The Road Ahead |

Metaphorical Search
explained and demonstrated by J. Paul Neeley
Search engines became the dynamo of the Internet simply by providing
speedy answers to specific questions. Along the way they have been
criticized for ruining cocktail parties and heated discussions with a
quick authoritative answers that quell idle speculation and flights of
rhetoric. Now they provide predictive, associative and metaphorical
search. (Visual search still has several kinks to work out according to Mae Anderson writing for
The Associated Press.)
Search Engines...
have been criticized for ruining cocktail parties
and heated discussions with a quick authoritative
answers that quell idle speculation and flights of
rhetoric.
Predictive search begins
with the person initiating the search. It takes in account interests of
the searcher as revealed in prior Internet use, often re-phrasing or
altering the input to provide what it thinks the user wants to know. "I'm Google" is an example of
associative search. It and metaphorical search
are described by Katie Meier in her initial Sideswipes column for
Media Daily News Sept.25. She says, "If you participate in digital culture
today, you are being taught to experience the world's information as a
visual thing. 'Data is beautiful' is one way we say this. Another is to
think about how we experience information on Instagram.
"An image on Instagram contains all sorts of information translated into
a visual thing. We know whether to laugh, offer encouragement, reflect
on a memory, celebrate, or spread gossip -- all from a single encounter
with an image." She says, "The information and images associated with a
single Instagram image is what "I'm Google"
seeks to provide, revealing
patterns that images make when allowed to flow together under different
rules than by "definition" of the main thing in the shot." The flowing
together of associative images creates a living, evolving search result.
This search process seeks to generate new knowledge by finding
connections between different "silos" of fact. An example provided is
the relationship between a
Formula 1 pit crew and a hospital’s emergency
room crew. They have totally different objectives but such similar
structures that studying pit crews in action has helped hospitals design
better emergency room teams.
Aaron Goldman in a column entitled Googling The Future of Search for
Search Insider, sees search fading out
when the
Internet of Things becomes an everyday (everything) reality. He
says, "Indeed, Googling something will take on a much different meaning
once the mission of organizing all the world's information and making it
universally accessible and useful moves from Web pages to everyday
objects."
TOC
|
new roads |

Jay Leno’s new "car show" in prime time on CNBC may be a
litmus test for the reputed dimming of America’s love of cars.
It has the right ingredients: a top, well-liked entertainment
name who knows cars with a supporting cast of a hundred or more
(his own car collection) and multiple contacts in the celebrity
and auto worlds. Other than the lack of a time slot, exact
format and unknown budget behind it, "What’s not to like?" One
TV critic already found a reason, labeling it, "One Rich Car Guy
Talking To Other Rich Car Guys." (Adam Buckman, Television News
Daily). Maybe. But will that attract an audience big enough to
satisfy CNBC and potential advertisers? Lets hope the show goes
after a wider audience - one that appeals to young car
enthusiasts who fuel the love affair, as Leno did in his youth.
Automotive News has announced a new newsletter,
Cars & Concepts, that every Tuesday "pulls back the curtain on
global vehicle launches, concept cars and auto show news." It
also includes its latest photo galleries, videos, blogs, and
updates to its must-read Future Product Pipeline series. . . .
Vice Media’s
creative services division, Virtue, has announced a new editorial online site, Collectively. MediaPost columnist Richard Whitman
writes of it, "another Upworthy-style
editorial site filled with idiotic editorial like The Unexpected
Father-Daughter Team Making Condoms People Will Love Having
Inside Them and This Child Prodigy Traded eCommerce For Orphans
And Never Looked Back. But that's not the point. The whole thing
is sponsored by founding partners Unilever, Coke,
Marks &
Spencer, BT Group and Carlsberg along with partners including
McDonald's, Microsoft, General Mills, Nestle,
Nike, Pepsi, WPP,
Philips, Johnson & Johnson and others. But the site promises it
will operate with "complete editorial independence." . . .
The Wooden Horse reports Vevo the video hosting
service, has launched the first of its more than 100 episodes of
original programs that cover lifestyle and music. They'll be seen on its website and apps as well as on
YouTube. Scott Reich,
scott.reich@vevo.com, is Vice President,
Programming and Original Content.
The publishers of the
Los Angeles Register daily newspaper are abandoning that new
road after just five months of publication. . . . The New York Post
reports that newspaper insert magazines Parade and Dash, have
been sold to Athlon Media Group and will be relocated to
Nashville, TN minus most of the editorial staffers on their
payrolls. . . . Also from Wooden Horse is word that Vessel, a
website slated to launch in November, is telling potential
advertisers that its subscribers will get a look at popular
short term video before other web destinations such as YouTube.
The happy arrangement between Wild About Cars and the
Automotive History Preservation Society that produced a treasure
of photos and facts for the WAC website no longer exists. AHPS
owned and developed the online digital library. WAC developed,
owned, and managed the sophisticated, high-octane,
high-storage-capacity web site that could handle the volume and
bandwidth required to move large files, and move more than just
a few files simultaneously. APHS was granted gratis space on the
site in exchange for WAC being able to draw upon the Society’s
240,000 pages/images of material. AHPS president Eric White
says,
"WAC no longer exists." And as a nonprofit,
educational/reference service site, AHPS can’t make money to
maintain the site. It does need money to continue building its
library and you can contribute to AHPS via PayPal.
For
those who are fond of Craigslist and Angie’s, here’s another
where a driver in an auto accident can search and compare
vetted, verified auto body shops that have immediate
availability to repair the Smoosh'd vehicle:
www.SmooshVille.com.
And for those who want to sell their car themselves, Scot Hall,
Executive V.P. of Swapalease.com lists
eleven photo faux pas to
avoid when posting or advertising your car.
TOC |
passing scene |
Yes, no matter how ill advised, brands and consumers are "entering a
world of frictionless sharing," Greg Getner, Planning Director at
Y&R Chicago, told attendees of OMMA Chicago, Gavin
O’Malley reported in MediaPost Raw. He goes on to explain
"friction is anything seen as slowing the sharing of information like,
say, the time it takes to remove a smartphone from one's pocket." He
notes this may not be a virtue, especially for those too quick on the
verbal draw.

