The SEMA Show is not only the year’s best opportunity for the specialty-equipment industry to do business, it also serves as the proving grounds for trends that will either meet quick and superficial ends or will take hold and dominate the thoughts of builders, fabricators, designers, engineers and the like for the next 12 months.

The top trend of the 2009 SEMA Show wasn’t a vehicle or product, however. It was a business philosophy, namely, survival. Businesses that attended and exhibited made a commitment to set-up for success in 2010. Twelve months ago, the economy was in free-fall and no one knew where it would land, writes Motor Trend editor Angus MacKenzie. “This year, the mood among most exhibitors was a mixture of relief and quiet optimism: We’ve survived the worst, and things are slowly getting better.”

And with the worst behind, exhibitors offered a mix of innovative, optimistic and playful vehicle builds and designs.

Old School Meets New

Ringbrothers Ford Fairlane was a highlight for many, including Motor Trend and Jalopnik’s writers. A Roush V8, some chop work and artfully integrated billet and carbon-fiber work make the Afterburner an innovative blend of old and new.

Compact Cubism

Kia, Scion and Nissan now all have mobile boxes, and with the success of the Scion xB, why not? These cube cars, with their unique stance and highly customizable layouts, have become top sellers with a young generation of car enthusiasts. The Kia Soul, which made its SEMA Show debut last year, and the Nissan Cube offered platforms for a variety of manufacturers, from mobile audio wire and component makers Scosche to veteran Nissan tuners Stillen.

But the xB, which launched the box trend more than five years ago and now is in its second-generation, still holds sway over the pack. The Scion annual design contest brought out some truly inspired takes on the xB, including the stretched, chopped and Moon-inspired pickup/Ruckus hauler pictured above built by the crew at BOWLS in Los Angeles.

Lexus Continues SEMA Hot Streak
The Lexus IS-F was a hot debut at the 2007 SEMA Show, and this year Lexus maintained its SEMA momentum with the first North American showing of its LF-A supercar. But it was the newest variation of the IS family, the convertible, that got many enthusiasts pumped, as InsideLine noted.

Diesel: Not Just for Trucks and Converted Benz 300s Anymore

More than a few journalists covered this sinister sled, but the guys at Speedhunters.com got some nice shots of Amanda Livingston’s '65 Cadillac, complete with Cummings turbodiesel drivetrain. Although the flat black exterior and sparkle top aren’t breakthrough aesthetics, the diesel swap makes an interesting twist. Here's more flat-black love from the Show floor.

Cake and Eat It Too

The gap between traditional hot-rod values and environmental responsibility further narrowed at the 2009 SEMA Show. GM debuted its E-Rod engine line—430hp LS3 crate engines that allow you to legally title a project vehicle in California—within a ’55 Chevy. And Ford displayed its application of new and old school with its twin-turbocharged Ecoboosted ’34 Ford, shown above.

Show Concepts to Reality

Although billed simply as a Jay Leno project car with GM, with a meager 425 hp from a V6 and a pair of Turbonetics T-3 turbos, recent auto show speculation suggests that this Camaro may very well be the next Z28—an idea welcomed by the writers at InsideLine.

Bigger, Wider, Larger…

Mopar’s Lower Forty Jeep caused a stir in off-road circles, as noted by the crew at AutoWeek. The tires on the Lower Forty measure 40 x 13.5, wrapped around 20-inch wheels. There’s also a nearly 400hp Hemi for good measure.


Only at SEMA…

...will you find a Subaru WRX STI snowcat. Unless you happen to ski or board at rally driver and DC Shoes cofounder Ken Block’s Utah compound, in which case you might be offered a ride up to the half-pipe in this purpose-built STI snowmobile. It offered a “why not?” moment for writers such as Motor Trend’s Ed Loh.

The SEMA Show is not only the year’s best opportunity for the specialty-equipment industry to do business, it also serves as the proving grounds for trends that will either meet quick and superficial ends or will take hold and dominate the thoughts of builders, fabricators, designers, engineers and the like for the next 12 months.

The top trend of the 2009 SEMA Show wasn’t a vehicle or product, however. It was a business philosophy, namely, survival. Businesses that attended and exhibited made a commitment to set-up for success in 2010. Twelve months ago, the economy was in free-fall and no one knew where it would land, writes Motor Trend editor Angus MacKenzie. “This year, the mood among most exhibitors was a mixture of relief and quiet optimism: We’ve survived the worst, and things are slowly getting better.”

And with the worst behind, exhibitors offered a mix of innovative, optimistic and playful vehicle builds and designs.

Old School Meets New

Ringbrothers Ford Fairlane was a highlight for many, including Motor Trend and Jalopnik’s writers. A Roush V8, some chop work and artfully integrated billet and carbon-fiber work make the Afterburner an innovative blend of old and new.

Compact Cubism

Kia, Scion and Nissan now all have mobile boxes, and with the success of the Scion xB, why not? These cube cars, with their unique stance and highly customizable layouts, have become top sellers with a young generation of car enthusiasts. The Kia Soul, which made its SEMA Show debut last year, and the Nissan Cube offered platforms for a variety of manufacturers, from mobile audio wire and component makers Scosche to veteran Nissan tuners Stillen.

But the xB, which launched the box trend more than five years ago and now is in its second-generation, still holds sway over the pack. The Scion annual design contest brought out some truly inspired takes on the xB, including the stretched, chopped and Moon-inspired pickup/Ruckus hauler pictured above built by the crew at BOWLS in Los Angeles.

