Auto Manufacturers — Not Creating Your Current Brochures is Throwing Away Your History
Just so you understand this is not a rail against the digital world. I am a huge believer in it. After all, I founded one of the largest automotive digital libraries there is — The Eric B. White Digital Documents Library.
What I am talking about, however, is the phase than many manufacturers are now moving to — virtual brochures that have no counterpart in a paper or digital document that can be preserved.
In the new automotive marketing world, the concept is to build a series of slick web pages that promote their latest vehicle. I have emphasized “latest” because those web pages change each time the series or model is upgraded. The past is evaporated by the future — great for the marketing department — but for history, not so much.
Look, I get it, the manufacturer wants to sell you their newest model — I’m OK with that, but NOT document previous models in digital or paper format is throwing away their legacy. BMW is what car it is because of its history. the image of BMW is and was built on the backbone of every single model produced with the 2000 Series of the 60s!
