Comments

I am commenting on Jenns Blog about athletic performance and supplementary drinks. I agree with her that using a protein drink is better for an athlete than messing around with steroids or other forms of illegal performance enhancing drugs. She brings a good point when she says that it is not only better for their health but their public image as well. As a PR practitioner in training I realize that the scandal that would come of a professional athlete being caught on steroids could seriously damage their career and public Image.

Jessica
writes about athletes taking a survey in which they are asked questions such as who would you want to be the next head of the players association. It is entertaining to know that most players did not ever know such a position existed. It is even more entertaining that they did not know the associations to which they belong to exists. I supposed it shows the disconnect some athletes have between the business side of sports and the actual athletics. I agree with Jessicas commentary that perhaps the NHL should be more involved with the players in order for them to be aware of such things. Perhaps an interesting question to ask is which research methods they could use in order to find the disconnect between the players and their association.

Exepriments

The world of cars can be divided into general categories. Cars you drive to work everyday, and cars that used for this purpose would rival the discomfort of a jack hammer to the spine. However there is a very small niche available to your “new money” wall street banker. Someone who wants a super car but cant afford to have a second car. These everyday supercars are like Roger Moore, they must be cool calm and collected but ready to rip your neck back with a James Bond karate chop when you feel the urge to put your foot down. Car and Driver decided to put the new comer AudiR8 against its veteran rivals the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and the Porsche 911.

Three drivers from the magazine were charged with the mission of putting these three cars through tests such as slalom, 0-60 runs, quarter mile runs, skid pads and of course opening the taps on these monster cars on real roads. Each driver would test every car and they would deliberate. Heres what they found.

Much to my dismay the Aston Martin was seen as the least capable of these cars. Its high points were a satisfying V8 noise, and as with every Aston is beautiful. It was decided that the Aston would not appease someone looking for a sports car, its more of a Grand Touring car, powerful and comfortable but not nimble enough for the track. The 911 had the opposite problems, it was found to be too loud and difficult to control. The test drivers found this to be to dedicated of a sports car. I disagree with that. It is my opinion that the Porsche is not too die hard, but the Audi R8 blends the two worlds better. The Audi R8 was the most pleasing to drive, had nimble steering and had almost no faults except for a rear blind spot, winning this comparison.

Survey

The most known and respected survey in the automotive industry comes from Consumer Report. This yearly publication has issues on everything from cars to computers. Consumer Report is trusted by a consumer because it is unbiased, neutral and most of all accurate. Consumer Report gathers its data from a survey it sends out and people check it off accordingly on their vehicles reliability, fuel efficiency, and power, ECT. However Consumer Report is boring and cars should make you feel like a child who drank to much soda to wash down a pack of gummy worms. Cars should excite you.

So while Consumer Report may provide unbiased accurate information to a consumer it lacks what is really important. Consumer Report can tell you, yes the interior build quality is high but it will not tell you that the leather is soft and has intricate stitching or that the dash board flows into the center stack smoother than milk and honey. There is no emotion involved with the data. A reader will not feel as though they have learned how they would feel in the car.

Surveys are good for collecting data and remaining isolated from the subject. However some things are better off done with Qualitative research. Cars are one of those things. Instead of Consumer Report I prefer publications such as Inside Line or Car and Driver
, where they do in depth field-testing and analyses of cars in a way that resembles a focus group or participation observation.

Qualitative Research.

This Hyundai dealership came up with quite a clever commercial. It is viewed through a mock up “hidden camera” observing a salesman and customer interact. The images seen depict the two men as almost friends through the experience. Where often the process of negotiating the price of a car is hard and stressful, at Hyundai it is apparently not. More than this the commercial is the same thing as a form of Qualitative research known as participant observation. In participant observation research, the researcher observes the subject going about an activity clueless to the researchers presence removing any sort of bias.

This isn’t the only time that Hyundai has aired a commercial based on participant observation. A few months ago there was a commercial with a woman test driving a car. The car was a Hyundai but all logos were covered with tape and there was a hidden camera. The woman drove the car and proceeded to compliment it with no idea what the car was or that she was being filmed. After the car was revealed to her as a Hyundai she acted surprised as she was told that she had just been in a commercial. Why is such an effective commercial? The same reason it is so effective for research. There are no biases and it is completely candid.

Hyundai Commercial

Classmate Comments

This week I read Greg Covelles blog, it takes a look at the different forms of Public Relations involved in the sporting world and industry. Greg wrote an interesting piece last week about the Oregon Ducks, a college football team that seems to be on the rise and winning big games. What the Ducks have seen is that their products don’t sell at their games. I like Gregs idea to use unobtrusive research at schools that move lots of merchandise. The plan to have “agents” for lack of a better term go to these schools and observe their what their hottest selling items are is great. This will as Greg said give them the information they need to arrange prices. However as later mentioned Oregon has a reputation. I wonder if unobtrusive research could be used to find out what exactly is causing the bad reputation and how to correct it. I think with both those plans put into action not only will sales go up but with a fixed reputation they can benefit from other things such as more admissions.
Gregs Blog



I also read a blog by Steph Gerleit titled Unobtrusive Research in the Celebrity World. I agree that social media is a great way for celebrities to keep in touch with their fans. However I wonder if there are alterior motives for the use of these mediums. Is it possible that some celebrities use twitter and such other mediums to put up fake connections with their fans in order to gain their business? Regardless, the quote Steph found of Kim Kardashian’s showed genuine appreciation for her fans.
Steph's Blog

Qualitative Testing.