Lexus Continues SEMA Hot Streak
The Lexus IS-F was a hot debut at the 2007 SEMA Show, and this year Lexus maintained its SEMA momentum with the first North American showing of its LF-A supercar. But it was the newest variation of the IS family, the convertible, that got many enthusiasts pumped, as InsideLine noted.

Diesel: Not Just for Trucks and Converted Benz 300s Anymore

More than a few journalists covered this sinister sled, but the guys at Speedhunters.com got some nice shots of Amanda Livingston’s '65 Cadillac, complete with Cummings turbodiesel drivetrain. Although the flat black exterior and sparkle top aren’t breakthrough aesthetics, the diesel swap makes an interesting twist. Here's more flat-black love from the Show floor.

Cake and Eat It Too

The gap between traditional hot-rod values and environmental responsibility further narrowed at the 2009 SEMA Show. GM debuted its E-Rod engine line—430hp LS3 crate engines that allow you to legally title a project vehicle in California—within a ’55 Chevy. And Ford displayed its application of new and old school with its twin-turbocharged Ecoboosted ’34 Ford, shown above.

Show Concepts to Reality

Although billed simply as a Jay Leno project car with GM, with a meager 425 hp from a V6 and a pair of Turbonetics T-3 turbos, recent auto show speculation suggests that this Camaro may very well be the next Z28—an idea welcomed by the writers at InsideLine.

Bigger, Wider, Larger…

Mopar’s Lower Forty Jeep caused a stir in off-road circles, as noted by the crew at AutoWeek. The tires on the Lower Forty measure 40 x 13.5, wrapped around 20-inch wheels. There’s also a nearly 400hp Hemi for good measure.


Only at SEMA…

...will you find a Subaru WRX STI snowcat. Unless you happen to ski or board at rally driver and DC Shoes cofounder Ken Block’s Utah compound, in which case you might be offered a ride up to the half-pipe in this purpose-built STI snowmobile. It offered a “why not?” moment for writers such as Motor Trend’s Ed Loh.

The SEMA Show is not only the year’s best opportunity for the specialty-equipment industry to do business, it also serves as the proving grounds for trends that will either meet quick and superficial ends or will take hold and dominate the thoughts of builders, fabricators, designers, engineers and the like for the next 12 months.

The top trend of the 2009 SEMA Show wasn’t a vehicle or product, however. It was a business philosophy, namely, survival. Businesses that attended and exhibited made a commitment to set-up for success in 2010. Twelve months ago, the economy was in free-fall and no one knew where it would land, writes Motor Trend editor Angus MacKenzie. “This year, the mood among most exhibitors was a mixture of relief and quiet optimism: We’ve survived the worst, and things are slowly getting better.”

And with the worst behind, exhibitors offered a mix of innovative, optimistic and playful vehicle builds and designs.

Old School Meets New

Ringbrothers Ford Fairlane was a highlight for many, including Motor Trend and Jalopnik’s writers. A Roush V8, some chop work and artfully integrated billet and carbon-fiber work make the Afterburner an innovative blend of old and new.

Compact Cubism

Kia, Scion and Nissan now all have mobile boxes, and with the success of the Scion xB, why not? These cube cars, with their unique stance and highly customizable layouts, have become top sellers with a young generation of car enthusiasts. The Kia Soul, which made its SEMA Show debut last year, and the Nissan Cube offered platforms for a variety of manufacturers, from mobile audio wire and component makers Scosche to veteran Nissan tuners Stillen.

But the xB, which launched the box trend more than five years ago and now is in its second-generation, still holds sway over the pack. The Scion annual design contest brought out some truly inspired takes on the xB, including the stretched, chopped and Moon-inspired pickup/Ruckus hauler pictured above built by the crew at BOWLS in Los Angeles.

Lexus Continues SEMA Hot Streak
The Lexus IS-F was a hot debut at the 2007 SEMA Show, and this year Lexus maintained its SEMA momentum with the first North American showing of its LF-A supercar. But it was the newest variation of the IS family, the convertible, that got many enthusiasts pumped, as InsideLine noted.

Diesel: Not Just for Trucks and Converted Benz 300s Anymore

More than a few journalists covered this sinister sled, but the guys at Speedhunters.com got some nice shots of Amanda Livingston’s '65 Cadillac, complete with Cummings turbodiesel drivetrain. Although the flat black exterior and sparkle top aren’t breakthrough aesthetics, the diesel swap makes an interesting twist. Here's more flat-black love from the Show floor.

Cake and Eat It Too

The gap between traditional hot-rod values and environmental responsibility further narrowed at the 2009 SEMA Show. GM debuted its E-Rod engine line—430hp LS3 crate engines that allow you to legally title a project vehicle in California—within a ’55 Chevy. And Ford displayed its application of new and old school with its twin-turbocharged Ecoboosted ’34 Ford, shown above.

Show Concepts to Reality

Although billed simply as a Jay Leno project car with GM, with a meager 425 hp from a V6 and a pair of Turbonetics T-3 turbos, recent auto show speculation suggests that this Camaro may very well be the next Z28—an idea welcomed by the writers at InsideLine.

Bigger, Wider, Larger…

Mopar’s Lower Forty Jeep caused a stir in off-road circles, as noted by the crew at AutoWeek. The tires on the Lower Forty measure 40 x 13.5, wrapped around 20-inch wheels. There’s also a nearly 400hp Hemi for good measure.


