Automotive reviews can be surprisingly lucrative. MotorTrend, Car and Driver, and Autoweek have become multimedia companies with magazines, television shows, and streaming channels that are built entirely on auto reviews. With the rise of digital media, automotive news and opinion websites have entered the fold, and a number of amateur automotive reviewers have found success through blogging, YouTube, and other social media platforms. With this abundance of reviews, it is surprising that relatively few are aimed at the majority of drivers on the road.
Today’s auto reviews overwhelmingly focus on exciting, luxurious, or quirky automobiles. You can find endless reviews—both amateur and professional—of Mustangs, M3s, and Teslas, providing detailed overviews of what each offers and a variety of opinions on their features. What isn’t common, even in these reviews, is comprehensive visual coverage of these features and how they translate to daily use. Meanwhile, the vehicles most drivers use daily receive relatively little written or visual coverage in popular publications, and even car review sites positioned as car buying guides often only include a single, exterior photo.
While the written word is powerful, images can often be even more compelling. Whether evaluating the latest supercar or a humble hatchback, pairing writing with stock videos of cars can provide greater insight and give the reader a better basis to form their own opinions.
The Mirage: A Story of Disconnection Between Reviews and Reality
The need for better reviews of basic cars is perhaps best demonstrated by the difference in how professional reviewers and the public received one of the most basic cars on the market: the Mitsubishi Mirage. The sixth generation of the Mitsubishi Mirage subcompact debuted in the US in 2014 to universal derision from automotive critics. Perhaps the kindest thing said about the Mirage was that it was a time traveler from the 1990s— a mirthful statement repeated so often that readers have expected to find a Spin Doctors CD came with each Mirage. But despite its critical failure, reviews from actual Mirage owners were overwhelmingly positive. What’s more, the Mirage turned out to be a surprise bestseller, selling nearly three times as well as expected and helping to put an end to Mitsubishi’s years of declining sales.
In fairness to reviewers, on paper, the Mirage looks less than impressive and, for many, the actual appearance and performance of the car was no improvement. However, the Mirage is incredibly fuel efficient, surprisingly roomy, easy to maintain and repair, and, by all reports, a champion level snow and hill climber. Its combination of features, price, space, and surprising practicality has made the Mirage a sleeper hit. In fact, some of the very features derided by reviewers, such as extra space in the engine compartment, are now major selling points. Car reviewers also missed the fact that many of those who would be interested in the Mirage might actually be driving used vehicles hailing from the 1990s and that the Mirage represented an upgrade that was within their budget.
Reviewers, who typically specialize in high-end vehicles, top-of-the-line models, and top trim levels, underestimated the charm and functionality the Mirage held. But it turns out that Mitsubishi knows what an appealing economy car ought to be. The gap between Mirage reviews from professionals and owner’s experience illustrates a hole in automotive editorial and journalism coverage that is waiting to be filled—and it can be filled in part by stock videos of cars that show customers a car while allowing them to make up their own minds.
How Car Stock Videos Can Transform Auto Reviews
Vehicles like the Mirage provide an opportunity for auto reviewers to connect with a large audience interested in basic practical cars. The fact is that most of the basic cars that are seen daily on the roads are underrepresented in automotive reviews. If you doubt this, think about the last time you saw a review for a Toyota Corolla, the most popular car in the US, compared to a review of the Chevrolet Corvette, one of the least popular, but most iconic, cars on the market. The truth is that dream cars get the attention while the vehicles people actually drive and depend on are rarely discussed. Arguably, it is the latter category that needs in-depth information and analysis of what a vehicle offers and what it means for ownership.
But while the Mirage was one of the rare basic cars that received relatively widespread coverage, these reviews not only misinterpreted what the car would mean for car buyers, they also missed a critical opportunity for readers to see for themselves and make up their own minds. That opportunity can be harnessed in the form of car stock videos.
Stock videos of cars can offer car shoppers a better overview of vehicles and help them make purchasing decisions that make sense for their lifestyle and their budget. While reviewers can present their opinions through written copy or voiceover, the availability of video means that opinion doesn’t act as the only point of access. Rather, the viewer is free to agree or disagree with the review on the car’s own visible merits and how they see the vehicle in relation to their own wants and needs—which might be quite different than those of the reviewer. For example, car buyers with small children or passengers with mobility issues may be looking for easily accessible passenger spaces. The mechanically savvy will want a closer look at the engine compartment to get an idea of how easily maintenance like tune-ups, coolant flushes, and belt changes can be performed. And some drivers have strong preferences in terms of how they like their controls laid out. Being able to examine a vehicle and consider if it fits their requirements and preferences can be a critical part of the car shopping process.
Significantly, high-quality video footage allows reviews to be meaningful even to those with limited car interest or knowledge who may not understand or care about in the information provided in a written review, which often focus on technical aspects of vehicles. As such, they can open up car reviews to new readers and enhance the experiences of all readers.
Car Stock Video Enhances All Auto Reviews
Car stock videos provide professional, clearly illuminated, and consistent illustration of a vehicle’s features while simultaneously avoiding the need for a publication to invest in an expensive photoshoot—which isn’t always in the budget when covering modestly priced cars that don’t grab headlines. By connecting with a leading car stock library, reviewers can gain the means to reach an untapped audience in the otherwise saturated world of auto reviews and create more meaningful content for the audience they already have. In turn, car shoppers can become better informed and prepared as they head into the showroom.
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