No matter how much it is decried, Content Marketing is surging.
Which means job openings for writers.
Mediapost Agency Daily's Steve
McClellan reports PR giant Edelman is joining forces with United Talent
Agency to create an experiential marketing and branded content firm to
be called United Entertainment Group, A DJE Company. The DJE part of the
name is a reference to Edelman parent DJE holdings. McClellan also
reports that another PR agency, Weber Shandwick, has formed a new
agency called Sawmill that will provide
content across all media channels. McClellan says, "The move marks a
continued blurring of the lines between traditional PR and advertising
territories in the digital era." . . .Along those lines is the recent deal
between the large ad agency, Leo Burnett, and AOL’s Huffington
Post. Joe Mandese
quoting in MAD from the press release announcing the deal,
"exclusive cooperative approach that promises to transform the
relationship between creative agencies and publishers."
Yet another example is Omnicom Media Group's $200 million a year
deal with iheartMedia the former Clear Channel network. "It
will give the agency access to iHeartMedia's special in-house creative
services, including original campaign conceptualization and planning," according to Erik Sass
in Media Daily News.
The Internet is turning into one giant billboard,
and with essentially all social networks relying on advertising, data
mining and selling user data, it can be hard for some people to imagine
a better way.
Michael Sebastian writes in Advertising Age that content
marketing is expected to do $2 billion in business this year. One of the
largest and most successful content providers Sebastian writes
about is Contently. Its co-founder and chief creative officer,
Shane Snow, is quoted as having 50,000 writers on tap to provide
content for its clients. Others in the field are Percolate and
NewsCred. . . . A recent NY Times article by Alexandra
Alter entitled E-Book Mingles Love and Product Placement
reveals how content marketing can build a mixed media multi-channel
enterprise. Content marketing’s growth has created a new job title,
Content Strategist. The job has come about, according to Steve
Kerho in Content Marketing Insider, because, "Consumers are
hungry for engaging content and marketers are creating more content than
ever before." He concludes his description of the job, which seems very
much akin to a newspaper editor's, "A great content strategist sets the
foundation, organizes the chaos and coordinates efforts for maximum
results". . . . . An entirely different approach is the new social
network, Ello, which Catherine Taylor writes in Social
Media Insider has just received $5.5 million in funding from venture
capitalists for its proposed ad-free network. Ello hopes to make its
money without mining its users data or selling ads. They plan an app
store for users to personalize the service. Taylor quotes Ello founder
Paul Budnitz, "The Internet is turning into one giant billboard,
and with essentially all social networks relying on advertising, data
mining and selling user data, it can be hard for some people to imagine
a better way."
Also for Social Media Daily, Erik Sass describes three other new
nets that he terms, "New Social Nets for Your Brain. They are
NewHive,
Niume and Brainly." . . . Bloomberg News reports AT&T said
in a filing, "About 2 million U.S. cars are using its wireless network
either through wholesale or retail contracts." Some 500,000 were added
in the third quarter alone. Bloomberg adds AT&T sees Internet-connected
cars as a $1 billion sales opportunity. . . . Last, Sass provides
the good news from a recent Harris Poll, "Americans Sick Of
Gossip, Sports In News Coverage, Want More Substance."
TOC
|
pit notes |
Telematics Update reports, "Microsoft updated its search engine last
week with real-time parking data from ParkMe, which allows users to
seamlessly find nearby parking, check real time availability, and
pre-pay for parking spaces across the globe. Additionally, ParkMe
displays locations and parking information such as rates, hours of
operation, occupancy, entry points and payment types. . . . Bold Ride is asking its followers to vote for the
Boldest
Ride of The Year. The web site regularly provides juicy shots of cars
most of its audience will never drive. So that likely means the best
photo will win among the 10 cars nominated
for consideration. They include Lamborghini Huracan,
Porsche Macan, Dodge Charger Hellcat and a Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
Here is a
look provided by AutoWeek of one bold ride that wasn’t included - the
Asterion, a plug-in hybrid revealed by Lamborghini at the Paris Auto
Show.