Only at SEMA…

...will you find a Subaru WRX STI snowcat. Unless you happen to ski or board at rally driver and DC Shoes cofounder Ken Block’s Utah compound, in which case you might be offered a ride up to the half-pipe in this purpose-built STI snowmobile. It offered a “why not?” moment for writers such as Motor Trend’s Ed Loh.

The SEMA Show is not only the year’s best opportunity for the specialty-equipment industry to do business, it also serves as the proving grounds for trends that will either meet quick and superficial ends or will take hold and dominate the thoughts of builders, fabricators, designers, engineers and the like for the next 12 months.

The top trend of the 2009 SEMA Show wasn’t a vehicle or product, however. It was a business philosophy, namely, survival. Businesses that attended and exhibited made a commitment to set-up for success in 2010. Twelve months ago, the economy was in free-fall and no one knew where it would land, writes Motor Trend editor Angus MacKenzie. “This year, the mood among most exhibitors was a mixture of relief and quiet optimism: We’ve survived the worst, and things are slowly getting better.”

And with the worst behind, exhibitors offered a mix of innovative, optimistic and playful vehicle builds and designs.

Old School Meets New

Ringbrothers Ford Fairlane was a highlight for many, including Motor Trend and Jalopnik’s writers. A Roush V8, some chop work and artfully integrated billet and carbon-fiber work make the Afterburner an innovative blend of old and new.

Compact Cubism

Kia, Scion and Nissan now all have mobile boxes, and with the success of the Scion xB, why not? These cube cars, with their unique stance and highly customizable layouts, have become top sellers with a young generation of car enthusiasts. The Kia Soul, which made its SEMA Show debut last year, and the Nissan Cube offered platforms for a variety of manufacturers, from mobile audio wire and component makers Scosche to veteran Nissan tuners Stillen.

But the xB, which launched the box trend more than five years ago and now is in its second-generation, still holds sway over the pack. The Scion annual design contest brought out some truly inspired takes on the xB, including the stretched, chopped and Moon-inspired pickup/Ruckus hauler pictured above built by the crew at BOWLS in Los Angeles.

Lexus Continues SEMA Hot Streak
The Lexus IS-F was a hot debut at the 2007 SEMA Show, and this year Lexus maintained its SEMA momentum with the first North American showing of its LF-A supercar. But it was the newest variation of the IS family, the convertible, that got many enthusiasts pumped, as InsideLine noted.

Diesel: Not Just for Trucks and Converted Benz 300s Anymore

More than a few journalists covered this sinister sled, but the guys at Speedhunters.com got some nice shots of Amanda Livingston’s '65 Cadillac, complete with Cummings turbodiesel drivetrain. Although the flat black exterior and sparkle top aren’t breakthrough aesthetics, the diesel swap makes an interesting twist. Here's more flat-black love from the Show floor.

Cake and Eat It Too

The gap between traditional hot-rod values and environmental responsibility further narrowed at the 2009 SEMA Show. GM debuted its E-Rod engine line—430hp LS3 crate engines that allow you to legally title a project vehicle in California—within a ’55 Chevy. And Ford displayed its application of new and old school with its twin-turbocharged Ecoboosted ’34 Ford, shown above.

Show Concepts to Reality

Although billed simply as a Jay Leno project car with GM, with a meager 425 hp from a V6 and a pair of Turbonetics T-3 turbos, recent auto show speculation suggests that this Camaro may very well be the next Z28—an idea welcomed by the writers at InsideLine.

Bigger, Wider, Larger…

Mopar’s Lower Forty Jeep caused a stir in off-road circles, as noted by the crew at AutoWeek. The tires on the Lower Forty measure 40 x 13.5, wrapped around 20-inch wheels. There’s also a nearly 400hp Hemi for good measure.


Only at SEMA…

...will you find a Subaru WRX STI snowcat. Unless you happen to ski or board at rally driver and DC Shoes cofounder Ken Block’s Utah compound, in which case you might be offered a ride up to the half-pipe in this purpose-built STI snowmobile. It offered a “why not?” moment for writers such as Motor Trend’s Ed Loh.

	Rick Ballard

Rick G. Ballard from Hurricane, Utah, received the Technician of the Future award, sponsored by Mitchell 1 and the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), Ballard earned the honor from a candidate pool of more than 185,000 qualifiers. Ballard has been an automotive technician for three years and an ASE Master Technician for one year. He is employed as an automotive technician at Cache Valley Advantage Automotive, located in Logan, Utah. Ballard took courses at Dixie State College in St. George, Utah in the automotive repair program as a high school student, which included electric car conversion. He graduated from the Toyota T-Ten program through Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, in May 2009.

Advanstar Communications announced that Auto Body World of Tolleson, Arizona, is the Automotive Body Repair News (ABRN) Top Shop for 2009. This year marked the first time the competition was held by ABRN magazine to honor the top 10 collision repair facilities in the United States. Auto Body World of Tolleson, is one of six shops in the Phoenix area operated by the company under the leadership of David Fait, CEO, and Mark Turner, president. Fait’s father, Warren, launched the company in 1962, and they now have 130 employees.

The 2009 SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series will air on Speed-TV beginning December 6.

Beginning December 6, the 2009 SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series—the country’s only professional clean diesel racing series—will begin airing on Speed TV. The broadcast schedule for the first seven races of the season has been announced, and the final dates will be released at a later date. Each of the races will air in an edited 30-minute broadcast. Check local cable listings for channel information and www.speedtv.com for broadcast schedule updates.

