CES 2021: Automotive Speakers and Panelists that Worked and Didn't Work

The vast majority of CES presenters get a gutcheck about what the whole thing is costing the company and focus on what matters product I always come away from CES with five or six good stories I would have missed if I39d stayed at home Give me a good gadget or a sexy car debut and I39m happy Do automakers launch cars at CES You bet they do because cars are like computers on wheels these daysBut amp8230 presented with this awesome forum some companies think journalists want to hear all about inside company baseball They talk about their new partnerships and how they will be synergistic for both parties They wax lyrical about their commitment to climate goals and plans to go carbon neutral They go indepth about the major companies they39re supplying but then get coy when you ask them to actually give you a name or a date for that matter They put their executives on panels that while nicely done fail to tell the assembled journalists anything they don39t already knowThis is not to disparage the idea of companies setting goals especially green ones I39m a longterm environmental journalist and I applaud all of it I39m just not going to be writing about the solar panels in front of the new headquartersWhat39s going on here is the need to get conference agendas approved through corporate channels What executive isn39t going to sign off on plans to boost the new fiveyear environmental strategy This kind of thing keeps executives in their jobs but it doesn39t serve the real interests of the company or the journalists covering CESLet me reiterate The journalists look like they39re paying attention and taking notes but they39re unlikely to use any of it Their editors want consumerfacing facts and are going to reject any deep dives into internal corporate culture Unless they39re from trade publications they won39t want the company bullet points or the view from the Csuiteamp160Let me give some examples of companies that got it right at CES presenting compelling products that journalists definitely wanted to coverGeneral Motors which unveiled a new hightech electric Cadillac the Celestiq and also a whole new division Brightdrop with the EV600 cargo van and a pallet that can power itself along a sidewalk That sparked 1001 stories and it didn39t hurt that CEO Mary Barra was master of ceremoniesSoho Motors This tiny startup from Sweden with an electric car that uses onboard solar panels to squeeze out another 20 miles of range sold the sizzle of its modest little car headed for Europeonly distribution and featured a host so hoppedup she was practically hyperventilating No we can39t buy one here in the US but we wrote stories anywayPanasonic video above The company kept a laser eye on the product including new cameras headsup displays and wireless charging for cars and premium audioAudi We got to go around a racetrack with Formula E driver Lucas di Grassi who called the electric RS etron GT quotthe best allaround car I39ve ever drivenquot If we39d actually been in Vegas there would have been test rides but this was the next best thingBosch photo at top The idea of automated valet parking photo at top with a pilot program in Detroit in partnership with Bedrock and Ford was certainly interesting and newsyJohn Deere The company wanted to showcase the robotics and autonomous driving capabilities of its new tractor and planter combination and so got journalists ready by sending them a package that included soil seeds and a virtual reality setup I couldnamp8217t make it work but it was the thought that countedI39ve gotten bolder in interviews If we39re going down a path where interest doesn39t extend beyond the corner offices I39ve learned to stop the proceedings dead and say quotI39m personally interested in this but my editor would never go for it I need something that will grab readers I39m afraidquot Generally that approach works and we go down more productive avenuesAs we plan for CES 2022 maybe in person this time let39s keep all this in mindClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160amp160

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CES 2021: Automotive Speakers and Panelists that Worked and Didn't Work

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Jim Motavalli

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CES 2021: Automotive Speakers and Panelists that Worked and Didn't Work

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