The First Law
A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
The Second Law
A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
The Third Law
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
You may be asking, “What the hell does this have to do with cars?”
Well, I’m seeing more and more articles about self-driving cars… the stuff right out of sci-fi. Right? One local law firm is even running television commercials saying how they are developing winning strategies now to win the lawsuits of the future when self-driving cars go rouge. So, let’s replace a few words in each law and explore how well autonomous vehicles (AVs) rate against Mr. Asimov’s laws.
A self-driving car may not injure a driver or, through inaction, allow a driver to come to harm.
Sounds great, eh? After all, we’re only human. We get distracted and make mistakes. AVs are packed with sophisticated sensors and electronics that can detect objects and calculate speed and distance. Self-driving cars are designed to keep the driver from coming to harm by eliminating “human error.”
Unfortunately, that technology just isn’t there yet. Accidents involving self-driving cars have resulted in injuries and deaths of drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Some of those accidents were a direct result of the “driver” relying too much on the AVs technology to do the driving. In one instance, an Apple exec was killed in his self-driving Tesla. Instead of being the failsafe with hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, he was focused on playing a video game.
So much for the car protecting the driver from harm. At this point in time, self-driving cars are unable to comply with the First Law.
A self-driving car must obey the orders given it by a driver except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
You jump in your AV, punch in your destination, and hit go. Your self-driving car may be unable to comply. Poor weather conditions can cause problems with the complex electronic systems that are vital to an AV’s ability to navigate.
There’s also the issue of AVs sharing a common network that allows them to recognize each other. Such networks are highly susceptible to hacking. Imagine asking your car to take you to the grocery store and you end up behind an abandoned warehouse or in a dark alley.
Self-driving cars are unable to completely comply with the Second Law either.
A self-driving car must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Let’s pretend your self-driving car is rolling down the road at 55 miles-per-hour when, all-of-a-sudden, a person steps out of a disabled car and into your path… just as a tractor-trailer is approaching from the other direction. How does the self-driving car react to a no-win situation like this?
Striking the person in the road would probably kill them. A clear violation of the First Law.
Swerving into the path of the oncoming tractor-trailer would result in a crash that would destroy the self-driving car and could result in the possible deaths of the occupants and the truck driver. A clear violation of all three Laws.
In either case, who’s responsible? The guy who owns the self-driving car? He forked over big bucks for an AV so he didn’t have to drive and make those kinds of decisions. Is the manufacturer at fault? They’re the ones who programmed the car to react a certain way. Maybe it’s the programmer that deserves the blame? No wonder that law firm has started working on their strategies now… it’s gonna’ take years to figure that out who to sue when an AV hurts or kills someone.
That said, I don’t think self-driving cars can comply with the Third Law.
I think Mr. Asimov would agree with me… if you’re going somewhere, keep your hands on the wheel and drive yourself there.
Thoughts? Criticisms? Afraid SkyNet will start making self-driving cars? Let me know.
The post I, Auto first appeared on SPI Collective | Digital Media Production | Virginia Beach, VA.]]>
As marketers, we understand that a company’s brand is everything. It’s the collective impression that IS the company. It’s everything that customers see, hear and experience in relation to a company and/or its products or services. So why would Volkswagen make a joke out of its own name?
Good question.
A few days before April 1, Volkswagen announced that it would be changing the name of its US operations to Voltswagen to emphasize their electric vehicle efforts. Get it… Volts, as in voltage… electricity… electric Volkswagens. They went as far as saying that their EVs would even carry Voltswagen badging.
Then the truth comes out. Volkswagen claims (insert snicker here) that the whole Voltswagen thing was intended to be an April Fool’s Day prank… but it got leaked to the public early. Early…yeah… right.
What makes the story even more cringe-worthy is that Volkswagen’s lead marketing agency, Johannes Leonardop, was in on the gag. Really? You have a client that has integrity and honesty issues (remember Volkswagen’s diesel emissions debacle?) and encourage them to propagate a falsehood about a pending name change. That was really irresponsible.
I may not be the Creative Director at a mega-worldwide agency but I do know this. Brands take years to build. Damaged brands can take that long to rebuild. Some brands never fully recover. Didn’t anyone at Volkswagen recognize this and say, “Hey, this is a really bad idea?” Where was their Chief of the Stupid Police?
Even if Volkswagen had “sprung the gag” on April 1, I don’t think many people would have found it funny. I would suggest VW leave the comedy to the comedians and focus on building cars.
Thoughts? Criticisms? Already placed your order for a Voltswagen? Let me know.