DuPont announced that silver, black and white are the top colors in the first-ever ranking of worldwide vehicle color popularity. The Top 10 Global Vehicle Colors according to DuPont are: silver (25%), black (23%), white (16%), gray (13%), blue (9%), red (8%), brown/beige (4%), green (1%), yellow/gold (1%), others (less than 1%). The information is part of the annual DuPont Global Automotive Color Popularity Report, now in its 57th year. Read the complete release from DuPont.

After being away from the Motorsports show for several years, Miller Beer will return as an associate sponsor for Motorsports 2010 presented by StreetBlaze 100. The 25th anniversary edition of the show is set for Friday–Sunday, January 22–24, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.

	Yokohama's headquarters in Fullerton, California.

The Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC) is celebrating its 40th anniversary in the United States. Some highlights of the company’s 40 years in the United States include: YTC introduces the A008 asymmetric tread pattern to the United States in 1982; YTC acquires the Mohawk Rubber Company, providing an essential manufacturing facility in the United States; YTC opens a distribution center in Auburn, Georgia, in 2000; and, in 2008, the company’s Orange oil-infused dB Super E-spec wins Popular Mechanics Editor’s Choice Award. For more information, visit www.yokohamatire.com.

McCullough Public Relations Inc. was selected as the public relations firm of record for Prolong Super Lubricants, a brand of GoldenWest Lubricants Inc. McCullough PR will coordinate all of Prolong's media relations, including press release writing, feature-story coordination and onsite trade show representation.

Suzuki is preparing the launch of its all-new 2010 Kizashi five-passenger sedan and is inviting all SEMA manufacturing members to its December 11 measuring session to get hands-on with the new specs. The front-drive 2010 Kizashi (also available in AWD) will feature a 2.4L four-cylinder engine, putting down 185 hp through a six-speed manual or CVT.

SEMA News - December 2009

Joe Dysart

Top 10 Free Business Uses

Already a juggernaut for business marketing, YouTube is becoming the Swiss Army knife of business communications.

“If you’ve never visited the YouTube website, you’ve missed out on the hottest thing on the Internet today,” said Michael Miller, author of YouTube for Business: Online Video Marketing for Any Business, an excellent guide.

One of the major reasons businesses are flocking to YouTube is its unbridled popularity. Just a blip on the web’s radar a few years ago, the video-sharing service has rocketed to one of the most visited sites on the Internet. During August 2009 alone, more than 120 million viewers watched nearly 10 billion videos on YouTube, according to market watcher Comscore.

Organizations also find YouTube’s ease of entry and low cost hard to resist. Virtually anyone with basic PC skills can upload a video to YouTube—for free—in a matter of minutes. And since YouTube’s videos are generally viewed in a relatively small viewing screen, there’s no reason for businesses to endure painful budgets for video production costs. In fact, the subtleties of high-end video production are generally lost on YouTube, according to Miller.

Plus, business users are saving significant coin by shifting hosting responsibilities for their videos onto YouTube. The reason? Ordinarily, a firm needs to pay bandwidth transmission charges anytime a visitor views a video hosted on its company website. But when that same video is uploaded to YouTube’s servers, businesses never pay a bandwidth transmission cost—no matter how many times that video is viewed.

All told, it’s a frothy mix of remarkable popularity, ease of entry and virtually non-existent costs that have the wheels spinning at countless organizations as they continually innovate on YouTube. So far, here are the top 10 uses they’ve forged:

Marketing: This is without doubt the most popular business use of YouTube, and it can be wildly successful. Firms with shoestring promotional budgets have become overnight stars on the service, often with zany and off-the-wall marketing pitches. One of the classics is “Will It Blend,” a campy series from blender manufacturer Blendtec, which proves the mettle of its product by “blending” some rather unorthodox items in its blender. Among the hapless victims of the series are:

• iPhone
• rake handle
• 50 marbles 

Other successful irreverent takes on YouTube marketing include offerings from:

• T-Mobile Dance
• Inspired Bicycles
• Rosenthal Plumbing

Recruiting: Given that many firms already have videos touting their businesses as inviting places to work, posting those same productions on YouTube is a no-brainer. Top firms already cashing in on the free exposure include Intel, Siemens and Google.

“Don’t limit yourself to a single, long puff video,” Miller said. “Produce separate videos for individual departments as well as to illustrate company values, employee benefits, facilities and the like.”

Product/Service How-To’s: These videos can, of course, serve a dual purpose for a business, offering detailed instructions for novice clients and customers while serving as a promotional spot for looky-lous.

Given that many firms already have videos touting their businesses as inviting places to work, posting those same productions on YouTube is a no-brainer.

Company Video FAQs: Any firm can leap over the image of faceless, monolithic corporate players with on-the-fly videos, which feature charming customer-service people answering frequently asked questions. Sure, many businesses already have written FAQs on their websites. But there is something to be said for going the extra mile and offering the personal touch inherent in the video medium. For a model video FAQ, check out AT&T’s offering on iPhones.

News Video Clips: The beauty of posting your company news to YouTube is that your information is not sliced, diced or in any other way whittled down to a mere shadow of its former glory. Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, for example, recently posted an eight-minute video on YouTube detailing his company’s acquisition of Zappos.

Focus Groups: Many sophisticated users of YouTube are also using the service as a free testing ground for commercials that they plan to run on cable and broadcast TV and elsewhere on the web. Specifically, they use YouTube’s free analytical tool, Insight, to test the viewing popularity of commercials. Insight’s metrics include the overall popularity of the video, who’s viewing the video, where those viewers are coming from on the web and what keywords they used to find the video.

