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  1. Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    14,181
    #11
    That's our uls. Using his single liners to strike at the point

  2. Join Date
    Aug 2004
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    22,705
    #12
    What can you do? Our local industry is so small that local journalists are often begging for test units, and if one manufacturer blacklists you... sayonara not only to junkets, but to advertising money (which our site doesn't have to worry about) and to content.

    Some guys actually have to resort to private units to get testers... some manufacturers don't recognize us and don't send us units... one of them is still probably pissed about an Alterra review by mbt a few years back.

    At least some manufacturers are "okay" with a bad review. Toyota is one of them... they're of the "What you see is what you get" variety, which is very nice... and honestly, while they have some so-so cars, they make some great ones (Corolla, Camry RAV4... too bad the RAV is so expensive).

    But even overseas, it's only the really big boys who get a free pass with criticisms. Smaller media outlets can get blacklisted for scathing reviews.... can't remember if that was "The Truth About Cars" or "Jalopnik"... but c'mon... how can you call the "Big Boys" completely unbiased, either? When Motor Trend awards "Car of the Year" to the likes of the new Camry (seriously, it's not THAT good) and the Ford Thunderbird (overweight poseur and abysmal sales flop)...

    Clarkson gets away with it because Top Gear is pure entertainment, and the manufacturers know it. Actually, much of what he says is pure crap... but it's funny crap, so I still watch his show, anyway. Have you ever read a Clarkson car review? It's two paragraphs on how the granny driving in front of him reminds him of the weather, two paragraphs on how global warming is a crock, and just one about the car... "Oh, by the way, it's utter rubbish"... :hysterical:

    And there's the other side of the coin. When is criticism deserved, and when is it over-the-top? I know Clarkson would probably ram a Picanto into a parked Mercedes, have them erupt in an artful fireball, and step out and wheel the Picanto's carcass away and not show a scratch on the Mercedes, but is that really truthful? Different markets, different needs, different standards. Just read the Innova review at "The Truth About Cars"... ( read it here ) they thoroughly ream it... but locally, compared to the competition, the Innova is at or near the top of its class.

    And therein lies another problem... perspective. If you grew up driving owner-type jeeps and jeepneys, Cimarrons and Ford Fieros, even the cruddiest Chinese car will seem like an immense luxury to you. One fond saying of some auto-journalists is: "There are no bad cars, anymore"... yeah, if you're comparing them to what else is on the road in the Philippines... ...but you've got to compare them to what else is for sale.

    -----

    We've got to remember that autojournalism isn't investigative journalism... it's product review... and just like restaurant reviews or gadget reviews, there are those who do nothing but parrot spec sheets, or those who write about nothing but the ambiance and food... but there are some who take the job very seriously.

    Not getting invited to junkets hurts... (the Lighthouse in Subic is a fantastic place to spend a few nights )... and sometimes we have to soften our punches so as not to get beaten up (ref. Vernon vs Nexus), but not all journalists are PR machines... Andy Sevilla can be very up-front about his criticisms, for one... you just have to know where to look for unbiased opinions. ;)
    Last edited by niky; December 5th, 2008 at 01:24 PM.

    Ang pagbalik ng comeback...

  3. Join Date
    May 2006
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    3,722
    #13
    *Niky. Tumpak! A review is never complete without the cons. Otherwise, why make one at all?

    Pinoy na pinoy talaga ang suhol in journalism. An envelope with perks is indeed very tempting especially during these times. Thank God there are still a bunch out there who tells it the way it is.

    Another factor is being 'pikon'. Trait natin yang mga pinoy. By nature, we don't take criticism lightly. Ray Butch "the Elvis look" Gamboa always has nice things to say about the brand whenever in a dinner or event hosted by the company. It's either that or he don't to run Sunshine TV with the Ads that he solicits from the honchos.

    Pacholo "Grandpa" Ramirez spearheads that fuel efficiency run (with pay of course) - "1,400kms on ONE FULL TANK! What a fuel!' - My 15 year old nephew candidly comments, "It's not the fuel. It's the freakin' car!"





    ok moving on...

    .

  4. Join Date
    Jan 2005
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    3,773
    #14
    car salesmen masquerading as writers?

    btw that innova review was fantastic!