The post Halt in the Name of the Stupid Police! first appeared on SPI Collective | Digital Media Production | Virginia Beach, VA.]]>“Siri, who sang the female lead on Gimme Shelter?”
“Alexa, order more (achoo!) Kleenex.”
Weather it’s due to our need for speed or our general propensity to verbally request things we want in life, voice technology is popular. In 2019 alone, 147 million units of voice assistants were sold in the US. And in 2020 the usage of voice assistants has only increased with people all over the world cooped up at home. This means you should probably start to consider how to implement voice into your marketing strategy.
Your voice strategy
The first thing to do is ask yourself how your customers are using voice now—and also how they could soon be using it—to engage with you. Knowing if and how customers use voice to engage with you—or if they don’t for some reason—is key to developing a strategy. Spend your time and resources where it will benefit you most.
First step: voice search optimization
One of the most significant things you can do is to optimize your online content for voice. This will help ensure you rank in a voice search and is the one thing almost every business should be doing. It’s vitally important because a voice search on a mobile phone yields only the top three results. And a voice search using a smart speaker often gives only one result. If you’re not ranking near the top, you’re out of the game.
How? This can get very involved, but basically you can begin by editing your content so that it reflects how people do a real-world voice search—often different than how they text search. (Per Google, 41% of people who own a voice activated speaker say it feels like talking to a friend. Awe!) Voice searches are more conversational and often posed in the form of a question. So, you need to find the natural keyword phrases or questions that your target audience is likely to use. Then, incorporate them into your content to more accurately answer these voice search queries.
Consider audio content and advertising
Audio content should be part of your broader voice strategy. Ads placed on streaming services like Pandora or over-the-top TV services such as Hulu are a good place to start. And podcasts are a growing vehicle to reach consumers when they’re away from a screen.
Other quick ways to optimize for voice …
Become a sonic brand
An audio logo or signature sound can be as important to a brand’s identity as its logo. Sonic branding (the new term for jingles or, more often, other signature sounds) means using a unique sound that will help consumers recognize your brand when they see your TV ad, stream your podcast, watch your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn video—or even when you come up as the result of a voice search. MGM did it with their lion’s roar almost 100 years ago. Old Spice uses a quick whistled snippet of their jingle that everyone recognizes by ear. And 88% of people can recall Intel’s chime sound unaided.
The future of voice—build your skills
Major brands are developing voice-connected apps—called skills—designed specifically for smart speakers like Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. Skills let users interact with a brand or content through voice commands alone—hands free!
The Alexa Skills Store has more than 100,000 voice apps. Capital One’s skill lets you check your credit card balance or make a payment securely. The skill even performs a security check and requires a password to sign in, then a four-digit code to confirm your identity before you can actually use the service. There is even a skill called Skill Finder which helps you … well, you know.
From search to skills, there is a LOT to unpack when it comes to voice. And the time to do it is now. “Alexa, what can you tell me about voice search?”
The post Have you Heard? Voice Search is the New Black! first appeared on SPI Collective | Digital Media Production | Virginia Beach, VA.]]>Recently, I was on a two-day video shoot for one of our clients… a respected regional bank. Our team was capturing interviews of several 30- and 40-something-year-old employees who had completed the bank’s leadership development training program. Listening to the stories of these young executives left me stunned by the contrast between my experience as a young professional and theirs.
To appreciate why I found their stories compelling, I need to share a little bit about my early career. Right out of college, I took a job at a large furniture company as a production artist in their in-house advertising department. From day one, I made it my job to learn everything I could about their business. Within 4 years, I had worked my way up to the company’s advertising director. There was never any formal training. No mentoring by older company executives. No clear path to succeed… just more and more responsibility with the unspoken expectation that I would swim, sink or get out of the pool.
With that as my reference point, I was amazed by what those young banking professionals shared.
Early in their careers, the bank’s management recognized them for their drive, their eagerness to learn and their commitment to member service. The bank identified each person’s potential and handpicked them to be a part of their leadership development program.
As part of the program, they were allowed to work in various departments to give them a well-rounded knowledge of the banking business. They were given direct access to the bank’s top executives… including leadership dinners where they developed meaningful relationships with management and their peers. No detail in their professional development was overlooked. They were even schooled on how to dress for success.
The bank is ensuring its enduring success and member-focused culture by proactively molding and shaping its next generation of leaders. Many of the young professionals we interviewed already have vice president or senior vice president in their titles. They know in their hearts that they are valued by the bank and view their positions as lifelong careers.
What a stark contrast, eh?