Client Communications: When an e-mail or friendly phone call simply doesn’t cut it, many firms are posting videos to YouTube to connect with clients concerning project updates, personalized descriptions of new products or services and the like. The medium conveys the message that the company places a special value on its client or customer and is willing to go the extra distance to prove it. Plus, such communications can be easily made private on YouTube by selecting the “private” option under its “Broadcast Options” variable. This ensures that only the viewers you select get to see the video you’ve uploaded.

Employee-to-Employee Communications: As far as Google, the parent company of YouTube, is concerned, “videomail” could be poised to become the e-mail of the next decade. In fact, Google has added “Google Video” to its Google Apps suite for businesses. Makes sense. Why not zip off a response to a thorny problem or challenge via video mail if it’s easier to do so than in another medium? At the very least, videomail is a trend worth experimenting with and monitoring.

Employee Training: Any company with multiple locations across the United States or across the world can immediately see the benefit of posting training videos on YouTube and having the appropriate employees dial in. And by using YouTube’s “private broadcast” option, those companies can ensure that the training videos stay internal. “Many companies find that YouTube is a fast and effective way to disseminate all kinds of employee information,” Miller said. “Done right, it gets information out there in near real time with all the benefits of face-to-face communication.”

Savings on Business Travel: All the videos sent to employees and clients are also enabling businesses users to rack up substantial savings on business travel. Granted, there are plenty of instances where true face-to-face interaction is irreplaceable.

But in many other situations, a video overture is a bull’s-eye compromise between basic e-mail and an all-expenses-paid business trip for one or more employees to multiple cities.

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan, New York.
Voice: 646/233-4089
E-mail: joe@joedysart.com
Website: www.joedysart.com

SEMA News - December 2009

Joe Dysart

Top 10 Free Business Uses

Already a juggernaut for business marketing, YouTube is becoming the Swiss Army knife of business communications.

“If you’ve never visited the YouTube website, you’ve missed out on the hottest thing on the Internet today,” said Michael Miller, author of YouTube for Business: Online Video Marketing for Any Business, an excellent guide.

One of the major reasons businesses are flocking to YouTube is its unbridled popularity. Just a blip on the web’s radar a few years ago, the video-sharing service has rocketed to one of the most visited sites on the Internet. During August 2009 alone, more than 120 million viewers watched nearly 10 billion videos on YouTube, according to market watcher Comscore.

Organizations also find YouTube’s ease of entry and low cost hard to resist. Virtually anyone with basic PC skills can upload a video to YouTube—for free—in a matter of minutes. And since YouTube’s videos are generally viewed in a relatively small viewing screen, there’s no reason for businesses to endure painful budgets for video production costs. In fact, the subtleties of high-end video production are generally lost on YouTube, according to Miller.

Plus, business users are saving significant coin by shifting hosting responsibilities for their videos onto YouTube. The reason? Ordinarily, a firm needs to pay bandwidth transmission charges anytime a visitor views a video hosted on its company website. But when that same video is uploaded to YouTube’s servers, businesses never pay a bandwidth transmission cost—no matter how many times that video is viewed.

All told, it’s a frothy mix of remarkable popularity, ease of entry and virtually non-existent costs that have the wheels spinning at countless organizations as they continually innovate on YouTube. So far, here are the top 10 uses they’ve forged:

Marketing: This is without doubt the most popular business use of YouTube, and it can be wildly successful. Firms with shoestring promotional budgets have become overnight stars on the service, often with zany and off-the-wall marketing pitches. One of the classics is “Will It Blend,” a campy series from blender manufacturer Blendtec, which proves the mettle of its product by “blending” some rather unorthodox items in its blender. Among the hapless victims of the series are:

• iPhone
• rake handle
• 50 marbles 

Other successful irreverent takes on YouTube marketing include offerings from:

• T-Mobile Dance
• Inspired Bicycles
• Rosenthal Plumbing

Recruiting: Given that many firms already have videos touting their businesses as inviting places to work, posting those same productions on YouTube is a no-brainer. Top firms already cashing in on the free exposure include Intel, Siemens and Google.

“Don’t limit yourself to a single, long puff video,” Miller said. “Produce separate videos for individual departments as well as to illustrate company values, employee benefits, facilities and the like.”

Product/Service How-To’s: These videos can, of course, serve a dual purpose for a business, offering detailed instructions for novice clients and customers while serving as a promotional spot for looky-lous.

Given that many firms already have videos touting their businesses as inviting places to work, posting those same productions on YouTube is a no-brainer.

Company Video FAQs: Any firm can leap over the image of faceless, monolithic corporate players with on-the-fly videos, which feature charming customer-service people answering frequently asked questions. Sure, many businesses already have written FAQs on their websites. But there is something to be said for going the extra mile and offering the personal touch inherent in the video medium. For a model video FAQ, check out AT&T’s offering on iPhones.

News Video Clips: The beauty of posting your company news to YouTube is that your information is not sliced, diced or in any other way whittled down to a mere shadow of its former glory. Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, for example, recently posted an eight-minute video on YouTube detailing his company’s acquisition of Zappos.

Focus Groups: Many sophisticated users of YouTube are also using the service as a free testing ground for commercials that they plan to run on cable and broadcast TV and elsewhere on the web. Specifically, they use YouTube’s free analytical tool, Insight, to test the viewing popularity of commercials. Insight’s metrics include the overall popularity of the video, who’s viewing the video, where those viewers are coming from on the web and what keywords they used to find the video.

