“Autoextremist” Peter De Lorenzo Lambasts Corvette C7 Launch Marketing
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While the numbers clearly show that many of you crave the latest Chevrolet Corvette C7 news, leaks and gossip, along with Chevy’s official marketing videos, there’s one that opposes such things. And that’s Peter De Lorenzo, currently of AutoExtremist fame.
In the video below, De Lorenzo criticizes all there is about Chevrolet’s marketing strategy regarding the Corvette C7 so far, saying that all of the teaser videos, and even engine unveiling should not have happened. The logic is that because of the constant trickle of tips and leaks, that everyone is already a step ahead of what Chevrolet is always willing to unveil in the first place. Therefore, all elements regarding the new ‘Vette should have been left to its January 13, 2013 unveiling.
Do you feel that DeLorenzo is right in saying that Chevrolet should have just kept quiet? Or do you feel that Chevrolet should continue to feed the masses of performance enthusiasts? Sound off in the comments below!
We will see if Peter is right. If the new vette is a flop he is right. If it sells he is wrong.
See, illogic can be logical.
I can say that I completely disagree. I love getting these little tidbits of information at once, watching the videos multiple times to see if I missed some sneaky hint or even checking all the forums to see what wizardry the leakers and tipsters are working. Hell, half the stuff we know could be total bullshit fed to us by GM to be misleading! Wouldn’t that be something!
Its the advertisers job to get people into the corvette for a test drive and that’s all that really matters. Because once they’re in they will never want to get out.
I am of two minds with this. I am a proponent of leaks because they keep the public interested. It’s psychological. People want to know but at the same time they like the feeling of sneaking a peak through the slightly open door. Nothing wrong with that. However, I am only a proponent if those spy images are genuine and not clearly staged like some of the C7 have been.
Thus far I must say that the renderings I have seen so far have shown square tail-lights and I hate that. And that sort of pre-emptive exclusion can ruin a car’s success. I’ve loved every Corvette that there ever has and I hope I will love all that will come…I’m still interested to see what they come up with next.
GM is by far the most anal company when it comes to holding secret information. Other companies leak cars all the time. Some test cars with barely any camoflauge. I don’t think GM needs to improve in this field.
I think GM “sneak peeks” campaign strategy is a cool idea. I just hope the new Corvette lives up to the hype….
Nothing wrong with the “leaks & peaks” as far as I’m concerned. There is so much interest surrounding a new Corvette, that is going to happen, no matter what GM does. However, I do think that this time around, GM has tried to “over-do it”, which has led to them over-hyping the car. They are now in a “over-promise, under-deliver” situation, which is not good. The car is clearly going to be an evolution of the existing C5/C6 engineering. The interior will be much-improved, but probably go overboard on “needless application of technology”. The body design is the biggest concern, and based on what’s been shown, it may be more “miss” than “hit”, which is really too bad. The Camaro taillights are a big mistake (but I’m still holding out hope that those aren’t for real!).
It worked for me!!! I’m thinking of trading in my 2013, five month old factory ordered Camaro, with only 1,450 miles and ordering a new Vette the 13th.
You are right. GM has this down to an exciting build up. How many of you are aware that there will be several other unveilings at the Detroit show? BMW is going to unveil an entire new “4″ series and an over 500 HP 6 series. How much hype is happening for those cars??? The point is that not many other people aside from the marques owners are even aware of the unveilings and in many cases they don’t care.
GM gets it right. They know how to geerate excitement. Those who complain would be the first to bitch about nothing coming out in advance.
Good or bad it still works, the c7 corvette is still mentioned, thats all that counts, de lorenzo just helps the hipe, more c7 stories, bring it on, I’m sure the new c7 will be all that and more, can’t wait !
Who the heck is Peter De Lorenzo and why should we give him any credibility if he is not known?
That rear hatch glass has me wondering what other short cuts GM has gone with..I’ll reserve anymore comments until I see it at the C& Reveal!
First off, they are not CAMARO tail lights. It’s a unique design aesthetic in and of itself. It’s self-contained and it is beautiful.
Second… Who is this burnt out raggedy guy anyway? Has he any clue about the business or the industry? And if he does, has he any experience in launching products? I’m in the business and all his claims are baseless and can be easily refuted.
The fact that you do not know who Peter is shows how much you know about the auto industry in Detroit.
And I should add that I disagree with him as I have in the past. As I also often disagree with what is posted here. Being an expert does not always mean you are right or that your opinion is the only answer.
If it was up to my father they would do it the way they used to. Ship the cars to the dealers under wraps and then pull the covers off ALL the new models on intro day. Townspeople came from everywhere that day to see the latest.
Then again there was no Internet back then with all the spies who post everything. GM is just controlling the release instead of the Internet doing it.
Ford tried that stunt with the Edsel.
I feel using the press to lead the public up until launch day is important.
the Edsel was not unique to the “secret reveal” strategy of the time. EVERYONE did that in the 50s and early 60s in the US market. the Edsel was just a dud.
http://www.autoextremist.com/about-us/
… and by over hyping the coming car they shoe people away from the current one (and hurt its resale, which doesn’t exactly help the car’s image over the long run). Leave ‘em guessing.
Another thing that bothers me more and more is GM’s insistence on revealing a product some eight to ten months–or more–before it will ever see production. They should take a page out of Honda and Toyota’s playbook (the guys that you can usually find on most Top Ten lists) and take the wraps off shortly before they’re ready to go on sale, then market the hell out of them from that point forward.
This is December/January. Auto show is 2 weeks away. Vette will be on sale at dealers in a couple months. Do you expect Chevrolet NOT to introduce the vehicle at the auto show?
What is this 8-10 months? Again, more folks just making stuff up.
And who really cares about an Accord or Camry intro? They are appliances.
In April of 2012 the new Impala was unveiled ( I didn’t make that up, honest); let me know when you get behind the wheel of one, okay? And if you think the 2014 Corvette will be on sale at dealerships in a couple of months enjoy the wait, Mr Industry Expert.
We’re talking about the next generation of America’s flagship sportscar…only the 7th generation in 60 years. I think it makes sense to milk this for what it’s worth…of course, with this kind build up and anticipation, the C7 had better deliver the goods, which I’m sure it will.
It’s called viral marketing. Done correctly, it is extremely effective in creating buzz. I myself have been annoying all of my friends and relatives with the anticipated unveiling. Stick to cars DeLorenzo and STFU about the marketing.