Automotive News [AN, sub] headlines its story about the cutbacks in auto industry ad spending with “We’ll all be singing Motown blues in ’09.” What do you mean “we” white men? According to AN, “Long-term media plans are history, and buys are being made month to month or even day to day. More ‘accountable’ media such as interactive are likely to be stressed.” We’re interactive, aren’t we? Accountable? Anyway, TTAC is a lean, mean news, reviews and rants machine (i.e. it’s run a by a nutter in the attic). But those automotive organizations with high-priced talent and big overheads (i.e. everyone else) are looking at some serious pain. “GM’s recovery plan, turned over to Congress, calls for it to cut a massive $600 million out of its marketing over four years. Ford will trim up to 10 percent of its outlay next year, which could result in another $100 million moving out of the market based on its measured spending of $757 million in the first nine months of the year… Chrysler is staying mum on its spending plans, but it’s a good gamble that the automaker will have to slash a big chunk of the $579 million TNS tracked it spending in the first nine months of this year.” I suggest that Motown’s media cheerleaders and apologists file this one under “be careful what you wish for.” Check out the tone after the jump.
“Another bad sign for the Detroit 3 is that every buck they spend is being scrutinized as they bow and scrape for a bailout from Congress, which will make them even more nervous about any kind of spending that could be perceived as profligate. Car marketers and dealers might know the value of a flashy TV ad campaign, but the question is whether the public will understand that it’s an investment.”
Can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em. With ToMoCo and the transplants reining-in their advertising horns, Fortress Detroit’s favorites are seriously NSFWed. And the pillars of that establishment– Car and Driver, Road and Track, Motor Trend, Automobile, etc.– are busy getting hoisted by their own petard. Ad pages are down, ad revenue is down, circulation is down, subscriber revenue is down and newsstand sales are down. Hey, how about a bailout? Just kidding. I hope.
“The upheaval has many media owners ‘terrified of getting screwed’ out of payments, according to an executive at one media outlet. Some magazine representatives reported that automakers are taking longer to pay their media bills, in some cases 120 days, up from 60.”
The Reckoning is here.
Within the company I work for, we say that if you can afford to slash your Ad/marketing spending by those numbers it wasn’t working anyway.
No big loss. None of the big US car magazines have been worth reading for years. I keep C&D for the sole fact that I don’t like to bring the computer into the bathroom. SCI isn’t bad I suppose, but a mag like TopGear makes our stuff look like a big joke.
Buff books are a complete waste of advertising money for bread and butter cars and trucks.
PC Magazine recently gave up the paper ghost and the traditional car magazines can’t be far behind. Maybe the remaining flock can be bundled into one Car & Road & Driver & Motor & Automobile Trend.
I keep C&D for the sole fact that I don’t like to bring the computer into the bathroom.
TTAC renders reasonably well on BlackBerry or Windows Mobile and more or less perfectly on an iPhone. Step up into Netbook land (Asus eee, HP mini) and you’re good for forum use, too.
Car & Road & Driver & Motor & Automobile Trend
hahaha
In next month’s Car & Road & Driver & Motor & Automobile Trend:
Corvette beats Ferrari! GT-R beats GT2! Infiniti beats BMW! Chevy beats Honda! Horse and Buggy defeats Horseless Carriage! Zero credibility splashy headline in desperate attempt to stay relevant!
Quote: Davekaybsc: “Corvette beats Ferrari! GT-R beats GT2! Infiniti beats BMW! Chevy beats Honda! Horse and Buggy defeats Horseless Carriage! Zero credibility splashy headline in desperate attempt to stay relevant!”
That’s hilarious…GTR beats GT2….who would ever think that…oh wait, have you read the Top Gear issue titled ‘Supercars‘ ? You might want to rethink that little but of hyperbole.They really liked the GT-R; so much so that they even inferred that the first GT-R sold in Germany would be to an anonymous agent representing Porsche for benchmarking purposes and well, they did include it an issue about Supercars, ’nuff said?…but otherwise, your ‘headlines’ cracked me up.
Quote: Davekaybsc: “Corvette beats Ferrari! GT-R beats GT2! Infiniti beats BMW! Chevy beats Honda! Horse and Buggy defeats Horseless Carriage! Zero credibility splashy headline in desperate attempt to stay relevant!”
That’s hilarious…GTR beats GT2….who would ever think that…oh wait, have you read the Top Gear issue titled ‘Supercars‘ ? You might want to rethink that little but of hyperbole.They really liked the GT-R; so much so that they even inferred that the first GT-R sold in Germany would be to an anonymous agent representing Porsche for benchmarking purposes and well, they did include it an issue about Supercars, ’nuff said?…but otherwise, your ‘headlines’ cracked me up.
I agree that this site, Edmunds, etc have made the mainstream buff books obsolete. There are only a handful of media properties in the US who are not afraid to tell the advertising emperors they lack clothing.
Now some of the specialized magazines that appeal to a niche with a cult following have a future.
I happily subscribe Diesel Power Most of the adverting appeals to the 1 ton Urban Cowboys but the content has a diverse mix of all things compression ignition related.
It is rather amusing that now that the spending from the D2.8 has dried up the mainstream media has become less willing to overlook their problems.
Along with everything else discussed, I’m wondering if/when the Big 2.8 walks away from the NASCAR empire. There are wastes of money, and then there’s homologated racing.
Well, although the GT-R could match the F430 Scud around the TG test track, it couldn’t match the GT2 and LP-560-4. I will grant that for what it costs (or at least for what the MSRP is) the GT-R is a Z06 destroying (the Vette couldn’t even get CLOSE to the GT-R’s time) monster.
Porsche should be very frightened of Mr. V Spec.
“Classic Motorsports” etc will continue and thrive
– betcha
“Hey, how about a bailout? Just kidding. I hope.”
The Tribune Company filed for Chapter 11 yesterday, so big media, as of yet, does not qualify for indefinite taxpayer welfare.
The writing in the big auto mags is at best on par with the posts on the larger blogs, and sometimes not even on par with the comments section.
The internet blows them out of the water in terms of current automotive news coverage.
The one valuable thing that the big magazines are able to do, because of their resources and access, is objectively test cars for 0-60, 1/4 mile, skidpad and braking capabilities, along with dyno testing for horsepower at the wheels.
Hopefully some of the larger online players will be able to step up and fill that void, or maybe “Consumer Reports” can get a Racelogic VBOX.
I was at an Automobilia store the other day doing some Christmas shopping and they offered to take my old issues of Grassroots Motorsports and other car magazines off me. They told me most of them can’t be bought from the stores anymore.
I also found it funny this morning that my wife, who has a bit of techno phobia, took my ASUS eeePC into the bathroom with her this morning to do some “bathroom reading”.
Maybe the paperless society is coming….
Some buff books are doomed. Sport Compact Car and Turbo magazines both got axed recently. However, Super Street is still around.
TTAC renders reasonably well on BlackBerry or Windows Mobile and more or less perfectly on an iPhone. Step up into Netbook land (Asus eee, HP mini) and you’re good for forum use, too.
Please read this before you put your mobile back to your ear/mouth.
Automobile actually has some good articles, the rest of the bunch are filth.
I’ll continue my subscriptions to Grass Roots Motorsports and Excellence