SEMA News—October 2014

INDUSTRY NEWS

SPY PHOTOS

Photos copyright KGP Photography. Reuse or reproduction without the copyright holder’s consent is prohibited.

GM Duramax Turbo Diesel		Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
These prototypes are outfitted with an upgraded version of GM’s Duramax Turbo-Diesel V8 engine. GM is rumored to be increasing the power to counter Ford’s recently upgraded 6.7L Powerstroke V8 Turbo-Diesel, which generates 440 hp and 860 lb.-ft. of torque compared to the Duramax’s 397 hp and 760 lb.-ft. More air will be fed to the engine via a new functional air intake designed into the truck’s hood. Additional changes may ultimately be in store for GM’s fullsize trucks, including modest changes to the front fascias.		The shooters at KGP Photography caught the Dodge Charger SRT testing with the 707hp Hellcat V8. The prototype allows a good feel for how the SRT’s aggressive design touches will be applied to its new, Dart-inspired front fascia. A deeper front air dam, a jutting chin spoiler up front and deeper-breathing front air intakes can be seen, and there’s also a glimpse at the Charger’s new air duct on its hood. Meaty wheels and tires and beefy twin exhausts round out the package at the rear.
’16 Chevy Camaro		Dodge Challenger SRT8
These photos of the ’16 Chevy Camaro’s first tests on public roads were captured by the pros at KGP Photography right before the GM test group rushed the vehicle back to the GM Proving Grounds. With the initial shots of the next-gen Camaro taken from an aerial perspective, this look at the musclecar offers a real-world perspective to the shape and proportions of the new Cadillac ATS-based platform. The front camouflage is quite thick, but some aspects of the grilles and headlights can be seen. This particular test group consisted of eight or nine high-performance variants, and the photographers reported that there didn’t seem to be a six-cylinder in the bunch.		The very aggressive SRT-tuned Dodge Challenger—captured undisguised in red—reveals the musclecar’s new hood design. KGP Photography previously snapped shots of a silver prototype wearing a hood scoop in what appeared to be the first look at the top-tier Challenger model with the new “Hellcat” supercharged V8 engine. While it has the same hood design as in the earlier spy shots, the red Challenger looks like it is not quite as seriously spec’d out as the earlier prototype. The wheels and brakes on this prototype look to be of a less-aggressive makeup, while the wheels and brakes on the earlier prototype were an exact match for those on an earlier “Hellcat” prototype (which yielded shots of an exposed engine and its supercharger).

SEMA News—October 2014

INDUSTRY NEWS

SPY PHOTOS

Photos copyright KGP Photography. Reuse or reproduction without the copyright holder’s consent is prohibited.

GM Duramax Turbo Diesel		Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
These prototypes are outfitted with an upgraded version of GM’s Duramax Turbo-Diesel V8 engine. GM is rumored to be increasing the power to counter Ford’s recently upgraded 6.7L Powerstroke V8 Turbo-Diesel, which generates 440 hp and 860 lb.-ft. of torque compared to the Duramax’s 397 hp and 760 lb.-ft. More air will be fed to the engine via a new functional air intake designed into the truck’s hood. Additional changes may ultimately be in store for GM’s fullsize trucks, including modest changes to the front fascias.		The shooters at KGP Photography caught the Dodge Charger SRT testing with the 707hp Hellcat V8. The prototype allows a good feel for how the SRT’s aggressive design touches will be applied to its new, Dart-inspired front fascia. A deeper front air dam, a jutting chin spoiler up front and deeper-breathing front air intakes can be seen, and there’s also a glimpse at the Charger’s new air duct on its hood. Meaty wheels and tires and beefy twin exhausts round out the package at the rear.
’16 Chevy Camaro		Dodge Challenger SRT8
These photos of the ’16 Chevy Camaro’s first tests on public roads were captured by the pros at KGP Photography right before the GM test group rushed the vehicle back to the GM Proving Grounds. With the initial shots of the next-gen Camaro taken from an aerial perspective, this look at the musclecar offers a real-world perspective to the shape and proportions of the new Cadillac ATS-based platform. The front camouflage is quite thick, but some aspects of the grilles and headlights can be seen. This particular test group consisted of eight or nine high-performance variants, and the photographers reported that there didn’t seem to be a six-cylinder in the bunch.		The very aggressive SRT-tuned Dodge Challenger—captured undisguised in red—reveals the musclecar’s new hood design. KGP Photography previously snapped shots of a silver prototype wearing a hood scoop in what appeared to be the first look at the top-tier Challenger model with the new “Hellcat” supercharged V8 engine. While it has the same hood design as in the earlier spy shots, the red Challenger looks like it is not quite as seriously spec’d out as the earlier prototype. The wheels and brakes on this prototype look to be of a less-aggressive makeup, while the wheels and brakes on the earlier prototype were an exact match for those on an earlier “Hellcat” prototype (which yielded shots of an exposed engine and its supercharger).

