Fancy commercials on TV, on web and on newspapers are no doubt important channels of communication with potential buyers. But as manufacturers, dumping big dollars into marketing campaigns without putting themselves in the buyers’ shoes could not be any sillier.
What would a consumer look for before buying a vehicle? Unilateral commercials? Car reviews, in fact.
There are hundreds of car review channels. TV programs, magazines, Youtube Channel, Facebook page, newspaper columns… You name it. Here are some sample effective reviews around the globe, some of which are with vast visibilities:
Top Gear (BBC) – One of the most top-rated TV programs off all time. BBC is never stingy in its investments in making premium footages that promise to blow audience away. Jeremy Clarkson, its host, becomes a well recognized celebrity because of the popularity of the Top Gear series. Far beyond simple car reviews, Top Gear imports a sizeble element in entertainment and stimulation. A great number of scenes are guaranteed to be never seen before. Jeremy and his colleagues never bother saving their criticism against drawbacks of on any vehicles they spotted. Certainly, they never save their ethusiastism and affection if the car is genuinely worth compliment.
Cars.com – One of the largest websites for cars trading, reivewing and commenting. Vast number of their model review videos have been uploaded to Youtube and have generated hundreds of thousands of views. With concise comments and professional demonstrations, viewers obtain very clear idea about the big picture of particular models from different brands.
Kelly Blue Book -The largest automotive vehicle valuation company in the US. Its Youtube videos are placed on top of list and are one of the most popular sources for car reviews. In their comprehensive reviews of various models, the clear and succinct demonstration by a proficient narrator helps viewers can readily learn the good and bad about a vehicle, as well as having clear comparison among different options. Moreover, it presents remarkably precise pricing information.
Motor Trend – A very popular American automobile megazine. It rates the latest models and provide very clear comparison and contrasts towards different models against their competitor products. For example, Audi Q5 against Volvo xc60, Mercedes S600 against BMW 760Li. Very steadfast in their own standpoints. The megazine also explain car models in much detail.
So what should manufacturers do? Keep an eye on reviews, especially on the reviews against themselves – no doubt the best source for finding flaws on their model. Don’t expect everyone to accomplish this. In one review towards Lincoln MKZ by Cars.com, Mike Hanley explicitly stated that the lower-class appearance of the parking break does not integrate well with the luxurious cabin at all. But Lincoln’s reaction? None. I believe that quite a number of buyers have turned to other options simply because of this. On another occasion, Jeremy blamed Volkswagen Touareg’s unstable suspension. But it seems that unstability has been a chronic disease in the family of Touaregs.
It’s indeed time for some manufacturers to wake up and refrain from unilaterally focusing on creating fancy ads.