Embargo What...?

[parakleets]

I was wondering if the embargoes were set for earlier releases this year, in an attempt to get a jump on all of the other coverage coming from the Detroit show. With each "reveal" of a new car or concept, I was wondering if there would be anything left to debut at the actual car show. While I am glad to get "up to the minute" info on the car show(s), I sort of miss the old days when I had to wait until the March issue of the print media mags, for show coverage. I would eagerly await the arrival of the "Car Show" issue, and would be overwhelmed by all of the debuts being presented all at once.

[Ming]

Heaven forbid that GM enthusiasts on fan-driven internet forums like this get to drool over (or criticize) GM concept and production cars a week or two before they are shown to the general public....

If GM Media has any sense, they'll realize that we enthusiasts are often the best goodwill ambassadors and advocates for GM that they have - a free tool that they could choose to use to build word of mouth buzz for their product. And if instead we attack the product, like the ill-bred Crossover Sport Vans, then perhaps GM deserves to hear our criticism and act to remedy the lackluster product in question before they attempt (and fail) to shove it down the consumers' throats.

[FoMoCo Fan]

I cry no tears for the automakers. If they don't want the pics out early, don't release them to anyone. Make the "debut" just that - a "debut". Notice that Ford's pics of the MKR and the concept Jaguar XF leaked out early and were in the mags - BUT the pics of the Interceptor and Fairlane replacement are still under wraps.

[Ming]

Oh, and I'll add - we should all wait for the unveils at the auto shows shown live on grainy webcams, and OOOOH and AAAHH when Bob Lutz pulls the sheet back and stands grinning next to that Uplander or LaCrosse.

[markusername]

Originally Posted by nsap

In a sorry attempt to cover their rear-ends, GM Media blamed website forums like GMI for the leak. Saying we (among other forums) allowed the information to be released, and were responsible for the leak. So naturally, GM Media took embargo access away from all forums, including GMI.

It' soooo good to know that GM is at least consistent as a company.

They like to blame everyone else and everything else for thier own doings (job banks, currency manipulation, healthcare, stupid consumers, Toyota, etc...).

Ofcourse this was not GM's fault it was everyone else's fault because GM can never and has never done anything wrong. Stupid consumers are too stupid to buy all thier world class products.

It's amazing to me that GM still has this attitude with all thier market share losses and billions of dollars of losses. The more they claim they are changing the more they stay the same. And they wonder why Toyota/Honda are kicking their buts.

[TaHoE]

Originally Posted by nsap

Along with that, they also revoked all media accounts by forum leaders from the GM Media website. Wasn’t that nice of them?

Not Me! I had my GM Media account rerouted to another username and password before they removed my access.

[ByTheLake]

GM is failing to understand that Internet is the new media, and the “big-deal” in automotive journalism.

Actually, GM truly understands the power of the Internet. It's marketing department spends more than $100 million annually in the U.S. simply on Internet-based activities, such as advertisements and web-based content. GM has been quite active in the 'secret' placement of "viral videos", allowing its ad agencies to create supposedly 'amateur' videos and place them on social sites such as YouTube and MySpace, attempting to reach a younger audience.

I doubt that any 'releases' of images are accidental.

[hotrod747]

This is the downside to trying to build public anticipation for a major vehicle's launch. If there is hot vehicle in the waiting, embargos are going to be broken. I blame GM for releasing this classified info to anyone before its time. A sure way to resolve this issue is not to release any info to any one until they actually want the info out there.

[goblue]

So why are these same magazines and sites safeguarding the Toyota Tundra's stats, but let the Malibu pictures fly...

Where the print magazines sealed their fate was by not respecting the embargos. If GM moves to an instant release format, the online sites will be just fine, only the print journalism will suffer.

[mkaresh]

The embargoes exist for the print publications, and cannot be moved up much because of the lead times involved in printing and mailing hundreds of thousands of magazines. By breaking these embargoes, print publications only hurt themselves.

But was Edmunds was responsible for one break? No matter. With print, there are a number of magazines. Online, the manufacturers know Edmunds is by far #1, and they won't be taking anything away from them.