Whether you own a bank, auto dealership or furniture company, the only way to ensure a company’s longevity is to invest in young talent with the goal of shaping them into the next generation of leaders. Look around… every company – including yours – has bright, hardworking young people that would jump at the opportunity to excel.
The question is, are you expecting them to figure it out under fire or are you taking the time to sculpt them into the future of your company? I hope it’s the latter of the two.
The post Sculpting the Future first appeared on SPI Collective | Digital Media Production | Virginia Beach, VA.]]>
Automakers are saying the same thing about microchips and semiconductors.
Manufacturers are idling assembly lines and cutting back production as they find their shelves bare of the hi-tech, critical components needed to build their cars and trucks. It’s obvious that they knew these parts were necessary so, how could they let a problem like this jump up and bite them? Here are some of the reasons:
COVID
From raw materials to finished components, COVID disrupted every level of the supply chain. Companies worldwide are still trying to recover.
Mother Nature
One article I read noted that February’s earthquake in Japan and the winter storm that paralyzed Texas are both contributing factors to the disruption of chip manufacturing.
A Just-In-Time Mindset
Automotive manufacturers try to keep expenses in check by using a Just-In-Time manufacturing process. They only order what they need, when they need it. When chip supplies began to run low, there was no surplus inventory sitting in a warehouse to fill the gap.
Competition
Automotive manufacturers aren’t just competing with each other. They’re competing with cellphone, big screen TV, computer and gaming system manufacturers for those hi-tech microchips.
Turnaround Time
From the time a microchip order is placed until it’s delivered is about 12 weeks. That’s a huge time lag. On top of that, microchips are typically built-to-order and orders are filled on a first come, first served basis.
Smarter Cars
The sophisticated navigation, safety and autonomous driving assistance systems that are being built into modern cars all require an ever-growing number of microchips and semiconductors. The lack of some of these complex components can stop a production line.
All these factors translate into production shortfalls that will likely exceed a million units worldwide this year and cost automakers billions. That’s why the selection on new car lots may seem to be a little slim… and why the price tags on all those low-milage, pre-owned cars on the lot may be a little higher in 2021.
Thoughts? Comments? Have a “can’t find the new car I want” story? Let me hear them.
The post Chipping Away At 2021 Sales first appeared on SPI Collective | Digital Media Production | Virginia Beach, VA.]]>Not wanting to dampen her enthusiasm, our first stop was the local Dodge dealership. After walking the lot with an overly chatty salesman, she picked the Daytona she wanted to take out for a test spin. As soon as she eased down in the bucket seat, I knew the experience was gonna’ go south.
She started the car and began moving the seat back and forth. She raised the seat back and was pulling herself up on the steering wheel. All the while, our salesman was saying, “What do you think? Let’s take this baby for spin!” Reluctantly, she dropped it into drive and eased out on the road. We only went a few blocks before she turned around and went back to the dealership. When we got back the salesman wanted to hustle us to his desk to “start the paperwork.” She told him that she wasn’t really comfortable in the car and asked for a few minutes to talk it over with me.
Truth is… my wife is only 5-foot tall. Once she eased down into the bucket seat of the Daytona, she was just above eye level with the dash and couldn’t see over the hood. The test drive yielded an unexpected result… she was too short for the car she had her heart set on. Of course, our salesman turned us over to his manager believing that price was the obstacle. Once I explained the real issue, he completely understood.
Had it not been for a real-world test drive, she would have ended up with a car that she wouldn’t have been comfortable operating. It’s the memory of that experience that makes me wonder why anyone would purchase a car without taking a test drive. But today, many buyers are doing just that.
According to Cox Automotive, consumers spend nearly 14 hours online researching and shopping for a vehicle. They compare models, features, warranties, special incentives and financing offers. 83% of car shoppers prefer to start the buying process online and a growing number of consumers are choosing to complete the process and purchase their vehicle online.
So how do you test drive a vehicle that you’re buying online? The answer, “Technology.”
Manufacturers and dealerships are turning to augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to give buyers a “digital test drive experience.” AR and VR technologies allow you to experience 360-degree views of a vehicle’s exterior and interior… and that’s just the beginning. New technologies are allowing dealerships to give consumers a 360-degree, virtual test drive like this one for the 2020 F-150 created by FlowFound that is part of Krieger Ford’s online shopping experience. Manufacturers are also embracing AR and VR. Porsche incorporates an extensive VR experience on its website. Other manufacturers have created fun ways for consumers to interact with their brands. Audi’s Enter Sandbox allowed consumers to take an Audi for a test spin in a virtual sandbox. BMW took it even further by letting enthusiasts take an X3 for a test drive on Mars.