The Car Buzzard blog recently celebrated its 1000 article since founder
John Matras started
out to catalogue and index all car reviews. That proved more than
daunting so he settled for a steady diet of car reviews and occasional
quirky news items proffered by him and his flock of Buzzard associates.
In keeping with
its off-beat style each "buzzard" described what he or she would drive
that was powered by less than 1,000cc. The Oct. 9 Car Buzzard blog
contains the choices of Nick Yost, BJ. Killeen, Ron Moorhead,
David Boldt and Matras.
The inventive Bret Berk, who seems to find an
outlet for every auto-related story idea he comes up with or an auto
angle to a good deal of his
daily adventures, offers an impressive look on Yahoo Autos of the
Porsche 918 Spyder factory.
. . . And, if you’d like some humorous auto-related video, check out the
new Fiat 500 teaser ad Blue Pill on
Youtube.
Michael Martinez writes in The Detroit News, "Gas-saving
stop-start systems, which turn off the engine when the vehicle isn't
moving and restart it when the brake pedal is released, will be standard
on more cars and trucks than ever before — whether drivers like it or
not." The demand for higher mpg ratings will make it happen. He reports
auto industry analysts say the technology can improve gas mileage from
3.5 per cent to 10 to 15 percent in heavy, stop-and-go traffic and
quotes Paul Seredynski, Ford's manager of global powertrain technology
communications, "About 10 years from now, there won't be a (new) vehicle
that doesn't have stop-start."

And, by that time, you may be
able to print your own car. Arizona company,
Local Motors
using 3-D printing has developed a working car
called the Strati, which it says will be available to the public
next year for a price between $18,000 and $30,000. (Click
here to watch video) Local Motors' also offers to help you build a
car of your design in a mini-manufacturing site near you. They make it
sound easy. . . . But they don’t promise you’ll
come anywhere close to the list of the most expensive cars ever sold at
auction, as provided by Mark Gittelman, classic cars expert for
About.Com. Not surprisingly, Ferrari currently holds seven of the top
ten spots on the list. Heading it is this 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO
Berlinetta that went for $38.1 million during this year’s Monterey
Classic Car Week.
SEMA has been awarded a Federal Grant to help boost exports of
American-made automotive aftermarket products and accessories. It will
fund a new yearly fact-finding and sales mission to Russia; working with
government officials to seek pro-industry regulations that allow U.S.
products equal market access; and organizing overseas vehicle measuring
sessions in key emerging markets.
TOC
|
pit notes2 |

Mazda will hold its 2014 Club Racer Shootout for a $75,000
prize Dec. 2 at California’s Buttonwillow Raceway Park. Each year
the shootout determines a winner from as many as 20 club racers who have
won a recognized championship over a minimum number of competitors. Each
of them submits a presentation and video that is reviewed and scored by
a team of motorsports and marketing professionals. From those proposals,
the finalists will be selected and advance to the winner-take-all
shootout. The $75,000 covers the cost of the winner campaigning at the
pro level in 2015.
More than 125 vehicle builders and car customizers have been entered
into the first-ever SEMA Battle of the Builders™ competition
taking place at SEMA Ignited, Friday, November 7, 2014. In a
twist, editors from leading automotive magazines will name the top ten
finalists and those ten finalists will then judge one another and vote
to determine who will be named the ultimate winner in the 2014 SEMA
Battle of the Builders.

Aaron Gold of About Cars provides photos and copy for the
13 scariest cars to drive as determined, apparently, by popular opinion.
Among them: The Shelby Cobra, Volkswagen Beatle, Suzuki
Samurai, and Dodge Viper. Check them all out at:
13 Scariest Cars
Lawyers who won a 12 million dollar verdict for their client, a teenage
girl who became a paraplegic when injured in a 30- mph crash while
riding in the center rear seat of a car equipped with only a lap belt,
sent Autowriters.com a press release, hoping, we trust, to warn
others of a lap-belt only restraint. New cars are now required by
federal safety standards to be equipped with rear center seat
lap-shoulder belts. The press release deems older models that do not
have them "ticking time bombs."
The Bold Ride of Oct. 14 provides a, "Who’d of thunk it"
video of a drag race between a McLaren, Porshce 918 and a
Ducati motorcycle. . . . . Classic Motorsports Magazine
promises "thousands of dollars" worth of prizes thanks to partners like
Battery Tender, Chubb Collector Car Insurance, CRC
Industries and Eastwood to winners of their "Show Us Your
Shop" contest. For more information check:
Shop Contest . . .Bill
Noon provides a highly readable and detailed provenance of a 1972
Abarth Osella SE 021 Sports Racer he’ll sell for $175,000. Contact
him at
billnoon@symbolicmotors.com.
For racing something less unique, Jay Lam has posted the 2015
race schedule for the LeMons series. He notes, “Stuff like sprint
races, additional Concours d'LeMons shows, and so on will pop up
later, but this should get you started:
Event Results."
TOC
|
awards and events |