Client Communications: When an e-mail or friendly phone call simply doesn’t cut it, many firms are posting videos to YouTube to connect with clients concerning project updates, personalized descriptions of new products or services and the like. The medium conveys the message that the company places a special value on its client or customer and is willing to go the extra distance to prove it. Plus, such communications can be easily made private on YouTube by selecting the “private” option under its “Broadcast Options” variable. This ensures that only the viewers you select get to see the video you’ve uploaded.

Employee-to-Employee Communications: As far as Google, the parent company of YouTube, is concerned, “videomail” could be poised to become the e-mail of the next decade. In fact, Google has added “Google Video” to its Google Apps suite for businesses. Makes sense. Why not zip off a response to a thorny problem or challenge via video mail if it’s easier to do so than in another medium? At the very least, videomail is a trend worth experimenting with and monitoring.

Employee Training: Any company with multiple locations across the United States or across the world can immediately see the benefit of posting training videos on YouTube and having the appropriate employees dial in. And by using YouTube’s “private broadcast” option, those companies can ensure that the training videos stay internal. “Many companies find that YouTube is a fast and effective way to disseminate all kinds of employee information,” Miller said. “Done right, it gets information out there in near real time with all the benefits of face-to-face communication.”

Savings on Business Travel: All the videos sent to employees and clients are also enabling businesses users to rack up substantial savings on business travel. Granted, there are plenty of instances where true face-to-face interaction is irreplaceable.

But in many other situations, a video overture is a bull’s-eye compromise between basic e-mail and an all-expenses-paid business trip for one or more employees to multiple cities.

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan, New York.
Voice: 646/233-4089
E-mail: joe@joedysart.com
Website: www.joedysart.com

SEMA News - December 2009

Joe Dysart

Top 10 Free Business Uses

Already a juggernaut for business marketing, YouTube is becoming the Swiss Army knife of business communications.

“If you’ve never visited the YouTube website, you’ve missed out on the hottest thing on the Internet today,” said Michael Miller, author of YouTube for Business: Online Video Marketing for Any Business, an excellent guide.

One of the major reasons businesses are flocking to YouTube is its unbridled popularity. Just a blip on the web’s radar a few years ago, the video-sharing service has rocketed to one of the most visited sites on the Internet. During August 2009 alone, more than 120 million viewers watched nearly 10 billion videos on YouTube, according to market watcher Comscore.

Organizations also find YouTube’s ease of entry and low cost hard to resist. Virtually anyone with basic PC skills can upload a video to YouTube—for free—in a matter of minutes. And since YouTube’s videos are generally viewed in a relatively small viewing screen, there’s no reason for businesses to endure painful budgets for video production costs. In fact, the subtleties of high-end video production are generally lost on YouTube, according to Miller.

Plus, business users are saving significant coin by shifting hosting responsibilities for their videos onto YouTube. The reason? Ordinarily, a firm needs to pay bandwidth transmission charges anytime a visitor views a video hosted on its company website. But when that same video is uploaded to YouTube’s servers, businesses never pay a bandwidth transmission cost—no matter how many times that video is viewed.

All told, it’s a frothy mix of remarkable popularity, ease of entry and virtually non-existent costs that have the wheels spinning at countless organizations as they continually innovate on YouTube. So far, here are the top 10 uses they’ve forged:

Marketing: This is without doubt the most popular business use of YouTube, and it can be wildly successful. Firms with shoestring promotional budgets have become overnight stars on the service, often with zany and off-the-wall marketing pitches. One of the classics is “Will It Blend,” a campy series from blender manufacturer Blendtec, which proves the mettle of its product by “blending” some rather unorthodox items in its blender. Among the hapless victims of the series are:

• iPhone
• rake handle
• 50 marbles 

Other successful irreverent takes on YouTube marketing include offerings from:

• T-Mobile Dance
• Inspired Bicycles
• Rosenthal Plumbing

Recruiting: Given that many firms already have videos touting their businesses as inviting places to work, posting those same productions on YouTube is a no-brainer. Top firms already cashing in on the free exposure include Intel, Siemens and Google.

“Don’t limit yourself to a single, long puff video,” Miller said. “Produce separate videos for individual departments as well as to illustrate company values, employee benefits, facilities and the like.”

Product/Service How-To’s: These videos can, of course, serve a dual purpose for a business, offering detailed instructions for novice clients and customers while serving as a promotional spot for looky-lous.

Given that many firms already have videos touting their businesses as inviting places to work, posting those same productions on YouTube is a no-brainer.

Company Video FAQs: Any firm can leap over the image of faceless, monolithic corporate players with on-the-fly videos, which feature charming customer-service people answering frequently asked questions. Sure, many businesses already have written FAQs on their websites. But there is something to be said for going the extra mile and offering the personal touch inherent in the video medium. For a model video FAQ, check out AT&T’s offering on iPhones.

News Video Clips: The beauty of posting your company news to YouTube is that your information is not sliced, diced or in any other way whittled down to a mere shadow of its former glory. Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, for example, recently posted an eight-minute video on YouTube detailing his company’s acquisition of Zappos.

Focus Groups: Many sophisticated users of YouTube are also using the service as a free testing ground for commercials that they plan to run on cable and broadcast TV and elsewhere on the web. Specifically, they use YouTube’s free analytical tool, Insight, to test the viewing popularity of commercials. Insight’s metrics include the overall popularity of the video, who’s viewing the video, where those viewers are coming from on the web and what keywords they used to find the video.