Are they real, looking-over-that-long-hood test drives? No. Are they really cool? Absolutely.
If you think about it, the test drive is a customer engagement tool. It’s way to create excitement about the purchase. AR and VR experiences on your virtual showroom serve the same purpose. They inform, create excitement and keep customers engaged. The longer the customer stays engaged, the further down the sales funnel they go and the more likely they are to make a purchase.
Be ready to give your customers their choice of worlds – real or virtual – when the time comes to take a test drive.
Thoughts? Comments? Test drive story? Let me hear them.
The post The Test Drive Reimagined first appeared on SPI Collective | Digital Media Production | Virginia Beach, VA.]]>Let’s start with a sample search for Toyota Dealerships in Orlando Florida and dissect it into its three component parts.
Part 1: Paid Search
You can call it Pay-Per-Click, SEARCH or SEM. These ads are run through auction-based systems like Google Adwords. The main advantage here is that you show in the top positions (reserved for paid ads) and that you can control the ad copy and landing page. Know your keywords and buy them… or your competitor will! Don’t leave SEARCH up to organic Google ranking. This is a specialty area of SPI where we can help if you do not have the manpower, or time, or expertise.
Part 2: Google My Business
This is the maps listing and review platform Google uses for geo-targeted searches. It’s a free listing you can optimize with your descriptions and customer reviews. It’s important that you set-up and rank for Google My Business!
Part 3: Organic
By optimizing your website for keywords, gaining links, getting social media traffic, and adding content to your blog, the search engines (Google, Bing, etc.) will start to rank you higher and higher based on relevant, meaningful content. This is also known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It’s not an overnight process. SEO takes time to ramp up and convince the search engines that you are relevant to particular searches. That’s why starting with Paid Search is important. You get results immediately if done correctly.
There’s an old adage that says,”If you want to hide a dead body, put it on page 2 of a Google search.” Almost nobody scrolls down and clicks to the next page. Remember, you have to make it easy for your customers! Click here and let’s start having a conversation about turning your digital search challenges into page one opportunities!
The post Understanding the anatomy of Digital Search first appeared on SPI Collective | Digital Media Production | Virginia Beach, VA.]]>Our conversation turned to the all-electric F-150 due to hit showrooms in the near future. He’s already getting training on how to troubleshoot these trucks when they roll off the line with problems. Two things struck me from our conversation.
The first… BEVs can kill you. Over the years, I’ve been bitten by an electrical shock many times working under the hood. Bad plug wires, faulty coils, inadvertently grounding a wrench… there’s all sort of way to get a shock. Car batteries are 12 volts and have on average somewhere between 500 to 750 cold cranking amps. It smarts… but it never killed me. BEV batteries operate at much higher voltages with greater amperage that can turn an untrained technician into a dead one in an instant. That’s why the first thing they trained him to do was how to check and discharge the battery pack… and why I believe the sharpest do-it-yourselfer will think twice about wrenching on a BEV.
The second thing that hit me was how BEVs will change the traditional model of servicing a vehicle. Afterall, there’s no oil to change. No air filters to change. No spark plugs to change. No antifreeze to check. No belts. No rod or main bearings that wear out. No seals that start leaking. None of that.
Fixed ops is the lifeblood of any dealership. Customers that traditionally drive their cars onto the service lane three or four times a year for regular maintenance may only come once a year to have their tires rotated and the brakes and battery checked. If no one needs filters, belts, spark plugs, etc., that also directly impacts the parts department. Those traditional revenue streams will dry up quickly as more BEVs roll off the lot. On the flip side, dealerships will have an advantage when it comes to having access to the specialized training and tools that will be needed to service BEVs. Retaining that “next generation” of BEV technicians will be critical. Customer service will also be more important than ever as every visit to the dealership’s service lane will need to be an experience that brings them back for the next.
Who I really feel bad for are the guys that put their life savings into franchises like Jiffy Lube, Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Take 5 Oil Change, as well as, the small shop owners that rely on delivering those routine maintenance services. The services that they will be able to offer BEV owners will be cut nearly in half… because they will no longer be necessary. It will be interesting to watch how those shops evolve and change the services they offer.
There’s another industry that will be upended. Do-it-yourselfers won’t need the fluids, filters, belts or any of the thousands of parts that fill the shelves of neighborhood auto parts stores like O’Reillys, Auto Zone or Advance Auto Parts. They won’t be able to keep the doors open selling pine tree air fresheners and blinker fluid (did I get a chuckle?).