The Beach Boys' Mike Love, Keith Crain Chairman of Crain Communications,
publisher of Automotive News, AutoWeek and many other titles, and
Jim
Farley, EVP of Ford’s Global Marketing,
were honored by the Petersen Automobile Museum's annual benefit gala
that this year marked the closing of the museum for a major renovation
lasting into late 2015. Terry Karges, executive director of the museum
also announced two new strategic partnerships; one with Xbox for a
simulation room where museum visitors can experience legendary racing
circuits behind the wheel of of state-of-the-art Forza
Motorsport simulators. The other is with Belkin International’s Linksys
brand that
will provide museum visitors state-of-the-art networking, WI-FI and a 21st century
seamless experience where accessing data, social network posting and other
online activities from mobile devices.
The Automotive News World Congress in Detroit January
13-14 has secured some of the industry’s very top
names for its annual gathering in conjunction with the North American
International Auto Show. Among them: CEOs Mary Barra, GM, Joe Eberhardt,
Jaguar Land Rover, Sergio Marchionne, Fiat Chrysler and Elon Musk,
Tesla. . . . Nominees for the 2015 North American Car and Truck of the
Year are being considered by a panel of veteran auto journalists from
the U.S. and Canada. Winners will be announced at the NAIAS in January.
The Hispanic Motor Press Awards named 10 judges to choose the
best top ten cars for the Hispanic family. For more details:
Hispanicmpa@gmail.com
. . . The International Motor Press Association (IMPA) named Ken Gross
and Peter Harholdt winners of the 2014 Ken Purdy Award for excellence in
automotive journalism. The duo won for their book Sensuous Steel: Art
Deco Automobiles. The book was produced to accompany an exhibit of Art
Deco-styled cars at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville,
Tenn. It combines Harholdt’s studio photos of the featured cars with
Gross’s automotive-historical pieces and an essay on the emergence of
Art Deco as a recognized style of expression, all edited and compiled by
Gross.

Dan Gurney is the second person to receive the Edison-Ford
Medal presented by the Henry Ford Museum to recognize individuals who
"fully leverage the creative, innovative and entrepreneurial spirit that
resides in every one of us." Gurney is being honored for his
contributions to motor sports through his outstanding performance as a
racecar driver here and abroad and his leadership in the design and
construction of winning racecars.
The first winner of an Edison-Ford Medal was Edwards Demings, the
champion of statistical process control in auto manufacturing.
Among winners in The Texas Auto Writers Association’s 2014 Excellence In
Craft Competition are: Derek Shiekhi, Austin American Statesman;
Steve
Wheeler, Baton Route Advocate and Jeff Yip, Houston Chronicle. The
annual competition honors TAWA members work in several categories:
Spanish-Language Newspapers; Magazines; Radio and the Internet. For a
complete list of winners in all categories check:
www.texasautowriters.org
. . . Porsche and GMC were named 2014’s most ideal vehicles in the
annual AutoPacific, Inc. survey that this year reached 92,000 new
vehicle owners across all major manufacturers. Information on the survey
and listing of the various category winners can be found at
http://www.autopacific.com
The Southern California Chapter of
the Society of Automotive
Historians named "LandSpeed" Louise Ann Noeth the winner of
the
2014
James Valentine Memorial Award. Her entry entitled "
Counting Down to a
Century of Speed" appeared in the October 2013 issue of the GoodGuys
Gazette. The 18-page feature encapsulates 100 years of land speed racing
on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah and earned her "Excellence in
Automotive Historical Research," in the periodicals category.
TOC
|
regional news |
SOUTHEAST
SAMA Co-founder Ron Beasley filed this report: Formula auto racing will
return to the streets of downtown Miami early next year, but residents
will not be complaining about the noise because the race cars will all
be powered by electric engines. Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado convened a news conference on the shore of
Biscayne Bay at the Perez Art Gallery and told an overflow gathering of
city and county officials, automotive media, civic leaders and downtown
residents that the FIA Formula E Championship – the world’s first fully
electric auto racing series – will stage one of 11 international races
in Miami next year on March 14.

Admiring the sleek Qualcomm Formula E race car on display at the news
conference are (l-r) Miami Commissioner Willy Gort, Miami Mayor Tomas
Regalado, Commissioner Mark Sarnoff, Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag and
Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau President/CEO Bill Talbert.