Client Communications: When an e-mail or friendly phone call simply doesn’t cut it, many firms are posting videos to YouTube to connect with clients concerning project updates, personalized descriptions of new products or services and the like. The medium conveys the message that the company places a special value on its client or customer and is willing to go the extra distance to prove it. Plus, such communications can be easily made private on YouTube by selecting the “private” option under its “Broadcast Options” variable. This ensures that only the viewers you select get to see the video you’ve uploaded.

Employee-to-Employee Communications: As far as Google, the parent company of YouTube, is concerned, “videomail” could be poised to become the e-mail of the next decade. In fact, Google has added “Google Video” to its Google Apps suite for businesses. Makes sense. Why not zip off a response to a thorny problem or challenge via video mail if it’s easier to do so than in another medium? At the very least, videomail is a trend worth experimenting with and monitoring.

Employee Training: Any company with multiple locations across the United States or across the world can immediately see the benefit of posting training videos on YouTube and having the appropriate employees dial in. And by using YouTube’s “private broadcast” option, those companies can ensure that the training videos stay internal. “Many companies find that YouTube is a fast and effective way to disseminate all kinds of employee information,” Miller said. “Done right, it gets information out there in near real time with all the benefits of face-to-face communication.”

Savings on Business Travel: All the videos sent to employees and clients are also enabling businesses users to rack up substantial savings on business travel. Granted, there are plenty of instances where true face-to-face interaction is irreplaceable.

But in many other situations, a video overture is a bull’s-eye compromise between basic e-mail and an all-expenses-paid business trip for one or more employees to multiple cities.

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan, New York.
Voice: 646/233-4089
E-mail: joe@joedysart.com
Website: www.joedysart.com

SEMA News - December 2009

LEGISLATIVE & TECHNICAL AFFAIRS

By Steve McDonald

Working on behalf of California enthusiasts of specialty vehicles (street rods, custom vehicles, kit cars and replicas) and in cooperation with the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Bureau of Automotive Repair, the Air Resources Board and the attorney general’s office, SEMA has resolved a complex and threatening issue to this market segment and the industry it serves. “This breakthrough procedure allows owners of certain specially constructed vehicles (SCVs) to avoid the pitfalls of a previously muddy process for legally registering and titling such vehicles in California,” said Steve McDonald, SEMA vice president of government affairs. “Under this process, vehicle owners can avoid a situation that could have led to confiscated SCVs and law enforcement action. Further, the program now permits these vehicles to demonstrate state emissions-compliance requirements.”

Over the years, California’s complex vehicle registration laws have created confusion for hobbyists and the state employees who administer the regulations. Consequently, certain SCVs may be erroneously registered or titled. SEMA has worked with state agencies to address the interests of all parties, including enthusiasts in the SCV market, so that these vehicles can be properly registered and titled in the state.

“Given the looming threat of prosecution that owners of specially constructed vehicles were facing, SEMA’s charge was to find an equitable solution that provided these owners a reasonable period of time to voluntarily re-title their vehicles and pay any necessary back taxes and fees,” said SEMA General Counsel Russ Deane. “After five years of work on these issues, an innovative and ground-breaking solution has been created.”

Last year, SEMA helped enact into law a program whereby the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) would develop and administer a vehicle registration amnesty program. The amnesty program will be in effect from January 1–December 31, 2010, and will apply to vehicles that were previously registered or classified under erroneous or illegal circumstances. Under this new law, the DMV will grant amnesty from prosecution to a vehicle owner if certain conditions are met, including the owner filing a completed application with the department.

More recently, a process was established to allow specially constructed vehicle owners who have been granted amnesty to avail themselves of emissions requirements that recognize the unique nature of these vehicles. While there are still details to be concluded, SEMA has reached a tentative agreement with the state to provide for three methods to achieve compliance.

First, an owner can pay all back taxes and penalties and apply for one of 500 (per year) smog-check exemptions. Under California law, these 500 exemptions for specially constructed vehicles are available each year on a first-come, first-served basis. For vehicles with an exemption, a smog-test referee compares the vehicle to production cars of the era that the specially constructed vehicle most closely resembles to determine the model year. The vehicle owner can then choose whether the inspector will certify the vehicle model year by body type or by the engine model year. Only those emissions controls applicable to the chosen model year are required. California law authorizes a $160 fee for each referee inspection.

Under a second option, SCV owners can pay all back taxes and penalties and then choose to install one of several approved OEM engines and related powertrain components (GM has secured approval for certain engines thus far). Using these OEM components and specifications for the construction of an approved fuel tank and delivery system, these engines provide performance-level power and are intended to meet California emissions compliance requirements.

“The GM engine package represents another option for SCV owners seeking to legally register and title their vehicles,” commented SEMA Technical Consultant Jim McFarland. “In fact, by using one of these engines, it’s also possible for owners of amnesty vehicles to exchange their existing engines for powertrains that represent the latest in GM’s emissions and performance-related technologies.”

However, McFarland indicated that because certain variables are involved when configuring any engine or powertrain package for emissions purposes, some measure of compliance risk is involved when such components are installed in a range of vehicle types and conditions.

Finally, working under the banner of the GreenRod Project and recognizing that the demand for the 500 exemptions greatly exceeds the supply, SEMA configured a kit of emissions-related aftermarket parts that met California smog-check standards during a series of tests on a project vehicle. An owner can pay all back taxes and penalties and, if the owner is not able to obtain one of the 500 available exemptions, a “retrofit kit” of parts can be installed. Major components in the kit include an aftermarket electronic fuel injection (EFI) system, an EFI controller, exhaust headers, camshaft, mufflers and catalytic converters. For the purposes of the GreenRod Project, the retrofit kit was installed on a high-mileage ’80 El Camino fitted with a ’86 carbureted 5.7L engine. The 5.7L, 350-cid small-block Chevrolet V8 engine is one of the most widely used engine platforms for all types of specially constructed vehicles.