I’m not a fan of electric cars. Check out my previous blog article, “Electric Vehicles – What they’re selling ain’t what you’re buying.” BEVs go far beyond swapping dinosaur bones for electricity. They will completely upend the automotive service and parts industry.
Thoughts? Criticisms? Wanna’ have a cold one at my shop? Let me know.
The post Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) Impact on the Service Industry. first appeared on SPI Collective | Digital Media Production | Virginia Beach, VA.]]>The second question is, “Where did they go?”
According to Auto Service World, 642,000 automotive, collision and diesel technicians will be needed between now and 2024. Contrast that with the fact that less than 50,000 new technicians are graduating with post-secondary automotive training programs annually. That number has been flat, and remains flat, as the demand for talented mechanics increases. So… if the demand is there, why aren’t the mechanics?
Today’s vehicles are far more advanced than those of just a few years ago. There’s no carburetor to set air-fuel mixture. There’s no distributor to set timing, no points and condenser to change and no dwell to set. They’ve been replaced with complex computer systems that manage every aspect of an engine’s performance. Add to that all the advanced electronics associated with safety features like automatic braking systems, lane change assist systems and vehicle restraint systems, you quickly realize that today’s mechanic has to be a smart, highly trained problem solver. These are the same critical thinking skills that are in demand by other industries like advanced manufacturing and IT services. Unfortunately, a career path that leads you to a desk working on computer systems appears to be much “easier” than one that puts you in a service bay applying the same problem-solving skills to repairing a car. Afterall… who wants to be a grit?
How can the automotive repair industry change that mindset? Here are a few thoughts from an old mechanic.
Today’s cars and trucks have more sophisticated computers than the first rockets sent to the moon. The men and women that work on them deserve competitive pay and benefits that make being an automotive technician as attractive as being a programmer or network administrator.
The next generation of Grits are out there. They just need to be enlightened to the benefits of the automotive service trade and encouraged to pursue the profession.
Thoughts? Criticisms? Wanna’ have a cold one at my shop? Let me know.
The post Where Did All The “Grits” Go? first appeared on SPI Collective | Digital Media Production | Virginia Beach, VA.]]>My first attempt to own a Corvette was the week before Christmas, 1985. Fresh out of college and having a little cash saved up, I came upon a red ’62 at a local Chevy dealer. The salesman said that it was a one owner car that was traded in on a new C4. The engine had been replaced because the original was seized up… which meant they were offering a warranty. Sweet! As we’re talking about the C2, there was an elderly woman and her grandson sitting at the desk next to us. She was buying him a brand-new Corvette for Christmas and he was whining about getting it detailed. Really? My negotiations ended with the lack of a co-signer. The salesman suggested I build my credit by buying a different Vette… a 1985 Chevette. I passed.
Fast forward about 10 years. While walking our dog, my wife and I found a ’78 Corvette tucked away in the overgrown back corner of someone’s yard. After walking past it for weeks, my wife convinced me to knock on the door and inquire about it. The gentleman said that it was in bad shape and needed a lot of work. Work? Hell.. I’m a mechanic. I can do that. Needless to say, to work on it, you need a parts budget…. Something I didn’t have. The need of a new roof and HVAC system parted me with my first Vette.
Fast forward another 20 years. I purchased a ’91 that… you guessed it… needed a lot of work. Some people just don’t learn from their past mistakes. It’s been sitting under a cover in front of my shop… waiting for a winning lottery ticket to come my way.
You should have a pretty clear picture that I have a real passion for Zora’s fiberglass sportscars.
And… the outrage I felt when I saw the images of the SS Dolphin. It’s supposed to look like a 1958 Corvette… in the same way Frankenstein was supposed to resemble a real dude. The SS Dolphin is the creation of Songsan, a Chinese boutique brand that came to fame for producing faux-Harley motorcycles.
The Dolphin boasts (Boasts? Yes, I’m being facetious) a 1.5-liter turbocharged, plug-in hybrid power plant (Wow… runs on coal and dinosaur bones) that produces 315 horsepower and 395 lb-ft of torque. It’s backed up with a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Battery-only range is 62 miles. Once you convert your U.S. dollars into renminbi, this monstrosity of a copyright infringement can be all yours for around $88,000.
Contrast that with the starting price of a 2021 C8 with the 3LT trim level at $72,000. Throw in another five-grand for the Z51 performance package any you’re still $10,000 south of the SS Dolphin. I’m gonna’ make a bet that you won’t see any Dolphins tucked in Corvette row at the local cars shows.
The post SACRILEGE! first appeared on SPI Collective | Digital Media Production | Virginia Beach, VA.]]>