  5. Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    14,181
    #15
    Ey niky since you are with the industry if you don't mind at all... Pero can you share which manufacturers are pikon?

  6. Join Date
    Nov 2005
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    45,927
    #16
    ya...

    sino ang mga bully?

    hehe

  7. Join Date
    Aug 2004
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    22,705
    #17
    Hmmm.... mahirap sabihin in public... ...actually, isa lang major player ang alam kong medyo "sensitive" sa image nila... kaya nga may sarili silang automotive awards... others, in general, are open to criticism on the corporate level, though some sales or marketing people will obviously downplay or deny negative comments or observations about their cars.

    Others have learned that being overly defensive is less effective than just showering people with junkets. Thank goodness for these guys... Even if you're trying to be objective about the car, it's kind of hard to feel bad about what you're driving if you're well-fed and well-rested during the test-drive... as opposed to being stressed-out, on your way to work through traffic and wondering how far till the next gas station when doing regular reviews. Yeah, it's a sneaky marketing tactic, but obviously quite effective. Be more effective if people wrote more about the drive itself than the trip and the food... kaya lang nagiging obvious. :hysterical: Other automakers don't even need to try. Your average hack, changing from his ten year old Corolla to a brand new Benz, isn't exactly going to complain about using the COMAND system, or the fact that some buttons feel cheaper than in a Honda Accord. He's going to be loving every minute of it. And that's the way most of us are. Some of us are nitpicky enough to actually find faults with new cars, but others simply can't find anything bad to say.

    It's a matter of perspective. I don't know all the autojournalists... just a few of them, and those I've met seem quite earnest in their desire to do their job... but they're only human, after all. Maybe if we were all filthy, stinking rich, riding around in our brand new supercars, like Clarkson does, we'd be able to declare with finality and authority that yes, everything on the market is a pile of dog's droppings. Sadly, unlike the potbellied gangling green giant, we're not all so lucky. But then, to be fair, Clarkson was like that before he got famous, so maybe that's a lesson for the rest of us.

    Ang pagbalik ng comeback...

  8. Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    144
    #18
    Quote Originally Posted by tidus1203 View Post
    Ey niky since you are with the industry if you don't mind at all... Pero can you share which manufacturers are pikon?
    if he does that, he'll be permanently blacklisted by the pikons. no more unbiased reviews from niky of cars from ***, **** and ***. hehehe


    i remember reading online a negative review of of Isuzu Crosswind. I just dont recall the name of the writer but I'm quite sure he's a fellow tsikoteer. Reading that unbiased and factual review, sans the usual crap about how good the trip/hotel/VP of ** motors was, was like a breath of fresh air. At least here was a guy just busting his ass off for his readers to have accurate and reliable info about a car which they might be looking forward to purchasing.

    He even described the crosswind as too outdated and lacking refinement. <------ Now that's a review.

  9. Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    144
    #19
    i remember reading online a negative review of of Isuzu Crosswind. I just dont recall the name of the writer but I'm quite sure he's a fellow tsikoteer. Reading that unbiased and factual review, sans the usual crap about how good the trip/hotel/VP of ** motors was, was like a breath of fresh air. At least here was a guy just busting his ass off for his readers to have accurate and reliable info about a car which they might be looking forward to purchasing.

    He even described the crosswind as too outdated and lacking refinement. <---- Now THAT, gentlemen, is a review.

  10. Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Posts
    22,705
    #20
    Hahaha... the Crosswind is a very easy target, actually... especially if you're an owner. My wife says: "Bakit mong nilalait yung Crosswind, nung una, tuwang tuwa ka diyan..."... I told her that I've always hated it... it's just that it's so fuel efficient, I'm happy when I''m using it, because I have more money for other stuff... ...of course, paying for repairs to this old clunker doesn't make me happy... but as long as the engine keeps running, I'll just grin and bear it.

    I'm not really afraid of being blacklisted by companies... I mean, if I'm blacklisted by a company for saying their cars are crap and it's actually the truth, then I'm not missing much by being blacklisted by them... right? But I really don't have enough experience of the companies to say, rightly, who's pikon or not... PR just ain't my job (thank goodness). All I do is drive and write.

    Ang pagbalik ng comeback...

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Integrity of our local auto journalists?