[GTO]

Came across this quite lengthy article on automotive journalism in India - an interesting read without doubt and it does offer some insights. Although it's not too intelligent. A lot of the author's comments come across as a case of sour grapes. Hell, Team-BHP made it without bowing down to car manufacturers, so the author clearly needs to rework his formula.

Still, worth one read, so sharing.

Gautam Sen did not last too long in the highly competitive auto publishing industry because he was not the person cut out to do “business”. He was not the one who could ingratiate himself before top honchos of auto companies. He was a sincere and cultured person with a warm smile. I have contributed articles to AMS when he was the Editor and was made its “Contributing Editor” for a short stint. In the auto publishing industry if you need to survive, you need to have deep pockets and an extremely shrewd mentality. And if you are willing to prostrate yourself before all vehicle manufacturers (OEMs), you can actually go the extra sweet mile. I guess I have none of the qualities and hence am still struggling to make two ends meet. But I can proudly say that I have my head held high and sleep like a log at night!

As for auto journalism, it was never an ethical profession. It was always a free trip to a distant land, a free meal, a free gift, a free plane ride by business class, etc. Ever since I have been an auto journalist, I have realised I am a misfit in a world dominated by unscrupulous characters, ever ready to please a company and its products. You have got to lick everything that comes you way--- the product, the company, its bosses and its corporate communication guys. Unless you do that, you cannot get your share of advertisements, your share of long term vehicles, your share of new vehicles for reviewing, your share of foreign junkets and your share of interviews.

As an entrepreneur I got the cold shoulder from many OEMs. They did not care two hoots whether I was a journalist with more than three decades of experience or that my magazine was decent enough. As a B2C journalist too, I got the cold shoulder, especially from big foreign auto companies. I wrote to them for cars and bikes to review. A few responded, a few did not even bother to reply. It went on, year after year. I thought I was a good journalist, but then I also realised I was a bad businessman or that I was too obsessed with morality and ethics. I never could lick anyone’s shoes; neither could I exaggerate beyond a point about a product in my reviews. OEMs wanted me to dance to their tunes. But I realised I was born with two left feet.

OEMs are clear about one thing. They want to befriend the correspondent from the mightiest newspaper, the mightiest magazine, the mightiest TV channel and the mightiest news agency. It’s good for their ego and the ego of the top man in the organsiations. And in today’s world, the majority of the boys and guys working there are directly or indirectly eating out from the hands of OEMs. OEMs give them cars and bikes for a very long term. It could be six months to more than a year. Fancy cars, fancy gifts, fancy junkets, chocolate cakes and pastries on your birthday or anniversaries, exclusive interviews, cars and bikes for review much before the ordinary mortals get to review them not only for a longer time but also more than one so that you can shoot and talk as much as you want with your entire team, and so on and so forth. Well what more do you want? Journalism can go to hell, let’s party guys!

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by GTO

- an interesting read without doubt and it does offer some insights. Although it's not too intelligent. A lot of the author's comments come across as a case of sour grapes.

Still, worth one read, so sharing.

Finally read the full original.

I agree that while interesting to read, it reflects a very personal blinkered view of the overall field. I also think that his opinion aside, it came out as a pretty mediocre journalistic effort at many many levels. It did not dive into many offshoots in the depth it could have.

I could present the entire field of auto journalism in the exact opposite lens - that today, it presents many more opportunities. A Shumi may not have place in a bean counter automagazine but still is the single most respected bike jouno in the country who has place on a platform like Powerdrift to do honest to goodness entertaining and top quality auto journalism.

Social media has actually broken shackles too. You can create independent brands on your own terms and if you have the followers, OEMs in fact CANNOT ignore you. Brands like Team BHP, Powerdrift and some others are living testament to that. There is also sufficient integrity in the reviews I read from more traditional brands like OD, Evo, and Zigwheels. THere are downsides of social media too of course where even the monkey influencers get a seat at the table but still - that’s the OEM’s problem. As a consumer, I can ignore the monkeys and focus on the quality.

For every dying or corrupt or biased newspaper / news channel who’s playing to a format, today’s media can’t shut down a person like Faye D Souza who want to continue the battle to provide “actual NEWS” even if it is relegated to a format like an Instagram account.

The way social media is today means the opportunities are actually endless. You need conviction, quality and vision to make space for yourself. Two decades ago, you probably had no choice but to find employ in one of the many paper magazines to enter this space.

[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by Axe77

The way social media is today means the opportunities are actually endless. You need conviction, quality and vision to make space for yourself. Two decades ago, you probably had no choice but to find employ in one of the many paper magazines to enter this space.

You hit the nail on it's head here. Talking Cars, an you tube channel in malayalam kick started very recently by two bhpians(JayD and vivekji05) is a testimony to what you said. In fact that's become the only malayalam automotive space I watch these days besides another you tube channel run by again a bhpian hanmust - flywheel by Hani Musthafa. Opportunities are endless these days. The author's claptrap appears to be a case of sour grapes and of one who failed to sail with the winds.

[Hayek]

Quite amazed. Have never heard of this journalist or of Motown India. Unfortunately, life does not owe anyone a livelihood. And if you are not social media savvy in today’s world, you can’t market anything.

There is clearly a balance that can be strict between being a shill for auto OEMs and being a jerk whom no one wants to work with (am not saying the author is one - I don’t know him at all).

And criticising influencers is futile - while their style is not what I would like, and number of them do display considerable attention to detail in their reviews, even if their production values are terrible.

The fact is that one needs to adapt as time passes. That’s a lesson not just for the author here but for all of us.

[GTO]

Had a presser this last weekend and guess who came to drop it / pick it up? DriveU, the rent-a-driver service! Sure must be convenient for the PR agency & OEM, and also dirt cheap (full-time drivers in the corporate world have big salaries & benefits).