SEMA News—October 2014

INDUSTRY NEWS

SPY PHOTOS

Photos copyright KGP Photography. Reuse or reproduction without the copyright holder’s consent is prohibited.

GM Duramax Turbo Diesel		Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
These prototypes are outfitted with an upgraded version of GM’s Duramax Turbo-Diesel V8 engine. GM is rumored to be increasing the power to counter Ford’s recently upgraded 6.7L Powerstroke V8 Turbo-Diesel, which generates 440 hp and 860 lb.-ft. of torque compared to the Duramax’s 397 hp and 760 lb.-ft. More air will be fed to the engine via a new functional air intake designed into the truck’s hood. Additional changes may ultimately be in store for GM’s fullsize trucks, including modest changes to the front fascias.		The shooters at KGP Photography caught the Dodge Charger SRT testing with the 707hp Hellcat V8. The prototype allows a good feel for how the SRT’s aggressive design touches will be applied to its new, Dart-inspired front fascia. A deeper front air dam, a jutting chin spoiler up front and deeper-breathing front air intakes can be seen, and there’s also a glimpse at the Charger’s new air duct on its hood. Meaty wheels and tires and beefy twin exhausts round out the package at the rear.
’16 Chevy Camaro		Dodge Challenger SRT8
These photos of the ’16 Chevy Camaro’s first tests on public roads were captured by the pros at KGP Photography right before the GM test group rushed the vehicle back to the GM Proving Grounds. With the initial shots of the next-gen Camaro taken from an aerial perspective, this look at the musclecar offers a real-world perspective to the shape and proportions of the new Cadillac ATS-based platform. The front camouflage is quite thick, but some aspects of the grilles and headlights can be seen. This particular test group consisted of eight or nine high-performance variants, and the photographers reported that there didn’t seem to be a six-cylinder in the bunch.		The very aggressive SRT-tuned Dodge Challenger—captured undisguised in red—reveals the musclecar’s new hood design. KGP Photography previously snapped shots of a silver prototype wearing a hood scoop in what appeared to be the first look at the top-tier Challenger model with the new “Hellcat” supercharged V8 engine. While it has the same hood design as in the earlier spy shots, the red Challenger looks like it is not quite as seriously spec’d out as the earlier prototype. The wheels and brakes on this prototype look to be of a less-aggressive makeup, while the wheels and brakes on the earlier prototype were an exact match for those on an earlier “Hellcat” prototype (which yielded shots of an exposed engine and its supercharger).

SEMA News—October 2014

INDUSTRY NEWS

SPY PHOTOS

Photos copyright KGP Photography. Reuse or reproduction without the copyright holder’s consent is prohibited.

GM Duramax Turbo Diesel		Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
These prototypes are outfitted with an upgraded version of GM’s Duramax Turbo-Diesel V8 engine. GM is rumored to be increasing the power to counter Ford’s recently upgraded 6.7L Powerstroke V8 Turbo-Diesel, which generates 440 hp and 860 lb.-ft. of torque compared to the Duramax’s 397 hp and 760 lb.-ft. More air will be fed to the engine via a new functional air intake designed into the truck’s hood. Additional changes may ultimately be in store for GM’s fullsize trucks, including modest changes to the front fascias.		The shooters at KGP Photography caught the Dodge Charger SRT testing with the 707hp Hellcat V8. The prototype allows a good feel for how the SRT’s aggressive design touches will be applied to its new, Dart-inspired front fascia. A deeper front air dam, a jutting chin spoiler up front and deeper-breathing front air intakes can be seen, and there’s also a glimpse at the Charger’s new air duct on its hood. Meaty wheels and tires and beefy twin exhausts round out the package at the rear.
’16 Chevy Camaro		Dodge Challenger SRT8
These photos of the ’16 Chevy Camaro’s first tests on public roads were captured by the pros at KGP Photography right before the GM test group rushed the vehicle back to the GM Proving Grounds. With the initial shots of the next-gen Camaro taken from an aerial perspective, this look at the musclecar offers a real-world perspective to the shape and proportions of the new Cadillac ATS-based platform. The front camouflage is quite thick, but some aspects of the grilles and headlights can be seen. This particular test group consisted of eight or nine high-performance variants, and the photographers reported that there didn’t seem to be a six-cylinder in the bunch.		The very aggressive SRT-tuned Dodge Challenger—captured undisguised in red—reveals the musclecar’s new hood design. KGP Photography previously snapped shots of a silver prototype wearing a hood scoop in what appeared to be the first look at the top-tier Challenger model with the new “Hellcat” supercharged V8 engine. While it has the same hood design as in the earlier spy shots, the red Challenger looks like it is not quite as seriously spec’d out as the earlier prototype. The wheels and brakes on this prototype look to be of a less-aggressive makeup, while the wheels and brakes on the earlier prototype were an exact match for those on an earlier “Hellcat” prototype (which yielded shots of an exposed engine and its supercharger).