According to McFarland, “While the engine SEMA used to develop the kit was considered a worst-case configuration, it still passed smog-check requirements. Variables, such as engine condition, accumulated mileage and related factors affecting emissions, from these parts may, in some cases, cause similar engines not to meet acceptable emissions levels. Nonetheless, transitioning from a carbureted environment to a fuel-injected environment while utilizing the latest controller technology and emissions parts upgrades available from the specialty-equipment industry resulted in dramatic and unprecedented reductions in tailpipe and evaporative emissions on the test vehicle. The retrofit kit actually improved performance and drivability while not limiting power in a full-acceleration mode, compared to a carbureted engine. It was perhaps the first time a package of specialty aftermarket parts has been assembled for the purpose of reducing tailpipe emissions that did not reduce power or performance.”

“Given the seriousness of the title and registration issue in California, SEMA’s work with the state agencies to create practical solutions for specialty vehicle owners, both now and in the future, is an outstanding accomplishment,” said SO-CAL Speed Shop owner Pete Chapouris.

Frequently Asked Questions About the GreenRod Project

The following are questions and answers about the amnesty program and the GreenRod Project.

Question: How do I know if I need to apply for amnesty?

Answer: If you have knowingly made any false statement or knowingly concealed any material fact in any document filed with the DMV or the California Highway Patrol, you will need to apply for amnesty. Examples of this would be failing to report the actual value of the vehicle and failure to pay the correct sales tax when the vehicle was first titled/registered in California or incorrectly stating the actual age of the vehicle. As a further example, a replica of a ’32 Ford built in 2002 is not a ’32 vehicle for the purposes of this California amnesty program. It is a ’02 vehicle. In general, if you have reason to believe that there is erroneous information on your vehicle’s title, it should be corrected.

Question: What are the consequences if I do not re-title my vehicle prior to the conclusion of the amnesty period?

Answer: If you understated the value of the vehicle to the extent that the state of California lost more than $1,000 in revenue, you could be charged with a felony. If the amount is less or you incorrectly stated the age of the vehicle, you could be charged with a variety of misdemeanors. Recent prosecutions for this type of offense required owners to pay back taxes and fees averaging $4,000 per vehicle. In some cases, owners were forced to surrender the titles to their cars. To receive amnesty, any and all back taxes must be paid in full and the vehicle’s title must be factually corrected.

Question: What documentation should I take to the DMV office when applying for amnesty?

Answer: Applying for amnesty will re-start the titling and registration process for your specially constructed vehicle. You will need to submit a new DMV 343 Application for Title and Registration form. You will also be required to file a DMV 5063 Statement of Construction form, listing the origin of the vehicle’s parts and their purchase price. It would be helpful to have a bill of sale for the vehicle or any appropriate receipts for parts/labor that can be used to establish the actual value of the vehicle. If it is likely that your car had a fraudulent title and will need to pass a smog check, it is advisable to apply for one of the 500 smog-check exemptions granted per year by the DMV.

Question: How much should I expect to pay for the “retrofit” kit? How much should I expect to pay for the GM engine and powertrain?

Answer: The retrofit kit is a collection of emissions-related parts with specifications developed by SEMA for which a variety of aftermarket manufacturers will be able to supply components. On average, the kit should cost approximately $6,000. The labor to install the package will likely cost an additional $5,000. If you choose to use a new engine and powertrain package from GM, the current LS3 package will retail at an estimated $7,900. GM will also offer a number of other emissions-approved engine packages with a variety of performance options and price levels. Estimated installation cost for the GM system is approximately $6,000.

Question: If I use a GM engine, how will I know if I’ve used the correct parts and properly installed them?

Answer: GM will include comprehensive instructions that leave little room for error. If you feel that you do not have the mechanical experience to install the package, there are local hot-rod shops, independent repair facilities and dealerships capable of installing the parts. Even when parts are correctly installed, there are variables involved when attempting to meet certain compliance requirements, such as engine condition, other modifications and related factors that can affect emissions.

Question: If I choose to retrofit my current engine, how will I know that the parts kit will actually enable my car to pass the smog test?

Answer: The retrofit kit that SEMA developed consists of emissions-related parts intended for a range of engine displacements. It was designed to work with engines typically used in specially constructed vehicles. In general, these would be carbureted V8 engines manufactured by GM, Ford and Chrysler. Although these parts enabled SEMA’s project engine to meet emissions requirements, there is no guarantee that they will allow any engine to meet smog-check requirements, depending upon variables that include but are not limited to the following: mechanical compression ratio limits, improperly installed catalytic converters, excessive wear (valve guides, piston rings and cylinder bores), piston displacement limits and malfunctioning EGR systems.

Question: Is there a way I can get a pre-certification test check to see if my vehicle will pass the smog test?

Answer: Yes. California law allows any licensed smog-check station to conduct a pre-test on your vehicle to determine whether it can pass a loaded-mode smog test before you submit the car for inspection at a BAR referee station. The average price for a pre-certification smog test in California is approximately $49. If your vehicle fails the pre-certification smog check, it may be possible to make adjustments that will bring it into compliance. As with any vehicle maintenance, it’s best to use a mechanic you know and trust.

Question: What if I have questions about technical aspects of this program?

Answer: SEMA and GM will be available to provide some technical assistance for enthusiasts who apply for amnesty to help them navigate through the process.