As for GM and the Internet, it's important to remember how people operate. They want to keep things as simple as possible, because they're very stressed out all the time as it is. Pretending forums like this one can be ignored helps them pretend that everything is well under control. Even if it's not. It's a psychological security thing.

It's like this inside GM as well. When I was there, they frequently talked about there being "too many people in the room" and "too many voices." It didn't matter if many of these voices were well-informed and had good advice to offer. There seemed to be too many to process, and the widespread desire was to pretend that the problem was that there were too many voices. The solution: get them out of the room. And get a czar with all the answers, so all they need is one voice in the room.

Not that Lutz necessarily operates this way. But it's what they were looking for.

The real problem was that GM lacked the will, the culture, the organization, and the processes to effectively capture all of the knowledge contained in these voices.

Their stance towards the Internet is just another facet of this overarching problem (the subject of my dissertation). Could GM benefit by effectively engaging in two-way discussion through this and other forums? You bet. But it's messy, complicated, and unfamiliar, and they'd rather pretend that there's no value in it.

[CobaltSScrazy]

Originally Posted by markusername

It' soooo good to know that GM is at least consistent as a company.

They like to blame everyone else and everything else for thier own doings (job banks, currency manipulation, healthcare, stupid consumers, Toyota, etc...).

Ofcourse this was not GM's fault it was everyone else's fault because GM can never and has never done anything wrong. Stupid consumers are too stupid to buy all thier world class products.

It's amazing to me that GM still has this attitude with all thier market share losses and billions of dollars of losses. The more they claim they are changing the more they stay the same. And they wonder why Toyota/Honda are kicking their buts.

There is SOME truth to what you are saying but that attitude is dying quickly. GM isn't making many excuses much anymore and they are delivering and let us not forget the "Road to Redemption" advertising and ID'ing with the consumer that was in print adds a short 3-5 years ago. They have admitted their mistakes, they continue to, and they are laying the foundation for refinement with the global platforms and continuously improving product. Every new product takes quantum leaps ahead of the current one, and GM is adding content, lowering prices, lowering incentives, and improving every aspect of their business. No one is perfect, they are far from it, but they are doing good things and taking more than a few steps in the right direction.

CobaltSScrazy

[mbukukanyau]

Originally Posted by nsap

Embargo What...?
Embargo Breaking; the new trend.
By: NSAP
December 29, 2006


GM is failing to understand that Internet is the new media, and the “big-deal” in automotive journalism. That, or they just don’t really care, and the big print companies mean more than their most valuable fans/viewers.
OK, I'm done ranting.

You know, I have sold two Escalades in the last month for GM and Bought a HHR myself this year (2006). And those are aganist a Porsche Cayyene and a Range Rover and X5. I am about to sell a third one.
I do not work at a Dealership, and I am not a sales person. These are just conversations I have with my monied friends. Who swear by their BMW's Acura's and Toyota's...and say they would never ever consinder a Domestic...

I think GM would not take me Seriously, when I tell them on GM Blog that my HHR should have had a Nav. I would have loved a factory Nav for my HHR and would have paid full price for it.. BUT GM does not offer it.

A Malibu would be a tough sell for some of my friends driving Camry's without a NAV.

I completely understand what you mean when u say GM is out of touch with the Street, and does not understand new trends...

[stevecmh]

Originally Posted by Angry Dad

I don't think anybody knows exactly where the lines are now during the end of paper and ink and the birth of pixels and postings.

great line.. couldnt have said it better myself

[jokuvaan]

Well if GMI has no embargo contract anymore with GM then GMI can publish whatever leaks into net, whenever it happens. All positive for site user.

[Realist]

The more important question is, why was the new Malibu embargoed only until January 2nd? Why wasn't it embargoed until the actual day of reveal at the show?

GM and related websites cause all this hype about the new Malibu, and then GM teases us early with several pics, and finally full pics are released ahead of the Detroit show.

Where's the suspense? Where is the surprise? And with print media showing pics early, that further dampens the impact that the new Malibu would have had if it was kept a secret until the day of reveal.

I had hoped GM would learn from it's past mistakes and not constantly mess up reveals like this.