Shiny objects and cool automotive enthusiast sites.
The classic song, Fools Rush In, was written by Johnny Mercer and Rube Bloom back in 1940. Since that time, the song has been rearranged, repurposed, and repackaged for various media over the years. The Internet poses a similar situation; sometimes fools rush in where angels fear to tread. In my career, I have become aware that some big companies spend money on the Internet for the wrong reasons. Their online presence doesn't constitute an accreditation of opportunity. They are only there because they think they need to be there. Sometimes, when the PR machine runs at full speed, the marketing malfunction indicator light (MMIL) burns bright.
Early on, I learned the phrase "leading edge"—this was where all the really cool and expensive stuff was supposed to be. For those into the extreme, there is always the bleeding edge. I call it bloody because of all the money that was flushed straight down the drain and created red ink in the books of the companies that spent it.
Today, I use the term "shiny objects" for things that look cool but are not ready for primetime. These objects, as my grandmother would put it, are "all hat and no horse." The aftermarket industry was built on shiny objects, but the substantive difference is these parts make automobiles work better (go faster, improve handling, stop shorter, deliver increased fuel economy, or just look pretty). At least these products don't harm the automobile.
In the online world, shiny objects are good for generating some public relations buzz; however, they most often offer little in the way of substantive marketing or advertising value. The shiny objects act as a light to the moths of the advertising world, and those who get burned often don't live to tell their tales.
So what are some of these shiny online objects?
SHINY OBJECT #1
Virtual reality: Sorry to all you Second Lifers (secondlife.com). They bill it as "Your World. Your Imagination." But it's their money, or should I say linden bucks. Eventually, virtual reality will be a hit, just not this decade. It is entertaining, but it's not worth spending big money on—yet. Second Life has more problems than Britney Spears; it doesn't work with a boatload of video cards, it doesn't work with Microsoft's latest operating system Vista, it requires a geek level of patience, and it's just not where you're going to find lots of new customers, unless they are card-carrying members of the geek squad (I include myself in that squad).
SHINY OBJECT #2
Mobile: It's coming, but don't spend any advertising money there yet. People are not yet receptive to receiving advertising on their phones. One exception is AvantGo (my.avantgo.com/home). They have been around for a long time and their target has been smart phone users who want a mobile clipping source. Still, I can't give mobile my vote quite yet. I recommend you watch what the Apple iPhone and Google's entry into the mobile phone business does in the next year or so and re-evaluate it then. I do believe there will be many opportunities for mobile search, and I do know that Google is currently working on tools to facilitate it. Stay tuned, but don't open your wallet just yet.
SHINY OBJECT #3
Internet video: I already admitted to being a geek and I love watching video on the net; I can't get enough of it. I love all the crazy horsepower antics on YouTube. Video is a content play and I encourage everyone to share their passion for motor oil and rubber by generating videos. Its going to be an opportunity. However, it must be watched with a sharp eye toward contextual relevance. Google recently introduced advertising on top of videos that is contextually relevant. This could be an interesting opportunity; however, I advise you to play with it and watch it develop, but don't spend big bucks there yet.
SHINY OBJECT #4
Giveaways and promotions. These offers often claim to expose your brand or store to thousands of people on the net. Hucksters come in 1,000 different shapes and sizes and the old adage, "you get what you pay for," is 99-percent true. I have been approached by companies that want to barter products for other services, and still others that want to sell my "overstocks." Listen, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Look high and low, and if anything looks out of sorts, run! These deals often look cool, but once you bite, like a fish, they reel you in.
One rule of thumb is return on investment (ROI). For every check you sign, ask yourself, your employees, and your vendors, "what's the return on investment relative to the check I'm signing?" If you get a lot of "I don't knows" and shoulder shrugs, think twice before you sign, or simply put away the pen.
WHAT'S HOT ON THE INTERNET?
Shifting gears, I want to talk about ways to stay up on what's happening on the Internet. I have one more admission to make here: I suffer from IADD—that's Internet Attention Deficit Disorder. I am always on the hunt for new sites.
One of my favorite tools right now is Stumbleupon.com. It lets me pick the subjects I want to check out (automobiles, of course) and Stumble Upon shows me new sites. Another site to check out is digg.com. I like lists, and some of my favorite lists for new cool sites include www.seomoz.org/web2.0/short. This is also a great source for search-engine optimization for you geeks out there. Another list site that isn't quite as cutting edge, but still interesting, is time.com, where you can search for the 50 coolest Web sites for 2007.
For even more cool sites, visit their blog at time-blog.com/talkback/best_sites.php. Here, you will find sites that other visitors have contributed to the list.
AUTOMOTIVE WEB SITES
Now lets take a look at some car sites, or should I say enthusiast sites. Don't overlook the general car sites that have an enthusiast editorial staff. I have to give respect to Edmunds.com in this case. Editor-in-Chief Karl Brauer and his staff are car guys in every sense of the word. I also like automotiveforums.com to read in the enthusiast's own voice.
Another enthusiast Web site I like is cardomain.com. It's all about showcasing and talking about your current ride and researching and planning your next modification. Automotiveforums.com and cardomain.com each represent the social communnity side of the Web, where readers are writers and everyone is an enthusiast. Another breed of sites is well represented by ClassicMotorsports.net.
For a more traditional search engine result, I recommend www.google.com/Top/Recreation/Autos/Enthusiasts/. Sometimes I smile and other times I want to cry when I look at carsinbarns.com, which is found at the bottom of the Google list. No enthusiast's Web site list is complete without looking at my favorite car-porn site, ebaymotors.com. Just look at the pictures without reading anything and you will have a great time.
I bet some of you have some great sites you like, too, or maybe some shiny object adventures. If so, please e-mail them to me at [email protected]