SEMA News—October 2014

INDUSTRY NEWS

Media: Preview 2015’s Hottest Truck Products

Prior to the official opening of the 2014 SEMA Show, members of the media can get a head start on coverage by attending the Light-Truck Accessory Alliance (TORA) Media Preview.

Registered and credentialed journalists can attend the first-ever pre-Show media event and avoid the rush of 60,000 buyers to get a sneak peek at some of the newest parts and accessories for the truck and SUV segment.

A limited number of TORA manufacturers will have their new products on display, and representatives will be available for interviews from 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. (PST), Monday, November 3, in the SEMA Show Media Center, located in room N110 of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The 2014 SEMA Show takes place Tuesday–Friday, November 4–7. Media: Register for the Show at www.SEMAShow.com by using the registration link under the Media box on the right-hand side of the page.

SEMA News—October 2014

INDUSTRY NEWS

Media: Preview 2015’s Hottest Truck Products

Prior to the official opening of the 2014 SEMA Show, members of the media can get a head start on coverage by attending the Light-Truck Accessory Alliance (TORA) Media Preview.

Registered and credentialed journalists can attend the first-ever pre-Show media event and avoid the rush of 60,000 buyers to get a sneak peek at some of the newest parts and accessories for the truck and SUV segment.

A limited number of TORA manufacturers will have their new products on display, and representatives will be available for interviews from 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. (PST), Monday, November 3, in the SEMA Show Media Center, located in room N110 of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The 2014 SEMA Show takes place Tuesday–Friday, November 4–7. Media: Register for the Show at www.SEMAShow.com by using the registration link under the Media box on the right-hand side of the page.

SEMA News—October 2014

INDUSTRY NEWS

Media: Preview 2015’s Hottest Truck Products

Prior to the official opening of the 2014 SEMA Show, members of the media can get a head start on coverage by attending the Light-Truck Accessory Alliance (TORA) Media Preview.

Registered and credentialed journalists can attend the first-ever pre-Show media event and avoid the rush of 60,000 buyers to get a sneak peek at some of the newest parts and accessories for the truck and SUV segment.

A limited number of TORA manufacturers will have their new products on display, and representatives will be available for interviews from 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. (PST), Monday, November 3, in the SEMA Show Media Center, located in room N110 of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The 2014 SEMA Show takes place Tuesday–Friday, November 4–7. Media: Register for the Show at www.SEMAShow.com by using the registration link under the Media box on the right-hand side of the page.

SEMA News—October 2014

INDUSTRY NEWS

Media: Preview 2015’s Hottest Truck Products

Prior to the official opening of the 2014 SEMA Show, members of the media can get a head start on coverage by attending the Light-Truck Accessory Alliance (TORA) Media Preview.

Registered and credentialed journalists can attend the first-ever pre-Show media event and avoid the rush of 60,000 buyers to get a sneak peek at some of the newest parts and accessories for the truck and SUV segment.

A limited number of TORA manufacturers will have their new products on display, and representatives will be available for interviews from 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. (PST), Monday, November 3, in the SEMA Show Media Center, located in room N110 of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The 2014 SEMA Show takes place Tuesday–Friday, November 4–7. Media: Register for the Show at www.SEMAShow.com by using the registration link under the Media box on the right-hand side of the page.

SEMA News—October 2014

INTERNET

By Joe Dysart

Web Analytics Update

The Latest Tools for Getting the Most From Your Web and Social-Media Marketing

In social media, those just getting started in analytics would do well to check out Hootsuite. A powerful social-media dashboard that allows users to manage all of their postings and other activities on all the major social-media networks, Hootsuite is also packed with a wide variety of analytical tools that show how well you’re doing on social media.