Auto – journalism is almost 100 percent qualitative research. Most of what the field is revolves around it primarily in test drives, interviews, and event coverage. This week I will be referencing a test done by www.insideline.com. They took two competitive cars and tested them on the Dyno, a machine that is used to record horsepower, top speed, and torque curves.

If you’re a car enthusiast who loves to drive but doesn’t want to spend over 30,000 you know about the Volkswagen GTI and the Mazdaspeed 3, and the rivalry they have that could run deeper than that of the Red Sox and Yankees. There’s the GTI, the iconic hot hatch that started it all rated at 200 horsepower and then the new kid on the block Mazdaspeed with 263 horsepower. What inside line wanted to find out is which car has the better power curve. Its understood that the Mazda makes more power and is faster, but its engine be able to perform as smoothly as the GTI’s?

The answer is no, the dyno recorded that the GTI built up power progressively low in its rev range and built almost until redline before power would slowly diminish. The Mazda on the other hand had less low end power and had an immediate power drop well before it’s redline.

results

Comment on other blogs.

I commented on Gregs blog about sports and how the coach always takes the fall, i agreed with this because in every poor situation there needs to be a fall guy. I also commented on stepanies blog because she is correct that companies are always searching to find the next "It" celebrity to endorse their product.

Vee Dub not In Da House

Its no secret that Europeans love the hot hatch, and its no secret that they have every reason to. Its also apparent that Americans do not. In America the bigger and boxier your car the better. The Colonies seem to care more about sheet metal than a supple interior, ample cargo space and dart like handleing. This is why we will never see the Scirroco
. The Volkswagon Scirroco is the sport compact to trump all sport compacts; and because we would rather drive giant barges its not coming to America.

Volkswagon knows that after the Jetta its best selling vehicles in America are the Rabbit, and my personal favorite car the GTI
. This little devil is the perfect blend between luxury, sport, and utility. With a 201 hp engine (updated to 210) it is zippy and civilized at the same time. Sadly it shares all but its interior and metal skin with the Scirroco. VW is afraid that if it brought this car to America it would cut sales out of the GTI market. This is because if Americans had a choice between the upright hatchback style of the GTI and the low sleek profile of the Scirroco, the GTI would be no more than a memory. VW must realize that the costs would outweigh the profit by having two very similar cars with similar prices competing in the same niche market, and Darwin will be the first to tell you that when two beasts compete for the same niche extinction is inevitable.

Chevy Cruzes through VMA's

If you were watching the VMA’s chances are you’ve been thinking about buying a Chevy ever since. Chevy placed cars from their line up in a few different acts at the event, most notably during hip hop group N.E.R.D’s performance. Chevy says that they were trying to create a drive in movie theme for the background but c’mon Chevy be honest.

N.E.R.D looked nothing short of foolish on stage performing in front of 6 or 7 Chevy Cruse, a car that the company intends to use to compete in the compact class against the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. Cars associated with rap stars are usually big, fast and shiny – not compact economy cars. However the car should do well until the new Civic is released, and nobody wants a Toyota after the recent issue with unintended acceleration (why haven’t people been shifting into neutral?).

Chevy also took advantage of this airtime to continue force-feeding the Camaro to viewers by placing them throughout the crowd. This too seemed awkward particularly when the cameras would pan through crowd shots and briefly focus on the car.

This is the second time that Chevy has chosen the right media outlet, but acted in the wrong way. I think the company needs to take it easy on the subliminal advertising. Its getting to the point where the consumer may feel like they are being brainwashed into a decision.

Is this ethically wrong for Chevy to be saturating the media through blockbuster hits and programs like the VMA's? Its not for me to say, but consider how you would react if instead of a Chevy Cruze on stage it had been a giant Marlboro Man poster. For images of the Chevy Cruze click the link below.

http://cars.about.com/od/chevrolet/ig/2011----Chevy-Cruze-photos/

More Than Meets the Eye

            Recently more than ever before the auto industry is getting very theatrical. It seems that most car commercials these days resemble something closer to a theatrical trailer than a commercial. Companies like BMW went as far as creating a mini series starring Clive Owen. For the most part the series consists of Mr. Owen getting out of ridiculous situations thanks to the superior ability of BMWs.

            Of course there was also the shameless advertising by GM in the Transformers movies. Is it ironic that Bumble Bee’s (Chevy Camaro) first duel ended with him destroying a Ford Mustang? I think that’s the only Camaro to beat a mustang since 1968.

Below is a link to BMW mini series:

http://www.chasingthefrog.com/BMW_Films/bmw_films.htm