Autoblog Has No Sense of Humor

by Robert Farago

Published: July 18th, 2008

Later today, we'll share the results of TTAC's readers' poll. It proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that you really are the autoblogosphere's Best and Brightest. One of the gems unearthed by this opt-in poll (yeah, I know) is that our hard-core surfs Autoblog and Jalopnik on a regular basis. This [non] revelation inspires us to continue following branding guru Al Reis advice: if you're not the market leader, define your brand against the other guys. Now no one can accuse Jalopnik of not having a sense of humor (or an anti-flaming policy). But Autoblog has just crossed into new dimensions of unfunny with this video. I mean, there I was thinking, fair enough, poke a little fun at the Ford Flex. Why not? And as I watched… nothing. Save some elliptical crack about Ford Thunderbird technology and the old FoMoCo logo at the end, this clip could have from come The Blue Oval Boys themselves. Lapdoggery never looked so… bland. Anyway, TTAC video will be coming to a screen near you soon. Expect the unexpected.

Robert Farago

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4 of 26 comments

Jjdaddyo on Jul 18, 2008

The Michigan accent is a dead giveaway to Autoblog's flackery.

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Pixel on Jul 18, 2008
Actually, I did “own up to it” in a podcast intro the next day. Which didn't inform the people who read your news posts and not the podcasts. I could. But I don’t. I am, by nature, a gutter snipe. A pettifogging gutter snipe, in fact. So you indulge in negative campaigning because you consider yourself a low-class person of petty character? Why not just come out and say that rather than claiming you'd "like to live in a world where there’s no “negative campaigning.”" and talking about integrity? Wouldn't full disclosure and honesty about your intentions be the proper path here? And I just now viewed the video, and it's crap. But a sellout to Ford? Seriously? It looks like half the "parody" stuff I see on youtube, and I'd be astounded if anyone decided to buy a flex based on it, or mistook it in any way for an actual attempt to promote a Ford vehicle. it is exactly what they claimed it to be, a parody of the old car commercials from the 50's & early 60's. A very mediocre attempt, but they stated that going in. Anyway, I'm tired of this as you are obviously uninterested in holding yourself to any standards of personal behaviour.

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Robert Farago on Jul 18, 2008
Pixel Which didn’t inform the people who read your news posts and not the podcasts. Dude, the written podcast intro. Wbhihc is posted in news. So you indulge in negative campaigning because you consider yourself a low-class person of petty character? I'm a low class person of high character. Go figure.

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Chuckgoolsbee on Jul 18, 2008

I stopped reading Autoblog a while ago. The chaff overwhelmed the wheat, and I'm not even talking about the comments sections. If I want to read regurgitated PR, I'll go to a newsstand and buy a buff book. Rather than rag on them however, I'd prefer that TTAC stay on target. Chase the dream, not the competition. Autoblog is doing a fine job making themselves irrelevant, so there is no need for TTAC to even talk about them. --chuck

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