“Hootsuite is a great place to start,” said Brendan Chard, president of web design company The Modern Firm. “It helps businesses save time by letting them manage and post from all of their accounts in one central place. It also provides really nifty analytics reports that show the effectiveness of your social-media efforts, including visits to your website, social shares and even new contacts/leads as a result of social media.”

Essentially, if you can imagine an analytics report—any kind of analytics report—Hootsuite can most likely come up with the insights you’re looking for, according to Diana Chow, corporate communications coordinator for Hootsuite. Moreover, given that the entry-level use of Hootsuite is free, it’s a great package to cut your teeth on and then use as a benchmark to evaluate other social-media analytics tools.

“Most small firms will be completely satisfied with Hootsuite’s free plan,” Chard said.

Once you’re comfortable using Hootsuite, however, you still may want to add some additional social analytics tools to your arsenal to ensure that you’re getting the deepest look at what’s going on with your social-media marketing. In the process, you may also be able to save some serious coin, according to Ian Anderson Gray, a social-media consultant who writes an insightful blog on social media.

Given that reality, Gray said that he’d opt for the following reports within Hootsuite:

• Twitter Engagement Report: Useful in looking at your follower growth and daily engagement.
• Facebook Insights: Gives a tad more than Facebook’s free Insights Report but also gives you the convenience of keeping track of Facebook on the Hootsuite dashboard.
• LinkedIn Page Insights: Shows you how the latest LinkedIn updates to your company page are doing. Again, this report is very basic, Gray said.
• Google Analytics: Analyzes basic activity on your website on the Hootsuite dashboard.

“The advantage of Hootsuite reports is that you can have all of your reports in the same place if you are solely using Hootsuite to manage your social channels,” Anderson said. “However, some of the reports are fairly basic. In my opinion, you’ll get more powerful and helpful reports by using third-party tools.”

Third-party providers Gray recommended include:

• SumAll: Offers powerful reports across a wide range of social channels, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, YouTube and more, according to Gray.
• twtrland: For monitoring activity on Twitter.
• Commun.it: Does a good job of segmenting your Twitter followers to show you high-value members within your community, according to Gray.
• Brandwatch: An enterprise solution that is well worth considering, as it is incredibly powerful, according to Anderson.

Still other social-media analytics to check out include Tweetdeck, Mention, LeadSift and Buffer.

Meanwhile, for analytics that monitor activity on your website, the free Google Analytics is a good first choice. Like Hootsuite for social media, Google Analytics is an industry standard for website analytics that businesses can learn and then use as a benchmark to evaluate similar tools.

Essentially, Google Analytics measures overall hits on your website, where visitors are coming from, how long visitors are staying on your site, which pages they’re clicking on and more. It also offers some basic social-media monitoring.

In contrast, larger business with deeper pockets looking to get much more sophisticated analytics can go for the premium version of Google Analytics, as well as offerings from other players. According to a report released earlier this year by market-research firm Forrester, top web-analytics packages for the enterprise are made by Adobe, AT Internet, IBM and Webtrends.

“Features such as predictive analytics, support for mobile applications, reach of partner programs and the ability to support customer implementation distinguish one vendor from the next,” said James McCormick, lead author of “The Forrester Wave: Web Analytics Q2 2014.”

McCormick’s take on each product from the heavy hitters:

Adobe: “Adobe dominates the market with the largest number of enterprise web-analytics clients,” McCormick said. Essentially, the company’s mission is to make sophisticated analytics accessible to all marketers.

IBM: IBM has beefed up the Coremetrics software it acquired by enhancing the packages behavioral analytics and mobile analytics capabilities, among other things, according to McCormick. One caveat: “Some customers feel that the licensing model makes it difficult to invest more in it,” McCormick said.

Webtrends: “Webtrends has continued to strengthen its core offering, improving existing capabilities and developing new ones such as its real-time data streaming service,” McCormick said. He added that it’s also investing in integration with other tools, such as online testing.

AT Internet: “AT Internet primarily targets Europe, Russia, Latin America and Southeast Asia to sustain its growth,” McCormick said. Its analytics is built on data collection, aggregation, mining and distribution.

