ZO6 photo and story

[zach lawrence]

Anyone seek this week's edition of Autoweek? ZO6 on the cover. Not a spy shot. Supposedly GM photo. Good article.

Apparently, there is an embargo on the media until January for stories. Should be leaking soon.

 

[Rob]

Anyone seek this week's edition of Autoweek? ZO6 on the cover. Not a spy shot. Supposedly GM photo. Good article.

Apparently, there is an embargo on the media until January for stories. Should be leaking soon.

Yep, just got the issue in the mail. It's an interesting article and I was monitoring the actual story as it unfolded on the web 3-4 weeks ago.

I guess I don't have a clear understanding of how or why GM did what they did. Supposedly, they contacted several Corvette web site owners and asked them to remove the embargoed photo. Then, supposedly, a couple guys contracted by GM Legal showed up on someone's door step and wanted to know where he found the photo on the web.

The photo also showed up on several Chevrolet dealership web sites as well as Halltech Engineering's web site; a manufacturer of Corvette aftermarket performance products. So why were a few Corvette site owners asked to remove the picture - but dealerships and an aftermarket parts developer, were not? I just don't understand the rationale but...whatever.

I do find the following statement in the AutoWeek article interesting and worthy of posting here:

The term embargo refers to a date, set by the manufacturer, before which journalists agree not to disseminate information. An embargo is one reason magazine and newspaper readers may notice the same car(s) receiving coverage in various outlets simultaneously. From the manufacturers’ standpoint, the practice allows them to coordinate media coverage with promotional and advertising campaigns; the media get information in advance to prepare more thorough and entertaining stories. We abide by embargoes to gain equal access to information as well as access to subsequent press events and test drives. AutoWeek’s embargo policy, broadly stated, is that we won’t be first to break an embargo to which we’ve agreed, but we won’t be third, either.

“As evidenced by our actions, we take our embargoes very seriously,” said Terry Rhadigan, GM’s director of global auto shows and the man responsible for pre-Z06 launch information. “So when we have a rogue kind of website or someone who doesn’t play by the rules, we feel like if we just let it go and we just let them run amok, then our credibility is compromised.”