Internet Auto Journalism Arrives

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

The use of automotive journalism in car commercials never ceases to fascinate. For example, do consumers really consider Audi over BMW because Audi won three straight Car and Driver comparisons? Has an ad built around the winning of a Motor Trend Truck Of The Year ever “moved the needle” for an actual buyer? More importantly, does Autoblog Dot Com take actual decibel readings before declaring the Chevy Cruze’s interior “Lexus Quiet,” or is that just, like, their opinion? This is, after all, one of the most prominent uses of an automotive blog’s work in car television advertising to date… and for all the advantages that car blogs hold over the buff books, old-school, scientific testing isn’t one of them. On the other hand, at least our online colleagues aren’t quoted stooping to the level of Automobile Magazine, which apparently compared the Cruze to a Cadillac. But are Cadillacs “Lexus Quiet”?

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Tbp0701 Tbp0701 on Sep 07, 2010

    At least using Internet auto journalism seems a bit more honest than touting an intentionally-misleading, we-won't-mention-we-paid-for-this, "Consumer's Digest Best Buy."

  • M 1 M 1 on Sep 07, 2010

    With specific reference to citing awards, it may depend somewhat on what publication is behind the award. I know several retiree-types who don't make a move without checking Consumer Reports. A good friend defended his purchase of the Ugliest Truck In Human History (the Avalanche) partly by resorting to the Motor Trend award. It works the other way, too, though. Anything that wins either Autoblog or Car and Driver accolades is instantly viewed with extreme suspicion and prejudice, in my book.

  • Steven02 Steven02 on Sep 08, 2010

    My opinion is that many car auto publications, online and print, don't review many aspects of cars with scientific data and it becomes opinions only. It would be interesting to know if any auto publications actually review the interior measurements of a car when compared to specs from a manufacture before saying one is more roomy than another or feels cramped when compared to X model. I am guessing that many do not.

  • Rpn453 Rpn453 on Sep 12, 2010

    "For example, do consumers really consider Audi over BMW because Audi won three straight Car and Driver comparisons?" Sounds reasonable to me. A Car and Driver reader may have driven the previous generation A4 and found the regular suspension to be horribly unsettled and the sport suspension to be horribly punishing, while his test drive of the BMW 3-series left nothing but good impressions. Since Car and Driver had never been fond of that generation A4, when the new one comes out and actually beats the BMW in a comparison, the same reader may be more inclined to test drive one than if the Audi either didn't appear in C&D or lost badly to the BMW again. It shouldn't contribute much, if anything, to the decision to purchase an Audi, but it might contribute to the decision to consider purchasing an Audi.

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