Race course for the Miami ePrix.
Classic Motorsports has named BMW the featured marquee at the
2015 Mitty
to be held at Road Atlanta April 24-26. More than 300 cars are
expected to compete on the track in races sanctioned by Historic
Sportscar Racine during the event presented by Hagerty. For tickets:
www.hsrtickets.com and more information
www.classicmotorsports.net.
MIDWEST
Results of Consumer Reports annual reliability survey were revealed at a
luncheon meeting of the Automotive Press Association in Detroit,
Oct.
27. Asian brands claimed seven of the top spots led by Lexus and
Toyota
for the second straight year. Buick was the only domestic brand in the
top ten. . . . The Detroit Press Club celebrated its one-year revival
with an Octoberfest at a local Biergarten featuring an Oompah Band and a
selection of Teutonic brews.
WEST COAST
Brian Douglas, writing in the new slick magazine, SV, reports the
Silicon Valley boasts more than a dozen automotive research centers with
ten of them representing major auto companies. Included are Volkswagen,
Hyundai, Ford, GM, Tesla, BMW, Honda,
Toyota, Mercedes Benz and Nissan.
The Western Automotive Journalists (WAJ) joined with the Connected Car
Conferences (C3) recently to stage a daylong conference featuring six
panels made up experts from these research centers. as well as "techies"
from Google, Bosch, Delphi, Intel, Cisco,
Nvidia and QNX . . . . The
City of Malibu, CA and a local car dealer have joined to Launch a
"Malibu Cars and Coffee" car ogling the first and third Sunday mornings
of every month at Malibu Bluffs Park, just a short scenic ride from L.A.
. . . .While the Petersen Automotive Museum is closed for a major
renovation now underway, a number of cars from its collection, some of
them available to the public for the first time, will be displayed at
the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA until May
1, 2015. They will be shown in three galleries: one for cars driven by
heads of state, which will be open through Nov. 1, 2015. It includes
Juan and Eva Peron’s 1938 Packard and Pope John Paul II’s 1998 Cadillac
Papal Parade Phaeton. Another gallery is for cars driven by Hollywood
stars or made famous by a movie, including Steve McQueen’s 1956 XKSS and
one of Elvis' cars, complete with bullet holes. The third gallery has
historic cars including a 1913 Mercer Raceabout and a 1981 gold-plated
Delorean DMC.