But there is no way I'd trust an unknown DriveU driver with my brand new car. Guess it's different for the OEMs.

[avishar]

I guess OEMs are back to spending generously on press drives.

This week the press drive of the i20 N-Line is going on. Journalists have been flown to Udaipur and the base camp of the drive is the Aurika Hotel & Resorts. After arrival and settling down, a bit of a tete e tete with the management in the evening and a corporate/engineering presentation of the car, a stay overnight and then drive the car from early in the morning. Of course, all meals included and from the pictures shared by the journalists on social media, the rooms are the not cheapest ones. Usually there are a couple of batches of journalists so one can expect that from an OEM's expenses POV, they would need the hotel and arrangements for 3 days at least.

The route of the drive is from Aurika to Jhadol Safari Resort.

Aurika Hotel, pretty striking!







Jhadol Safari Resort which I guess will be the lunch spot.


The locations are usually chosen in a way that it is picturesque too, so one can expect most of the photography or quick video reviews to be happening here, with the backdrop of the lake.

After that probably they will be heading back to the main hotel (and do some of the rolling shots), quick debrief, pick up your stuff and fly back.

All information taken from public social media profiles.

[Thad E Ginathom]

An aside...

It was on a forum, and I think it was this one, that I was made aware of the growing misuse of "OEM."

An OEM is the Original Equipment manufacturer who makes something that then gets rebranded, or included under the umbrella brand of something bigger like a car. The car manufacturers are not (usually) OEMs, but it is very likely that something like, for instance, the entertainment unit was not made by them, and has an OEM.

So, a car may include may items, from head units to windscreen wipers, that have OEMs, but the car does not: it just has an M... a manufacturer.

As always, with language, misuse tends to become the norm, and it has with this one. So don't mind me, carry on!

[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

An aside...

It was on a forum, and I think it was this one, that I was made aware of the growing misuse of "OEM."

An OEM is the Original Equipment manufacturer who makes something that then gets rebranded, or included under the umbrella brand of something bigger like a car. The car manufacturers are not (usually) OEMs, but it is very likely that something like, for instance, the entertainment unit was not made by them, and has an OEM.

...

This is an interesting thought and makes sense, but my experience of being in this industry, we always refer to the 'car maker' as the OEM, as I think we see the car / end product as the 'equipment'. All the part manufacturers are referred to as suppliers or component manufacturers.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

An OEM is the Original Equipment manufacturer who makes something that then gets rebranded, or included under the umbrella brand of something bigger like a car.

You are right. Since car companies directly sell to customers using their brand name, they are not really OEM. OEMs are rarely known by name to their customers. For example, TSMC is an OEM. All of us use their products, but none of us ever buy a product branded as TSMC.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by avishar

I guess OEMs are back to spending generously on press drives.

Journalists have been flown to Udaipur and the base camp of the drive is the Aurika Hotel & Resorts.

During one of my recent drives, we were asked feedback on the food and accommodation - if we were happy with it.

Our reply was that we are happy as long as the room is clean. At best, we get to use the room for dress change, sleep and getting fresh - usually going to the room late after an evening product briefing / dinner and waking up much earlier than twilight just to get out of chaos and some photo shoot location hopefully soon after sunrise.

What really makes our day is when a brand provides a well-thought out route with ample time for the drive. For example - the Taigun media drive was ~250kms with the DSG for onward and manual for return routes, with well thought out mix of road conditions - village and broken roads, city, two lane and four lane highways. Now in my books - that's a good example of arranging a half-day media drive well!

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by avishar

The locations are usually chosen in a way that it is picturesque too, so one can expect most of the photography or quick video reviews to be happening here, with the backdrop of the lake.

That is the real reason why such locations are picked. So that reviewers can shoot photos and videos with exotic background. But they pack the schedule so tight that we rarely even remember the name of the hotel by the time we hit the airport for the return flight. Flag off time is usually before or at 7am. Blink and you will miss the hotel experience.

Very rarely there are multi-day trips (2-night stay). That is the only time we get to notice the hotel.

[GTO]

Classy, real classy. Just like the styling of their cars (especially the Range Rovers)! All other car & bike makers (including pure EV guys) merely sent yawn-inducing statements or even more old pictures of their EVs to mark the day. But Jaguar-Land Rover? They sure know how to stand out .

Dear Rush,

Greetings from Jaguar Land Rover India.

To celebrate the World EV Day, Jaguar Land Rover India has planted 1,000 trees, one of which has been done in your name. The certificate for this is attached along with this email. We thank you for your continued support & encouragement as we move towards an Electrified future.

Stay safe and healthy!

Regards,

[adityasiera]

Originally Posted by GTO

Classy, real classy. Just like the styling of their cars (especially the Range Rovers)! All other car & bike makers (including pure EV guys) merely sent yawn-inducing statements or even more old pictures of their EVs to mark the day. But Jaguar-Land Rover? They sure know how to stand out .



Attachment 2205338

TML did a simillar thing around world environment day.

This is a very easy and cost effective way to earn carbon credits for future

Shell in Netherlands does it for customers who purchase vpower fuel

In the end the credits go to the parent organization instead of the end user.

[HooghlyBoy]

Congratulations GTO !!! A very well deserved recognition. You have been the guiding light ib the Team BHP Forum. This community has made Car Ownership hassle free for many commoners courtesy the immense user experience across all Brands from Car enthusiasts in India.
Hopefully the �� will be well looked after properly by Mumbai Metropolitan authorities.

[sukhbirST]

Great job done by JLR.
Hope the tree grows well and the EVs too
@GTO - you need to take care now and wish you all the Best
Congrats to you and TBHP