kg partially streamlined class and 64.1 mph in the unstreamlined 156 kg class. Clemens, who holds advanced degrees in engineering and environmental education, is working to develop materials and curricula to educate the public and foster acceptance of electrified transportation.

There are free video wrap-ups of all of this year's 24Hours of Lemons races on YouTube. The producers say they are priceless: http://www.youtube.com/24hoursoflemons . . . Ron Beasley sent along a link to a fun test for car buffs that he says will, "rattle the cobwebs in the old brain." http://www.americantorque.com/game/car-show-50s/  . . .  The London-Sydney Rally last run in 2004 is slated to be run by pre 1981 classic cars in 2014. Transworld Historical Rallying has acquired the event and has made a major twist: the event will start in Sydney April 12 and finish in London on May 11. Persons interested can check: www.transwordhistoricrallying.com. The entry fee is $52,000 U.S.

What would you expect from a luxury car like Maserati other than a sound system designed by a high-end audio specialist like Britain's Bowers & Wilkin. But announcing the new partnership as, "a new era in high performance in-car audio systems" is something that remains to be heard. . . NEMPA's communications sent along a prospective bit of good news reported in Scientific American by Marissa Fessenden: A mathematician at Drexel University, R. Andrew Hick, has patented a mirror that eliminates the blind spot on the driver's side. Before it can be used, regulations governing rear-view mirrors will have to be modified.

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Edsel B. Ford II, a member of the board of Ford Motor Company and noted philanthropist has been named the 2013 recipient of the Keith Crain Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award. Crain will present the award to Ford January 11 at the Washington Auto Show. . . Jaguar's all new F-Type two-seat convertible won the 2012 Autoweek Editors' Choice Award for "Best in Show" at the Paris Motor Show. In case you didn't make it to Paris, AutolineLive's Oct. 1 "Torque of The Town" show offers 60 car reveals from Paris in 90 minutes.

The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class won the 2013 Motor Trend Sport/Utility of the Year® award. . . . Billed as the world's first mass-produced high-speed sports amphibian, the GIBBS Quadski was unveiled at a luncheon press conference at the Detroit Athletic Club on Monday, Oct. 15, 2012. Designed and engineered in Michigan, the Quadski is scheduled to go into production later this year at an assembly plant in Auburn Hills, Mich. Contact Austin Nestor (anestor@usautocom.com) or Latrisha Jackson (ljackson@gibbstech.com ) for more information. . . . Cliff White, 26, of Huntsville, Ala., was selected as the 42nd annual recipient of the prestigious Road Racing Drivers Club Mark Donohue Award for his outstanding Spec Racer Ford class victory in September at the 2012 SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.

The Petersen Automotive Museum will honor Motorsport Hall of Fame member George Follmer Nov. 4 in an evening tribute. For more information call 323-964-6325 or email shill@petersen.org . . . . Entry forms are available to not-for-profit car clubs now through Dec. 15 for the $3,000 Golden Rule award presented by Eagle One. To celebrate its 20th year of recognizing and rewarding car clubs for outstanding support of community and charitable causes, the company will conduct a drawing instead of judging to select the club winning the $3,000 check for its favorite charity, a generous supply of car care products and Valvoline Motor Oil plus a custom-designed award. Entry deadline is December 31 and the winner will be announced January 30th. Entry forms can be downloaded at www.eagleone.com . . . Automotive design studios in Germany, Japan and the U.S. will compete in this year's annual Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge to create the ultimate law enforcement patrol vehicle for 2025. The winner will be announced Nov. 29th during an event at the show, which annually attracts the largest gathering of design professionals in North America, . . .The Road To Mandalay is open for classic cars up to the year 1972. The time is yet to be announced and the price is unspecified, but England's H&H Classic Rallies has received permission from the country to hold the first-ever international rally there. The vehicles will not be allowed to cross neighboring borders so the adventure will cover 2,000 plus miles within Mandalay and visit nearly all of the historic sites in the storied land. For more information call: 44 (0)1252 717175 or Email: info@hhclassicrallies.com.

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Jean (Lienert) (Lindamood) Jennings has ventured into the turbulent media seas with a blog, "Jean Knows Cars." Unlike most first-time bloggers who breast the waves with a rowboat, she has at least, a schooner crafted by knowledge, experience, talent and a name well-known and respected in autodom- earned mostly in 30 years with Automobile Magazine, currently as president and editor-in-chief. And, she is backed by Source Interlink Media, a prime U.S. source of special interest media. Billed as a means for the inexperienced to gain positive experiences when buying, selling and serving cars, the blog will appear weekly in 18 Tribune newspapers, nationally. The blog will have features intended to appeal to women but its emphasis on interaction and the writer's own personality should rescue it from the chic niche.

Speaking of seas, England's NewsPress has crossed the Atlantic in its quest to make sure the sun never sets on its automotive communications service. Operating successfully in Great Britain for decades and more recently on the Continent, NewsPress USA is striving to be the single source of info for all major automotive brands. Approved users have free access to news releases, videos and photographs for editorial use. . . . Roman Mica writes to advise "The Fast Lane Car has partnered with the Jiayou Network to bring our fun, informative, and anchor the new online channel's automotive programming with a weekly half hour show that features TFL car video reviews, mashups, tech demos, and auto industry interviews. The show appears on YouTube which is banned in China, hence the excitement over the Jiayou connection.

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Toyota has filled its Northwest U.S. PR opening by retaining Allison+Partners an international PR firm based in San Francisco.  They replace Michael Dobrin who resigned the post in May after 22 years as Toyota's PR representative in the six-state region that includes northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. Contacts at Allison+ were not named in Toyota's announcement but more information can be obtained by calling: 415.217.7500 or  checking www.allisonpr.com. . . Jack Teahen's, silver hair prompted questions 20 years ago about when he was going to retire from Automotive News. He has. . . . . Ron Sessions, opened AutoSessions Projects in April in greater Detroit to umbrella his many skills in automotive communications. He has written, edited and created special publications for Road & Track, wrote and edited for Motor Trend and with ad and specialty agencies created sales brochures, training materials and videos for Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler and Chevrolet and authored Classic Camaro for HP Books. He can be reached at: autosessions@sbcglobal.net. . . . Sean Holman reports that he has been promoted from Tech Editor at Four Wheeler to Editor-in Chief of Diesel Power.

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Glenn F. Campbell
Publisher
autowriters.com