Finalists for the "Green Car of The Year" are: Audi A3 TDI,
BMW I 3, Chevrolet Impala BI-Fuel, Honda Fit and VW
Golf. Leaders
in the environmental and energy fields and entertainer auto enthusiast,
Jay Leno, will select the winner. Green Car Journal editor and publisher
Ron Cogan will announce the winner at the L.A. Auto Show, Nov 20.
Also to be announced at the show on Nov. 19 will be the Innovative
Vehicle of the Year (IVY) awards as voted by members of MPG. Six cars
priced at $30,000 or under and seven cars above that figure have been
nominated. For more information on the
IVY program and the nominees, go to
MPG 2014 Vehicle of the Year.
And for a complete schedule of the L.A. Auto Show’s press events go
here. It also includes the Nov. 18
Connected Car Expo schedule of panels and press interviews with leading
automotive and other authorities in the field.
TEXAS
Sixty auto writers drove 75 vehicles on and off road for two days (Oct.
9-10) at the Knibbe Ranch outside San Antonio to choose this year’s
Truck of Texas. Michael Marrs, president of TAWA, said the
organization had a record number of vehicles on hand for its auto writer
members to evaluate. They named the Ford F-150 "Truck of Texas" and Ford
as the "Truck Line of Texas." The 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee won "SUV of
Texas" and the 2015 Lincoln MKC the "CUV of Texas."
Ironically, the Steel Market Development Institute sponsored this year’s
truck rodeo.
TOC |
road signs |
The end of the Sunday auto section in the New York Times is not a good
sign. Autowriters.com has not read nor seen anything from the Times about this
but Facebook postings by people who should know say it is so. What
follows ties right in. . . . According to Research Brief a recent study
conducted by ComScore for the Newspaper Association of America,
"Breaking News is Digital for 80% of Internet Users." Some 30% of the
billion or so Facebook users get their news from that portal and the
number is growing thanks to Facebook News Feed.
The News Feed represents a way for publishers to make more money from
their journalistic enterprise - particularly with its mobile app created
for smaller screens- but, as the NY Times David Carr points out,
publishers fear going that route could mean losing control of the
content they produce.
"I guess that’s my hard-news editorial philosophy:
Embrace nerds, evangelize normals, keep your soul."
What kind of online content to produce if
they don’t turn to a Facebook or other mass distributor remains a
dilemma? Kaila Colbin describes it in her Online Spin Column.
"Revenues from any kind of decent journalism -- independent, nuanced,
thorough, thoughtful -- are on the decline, largely because that kind of
content will never be as popular as pictures of cats sitting awkwardly.
Where the eyeballs go, so too goes the money, and publishers are forced
further and further into the business of schlock content, expressly
manufactured to shock and awe." She says the answer to the dilemma is,
"People who see the current system for what it is, and are able to
envision and communicate a new way."
Derek Thompson, Senior editor of The Atlantic told the staff of
Capital
New York in a 30-second interview:
"Making serious news interesting without cheapening it is hard. Full
stop. When I’m writing a story about, say, student debt, I sort of
imagine three audiences: First, nerds, the audience that knows it wants
to read about student debt; second, normals, the audience that doesn’t
yet know it wants to read about student debt but is vaguely curious
about stuff, and third, others, the audience that really doesn’t give a
hoot.
"If I write a boring headline, I might get the nerds, but I'll lose
everybody else. If I write a syrupy headline — Is Student Debt Killing
You, Literally Right Now??? — I might get all three groups to click, but
my soul will rot. If I write a Goldilocks headline, not too boring but
not too surgary, I keep my nerd audience, attract more normals, and keep
my soul. So I guess that’s my hard-news editorial philosophy: Embrace
nerds, evangelize normals, keep your soul."
An article sent along by Keith Griffin entitled: "Influence Vs
Expertise: Which Is More Valuable" supports Thompson's approach and is
good news for auto journalists. Written by Patrick Coffee for MediaBistro’s PR News, it offers the definitions: Influence is how
someone reacts to your status, while Expertise is how someone responds
to your knowledge. Expertise is judged by how much and how often a
person writes in-depth about a topic, and how many readers share what he
or she writes. In this framework at least, auto journalists have far
more value as communicators than do auto enthusiasts. . . . David Fish,
however, favors emotion over expertise in his article for Marketing
Daily, When Emotion Trumps Rationality (And That's OK). He writes, "For
most regular people, driving a car is not just about speed, or
efficiency or even luxury features. It’s about experiences that make
people passionate…and maybe a little bit irrational." Fish is making a
case for putting more emotion into auto advertising and possibly with
cause.
Influence is how someone reacts to your status, while
Expertise is how someone responds to your knowledge.
Expertise is judged by how much and how often a person
writes in-depth about a topic, and how many readers
share what he or she writes.
Karl Greenberg reports for Marketing Daily, "According to a new
study by C+R Research, commissioned by Cars.com, TV spots, radio and
direct are the least trustworthy or helpful sources of information, and
therefore the least likely to drive consideration." What was helpful,
the study found were, "manufacturer Web sites, expert review sites,
independent research sites, search engines, newspaper Web sites and
previous experience with the vehicle." Expert reviews also scored high
in a study by Nielsen, commissioned by inPowered entitled
The Role of
the Consumer in the Decision Making Process, as reported by the Center
for Market Research. The Center's report is entitled: Expert Content Is
Best Influencer in Purchase Funnel. That also speaks well for the
role of the auto journalist.
TOC
|
lane changes |
Simon Sproule forsake his post as Tesla’s vice president of
communications in order to join fellow Brit and former Nissan colleague
Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer as that company’s chief marketing officer.
. . . Chances are somewhat better than 50-50 that you’ll renew your
former Source Interlink email contact by switching to first initial last
name@enthusiastnetwork.com. Those that bounce presumably are no longer
with TEN which
embraces the media company’s automotive titles and platforms. . . . Autowriters.com
will publish the locations of those that moved on as they are received.
For starters, Steve Turner is now at SVT Performance,
editorturner@stvperformance.com
and Marc Christ, is now editor at Mustang Driver,
mcrist@mustangdriver.com
. . . Another domain name change switches all former PCG Campbell email
addresses to PacificCommunicationsGroup.com . . . . Stuart Bourdon now
edits Off Road Extreme. His email is
sbourdon@powerautomedia.com . . .
Jim Walczak is writing for The Fun Times Guide for Jeeping and can be
reached at Jim.Walczak@gmail.com . . .
Ron Sessions
moves from Online Editor at Car and Driver to Editorial Director for
Autosessions Media, autosessions@sbcglobal.net . . .Javier Moto is the
new Editor-In-Chief of Autoproyecto.com which, as founder and CEO
Camilo
Alfaro reminds us, "is an in-market Spanish language automotive
enthusiast Website with over 8 million monthly page-views."
TOC
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- 30- |
Glenn F. Campbell
Publisher
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CALENDAR
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November 2014 |
3 |
SEMA |
Exclusive Media Preview: SEMA Light Truck Accessory Alliance,
Las Vegas, NV |
4 |
APA |
Luncheon, Detroit, MI, True Car |
4 |
PAPA |
Annual Nascar Racing Program, Chandler, AZ |
4-6 |
AAPEX |
Las Vegas, NV |
4-7 |
SEMA Show | Las Vegas, NV |
6 |
NEMPA |
Dinner, Automotion Garage, Ford |
10 |
APA | Breakfast -8:30a.m., Detroit, MI, Jason Vines |
11 |
IMPA |
Luncheon, 3 West Club, NYC, NY BMW |
19 |
MPG |
Keynote Breakfast & IVY Award, Los Angeles Auto Show, Los
Angeles, CA |
18-20 |
Los Angeles Auto Show
| Press Days, Los Angeles, CA |
20 |
SAMA
| Miami Int'l Auto Show Luncheon, South FL Auto Dealers |
TBD |
SAMA
| Ride-n-Smiles Event |
24 |
APA | Luncheon, Detroit, MI, Lexus |
21-30 |
Los Angeles Auto Show
| Public Days, Los Angeles, CA |
December 2014 |
TBD |
SAMA | Holiday Meeting |
9 |
APA |
Luncheon, Detroit, MI NACTOY |
9 |
MPG |
Dean Batchelor Awards Banquet, Los Angeles, CA |
16 |
IMPA |
Luncheon, 3 West Club, NYC, NY - Cadillac |
January 2015 |
12-13 |
North American Int'l Auto Show |
Press Preview, Detroit, MI |
16 |
North American Int'l Auto Show |
Black Tie Charity Event, Detroit, MI |
17-25 |
North American Int'l Auto Show |
Public Days, Detroit, MI |
February 2015 |
2-13 |
Chicago Auto Show |
Media Preview, Chicago, IL |
13 |
Chicago Auto Show |
First Look for Charity, Chicago, IL |
14-22 |
Chicago Auto Show |
Public Show, Chicago, IL |
March 2015 |
3-4 |
Geneva Motor Show|
Press Days, Geneva, Switzerland |
5-15 |
Geneva Motor Show |
Public Days, Geneva, Switzerland |
TOC
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across the finish line |

Tom Magliozzi – The older brother of the well-loved,
Click and Clack siblings that made NPR and Car Talk a fun place to visit on Saturday mornings. His ready laughter and quick wit that helped build an audience of millions for their show, even in re-runs.