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan.
joe@joedysart.com
www.joedysart.com
 

SEMA News—October 2014

INTERNET

By Joe Dysart

Web Analytics Update

The Latest Tools for Getting the Most From Your Web and Social-Media Marketing

In social media, those just getting started in analytics would do well to check out Hootsuite. A powerful social-media dashboard that allows users to manage all of their postings and other activities on all the major social-media networks, Hootsuite is also packed with a wide variety of analytical tools that show how well you’re doing on social media.

“Hootsuite is a great place to start,” said Brendan Chard, president of web design company The Modern Firm. “It helps businesses save time by letting them manage and post from all of their accounts in one central place. It also provides really nifty analytics reports that show the effectiveness of your social-media efforts, including visits to your website, social shares and even new contacts/leads as a result of social media.”

Essentially, if you can imagine an analytics report—any kind of analytics report—Hootsuite can most likely come up with the insights you’re looking for, according to Diana Chow, corporate communications coordinator for Hootsuite. Moreover, given that the entry-level use of Hootsuite is free, it’s a great package to cut your teeth on and then use as a benchmark to evaluate other social-media analytics tools.

“Most small firms will be completely satisfied with Hootsuite’s free plan,” Chard said.

Once you’re comfortable using Hootsuite, however, you still may want to add some additional social analytics tools to your arsenal to ensure that you’re getting the deepest look at what’s going on with your social-media marketing. In the process, you may also be able to save some serious coin, according to Ian Anderson Gray, a social-media consultant who writes an insightful blog on social media.

Given that reality, Gray said that he’d opt for the following reports within Hootsuite:

• Twitter Engagement Report: Useful in looking at your follower growth and daily engagement.
• Facebook Insights: Gives a tad more than Facebook’s free Insights Report but also gives you the convenience of keeping track of Facebook on the Hootsuite dashboard.
• LinkedIn Page Insights: Shows you how the latest LinkedIn updates to your company page are doing. Again, this report is very basic, Gray said.
• Google Analytics: Analyzes basic activity on your website on the Hootsuite dashboard.

“The advantage of Hootsuite reports is that you can have all of your reports in the same place if you are solely using Hootsuite to manage your social channels,” Anderson said. “However, some of the reports are fairly basic. In my opinion, you’ll get more powerful and helpful reports by using third-party tools.”

Third-party providers Gray recommended include:

• SumAll: Offers powerful reports across a wide range of social channels, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, YouTube and more, according to Gray.
• twtrland: For monitoring activity on Twitter.
• Commun.it: Does a good job of segmenting your Twitter followers to show you high-value members within your community, according to Gray.
• Brandwatch: An enterprise solution that is well worth considering, as it is incredibly powerful, according to Anderson.

Still other social-media analytics to check out include Tweetdeck, Mention, LeadSift and Buffer.

Meanwhile, for analytics that monitor activity on your website, the free Google Analytics is a good first choice. Like Hootsuite for social media, Google Analytics is an industry standard for website analytics that businesses can learn and then use as a benchmark to evaluate similar tools.

Essentially, Google Analytics measures overall hits on your website, where visitors are coming from, how long visitors are staying on your site, which pages they’re clicking on and more. It also offers some basic social-media monitoring.

In contrast, larger business with deeper pockets looking to get much more sophisticated analytics can go for the premium version of Google Analytics, as well as offerings from other players. According to a report released earlier this year by market-research firm Forrester, top web-analytics packages for the enterprise are made by Adobe, AT Internet, IBM and Webtrends.

“Features such as predictive analytics, support for mobile applications, reach of partner programs and the ability to support customer implementation distinguish one vendor from the next,” said James McCormick, lead author of “The Forrester Wave: Web Analytics Q2 2014.”

McCormick’s take on each product from the heavy hitters:

Adobe: “Adobe dominates the market with the largest number of enterprise web-analytics clients,” McCormick said. Essentially, the company’s mission is to make sophisticated analytics accessible to all marketers.

IBM: IBM has beefed up the Coremetrics software it acquired by enhancing the packages behavioral analytics and mobile analytics capabilities, among other things, according to McCormick. One caveat: “Some customers feel that the licensing model makes it difficult to invest more in it,” McCormick said.

Webtrends: “Webtrends has continued to strengthen its core offering, improving existing capabilities and developing new ones such as its real-time data streaming service,” McCormick said. He added that it’s also investing in integration with other tools, such as online testing.

AT Internet: “AT Internet primarily targets Europe, Russia, Latin America and Southeast Asia to sustain its growth,” McCormick said. Its analytics is built on data collection, aggregation, mining and distribution.

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan.
joe@joedysart.com
www.joedysart.com