Ben Bradlee – To Autowriters.com's knowledge Bradlee never covered, wrote or edited
anything automotive. He did, however, remind the nation of journalism’s
important role and inspired thousands to select J-schools for their
education. For those interested, Ron Beasley sent along some mostly
printable zingers from the feisty former Washington Post / Executive
Editor.
TOC |
talk back |
Better Road Test of EVs
Hi,
Zane Binder here, I'm the auto tester (not just a guy who
describes cars) for McClatchy Newspapers and Scripps-Howard. A
tip: over the years I've driven numerous electric cars both at
press roundups and my usual one week test period. The result:
lots of towing bills. These cars are just like an electric bulb
running on batteries ... the faster you go the quicker you'll
need a tow truck.
Example: I lived just over the line (less than
a mile) from the LA County /Riverside line in LA. Keeping up with
traffic at 70-75 MPH on the 91 freeway drained the batteries
amazingly fast, just allowing me to limp into work with less
than "one bar" remaining on the battery charge gauge (I was
driving a GM EV1).
The last few miles I had to drive at 50 MPH
or less (work was 40 miles from home). Despite this I have NEVER
seen a road test with an all-electric vehicle driven all the
time at freeway speeds! I believe this isn't an oversight,
though many of the auto writers I know are either brain dead or
zombie-like creatures sent to Earth to enslave us as cats do
(does anyone know what cats are good for?).
Anyway, I'd like to
see a TRUE road test under the conditions mentioned above (it
took 16 hours to fully recharge the EV1). I liked the car itself
but its "range" was dismal. Perhaps you could mention this in
your newsletter as a necessary test parameter... many of the
people who get cars are bankers, lawyers, "guests" and many
others who know nothing about cars.
Regards,
Zane Binder
opossum@ix.netcom.com
TOC
SEPTEMBER ISSUE PRAISE
Hi Glenn,
This newsletter is jam-packed with great content. Thank you for
the time and effort you dedicate to it. I shared gems from it
with several people (with attribution)!
Joyfully,
Sue
Sue Elliott
Chief Joy Officer
Inspire Profits Inc.
www.InspireProfits.com
Glen:
Another great newsletter. I was happy to see that an old friend,
Alex Fedorek, is now heading up Mitsubishi PR. Many folks don't
know that, even though he was the PR guy at Subaru, he had a
hand in designing the Subaru Baja.
Russ Dodge
profdodge@aol.com
Glenn,
It was with great surprise that I first saw Mr. Babbage's
picture in your newsletter (which I read avidly each week -- you
do us all a great service) today, and then -- wondering why you
would have included my newest favorite historical figure -- read
the column to discover that you had included a mention of me,
coupled with some research on your own about Babbage and the
engine, with a nice link to the CHM as a bonus. All of this, I
guess, from my update to my linkedin page.
Thank you so much; this was a real treat. Babbage and computer
history are a little out of our mainstream -- although I
encountered both this spring when I was at the CHM scouting it
for our WAJ Future Cars conference next month, and didn't leave
until I had signed up for volunteer training.
But everyone says the best way to keep your mind alert is by
learning new things, and so I guess spending the summer learning
a totally new set of things will dial my mental odometer back a
few miles at least.
All the best and thanks,
Gary
Gary Anderson
Editor-in-Chief, The Star Magazine
Mercedes-Benz Club of America
MOON MULLINS
So sorry to read of the passing of "Moon". I had great respect
for him.
Thanks for keeping me in the loop with the newsletter.
Hope you are doing well.
Ernie
ERNIE SAXTON COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Public Relations, Sponsorship Consultant
Journalist - Event Announcer - Public Speaker
Esaxton144@aol.com
TOC
|
talk to us |
Send your rants, raves, questions and suggestions to:
talktous@autowriters.com
Please note: all correspondence sent to autowriters.com may
be used for publication at the Editors' discretion unless you
state otherwise.
|
art plugs |
Michael Knab is ready to send race fans a print of "The
Champions" celebrating the 1970 victory at Riverside
Raceway by Parnelli Jones driving a Trans-Am Boss
302 Mustang. For prices and a look at many of the other
works available at Legacy Art Gallery, click on
www.automotive-art.com
* * *
Mike Martin will discuss his book, "USRRC, A record of
the United States Road Racing Championship 1963-1968" at the
International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins
Glen on Nov. 8. The Center Conversations talk is free and open
to all.
* * *
David Bull writes in praise of Champion Racing, A Little Bit of Magic by
David Tremayne. With copy by the veteran motorsports writer and 403 color and black and white photos, the book recounts the story of Florida-based Champion Racing that won five American LeMan championships between 2004 and 2008 and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright in 2005. Hardcover, 472 pages, $130.00. Bull also
writes, "Geoffrey Goldberg's Lancia and De Virgilio: At The
Center" has received a steady stream of rave reviews from top
automotive publications." For more information, images, and
orders, please visit
www.bullpublishing.com. You can also order by calling
602-852-9500, or toll-free at (800) 831-1758
* * *
Veteran auto journalist James Flammang offers some
valuable tips gleaned over 30 years covering the used-car
business in his latest tome. He says, “Within Tirekicking
Used Car Buyer’s Guide, consumers will find plenty of
information to help find the right car, for an acceptable price.
We’ll see how vehicle history reports and certified pre-owned
programs help reduce the risk. Dealers and salespeople, too, can
find useful advice on working with today’s knowledgeable
customers. To order and for more information:
jflammang@tirekick.com
* * *
For those interested in old time car ads, Mitch Frumkin
posts ads from Vintage Car’s collection at
vintageadoftheweek.com while there you can test
your auto knowledge in quizzes posted there or find out about
the Herreshoff, built from 1909-14.
TOC
|
motoring press organizations |
North American regional automotive press associations provide
information and background not easily found elsewhere. If they are
too distant for you to attend their meetings, belonging usually
gives you access to transcripts or reports of these events and other
benefits.
|
AARWBA
American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association, Inc.

Norma "Dusty" Brandel
President, Exec. Director
dusty@aarwba.org
www.aarwba.org
|
AJAC
Automobile Journalists Association of Canada
www.ajac.ca
|
APA
Automotive Press Association
Detroit, MI

Mark Phelan, President
www.autopressassociation.org
|
ARPA
American Racing Press Association

Stan Clinton, President
stanclintonarpa@aol.com
americanracingpress.com
|
EMPA
Eastern Motorsports Press Association
Ballston Spa, NY
Ron Hedger, President
www.empa.org
|
GAAMA
Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association
Atlanta, GA
Davis Adams, President
www.gaama.org
|
IMPA
International Motor Press Association
NYC, NY
Dave Kiley, President
davidjkiley@yahoo.com
www.impa.org
|
MAMA
Midwest Automotive Media Association
Chicago, IL

Kirk Bell, President
www.mamaonline.org
|
MPG
Motor Press Guild
Los Angeles, CA
Joni Gray, President
motorpressguild.org
|
NEMPA
New England Motor Press Association
Boston, MA
Craig Fitzgerald, President
www.nempa.org
|
NWAPA
Northwest Automotive Press Association
Portland, OR
Nik Miles, President
nik.j.miles@gmail.com
www.nwapa.org
|
PAPA
Phoenix Automotive Press Association
Phoenix, AZ
Cathy Droz, President
drozadgal@aol.com
phoenixautopress.org
|
RMAP
Rocky Mountain Automotive Press
Denver, CO
Andre Smirnov, President
www.rmapmedia.com
info@rmapmedia.com
|
SAMA
Southern Automotive Media Association
Miami FL
Bill Adam, President
www.samaonline.org
|
SEAMO
Southeast Automotive Media Organization
Charlotte, NC
southeastautomedia.org
|
TAWA
Texas Auto Writers Association
Michael Marrs
michael.marrs@txann.com
www.TexasAutoWriters.org
|
TWNA
Truck Writers of North America
Tom Kelley, Executive Director
tom.kelley@deadlinefactory.com
www.twna.org
|
WAJ
Western Automotive Journalists
San Francisco, CA
Brian Douglas
www.waj.org
|
WAPA
Washington Automotive Press Association
Washington, D.C.
Melanie Batenchuk, President
www.washautopress.org
|
quotes to note |
"Neural networking and cognitive computing will close the gaps,
resulting in machines that can do more than suggest the top
choices in a decision. They will actually make the decision."
Rob Enderle, When Computers Get a Right Brain, TechNewsWorld,
Tech Buzz
"AI (Artificial Intelligence) is probably our biggest
existential threat. With artificial
intelligence we are summoning the demon,"
indicating that it might not be possible to control it.
Elon Musk, in a
speech to students at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
The challenge for fact-checkers, it seems, is to make the facts
as fun to share as the myths they seek to replace.
Brendan Nyhan, assistant professor of government at Dartmouth
College, Why Rumors Outrace the Truth Online, NY Times
"I don’t know what it will look like when the advertising
industry collapses in on itself, when its gravitational pull
exceeds its own mass and it can no longer maintain structural
integrity. But I suspect we’re going to find out."
Kaila Colbin, The Nature Of Advertising Heralds Its Own
Implosion, Online Spin
By way of smartphone
"senses," if you will, our devices will
hear (via microphones), see (via cameras), touch (via
multi-touch screen), and locate (GPS + Magnetometer), becoming
even more specific to individual consumers.
Sal Candela, How iPhone 6 Sensors Will Change Mobile
Advertising, Mobile Insider
The New York Post will go all digital "when 80 percent of [the
Post's] circulation [is] reading the paper digitally. It'll take
time."
Rupert Murdoch, Capital New York Interview
"Native = Complete Bullshit.
When these native executions are actually encountered by
consumers however, their heartbeats race higher as they are
flushed with the feeling of being cheated."
Ari Rosenberg, Can You Smell That? Publishing Insider
TOC
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