A couple of years ago, Youtubers most particularly car Youtubers were never taken so seriously. It was seen as more of a hobby or entertainment rather than something serious despite many Youtubers earning 6 to 7 to even 8 figure salaries. Only a few car Youtube channels got respect by manufacturers and they were mainly owned by existing motor journalists for big magazines, motor magazines or press, racing drivers, car tv shows, etc. The reviews too were also quite different. In previous days a car review on Youtube was more scripted. It was more track or so focused and not so much real-world.
Youtubers invited by manufacturers to test-drive cars and give their opinions on it were mainly mainstream press back in the day. An individual person could not do that at all as well, the manufacturers deemed those people as “hobbyists.” Yet in 2021 things have seriously changed.
Previously Youtube wasn’t even a concern for most manufacturers. It was just this side thing people watched for fun and those serious about buying their car would read magazines or blogs. However, in 2021 more and more people are looking on Youtube for advice on buying a new car. Youtube is where people now go to see what a car is like. They go there to see reviews on a car and find information about a car before buying it. They don’t want to read endless magazines or blogs anymore as the same information in those two sources are on Youtube and watching videos is far more fun and easy than reading.
Many car journalists are quitting their jobs at mainstream brands and instead, they are creating their own platform. their own Youtube channel. The reason why is because they have the expertise and experience already within the automotive industry. They can earn way more potentially on Youtube too and they are their own-boss with their own brand. Over the years, car manufacturers have prioritized these people over the mainstream media. Why? Because firstly it’s cheaper and secondly getting a large enthusiast-based Youtube channel do to a review on whatever it is makes things seem more trustworthy.
It’s the power of influence and word-of-mouth. The issue with these mainstream media companies is that there is no main-man therefore, there is nobody to look up to and admire. Sounds cheesy but ist true. Hence why influencers exist. People trust the main-man more.
Youtuber Examples
Some key examples of this is no other than Doug De Muro. Everyone in the car world knows Doug and they know how good he is on YouTube. He is a journalist who has written for many companies like Jalopnik and he is also currently a writer and the editor for Autotrader (their Oversteer blog) and owns his own car selling platform, Cars, and Bids. Doug was also the vehicle allocation manager at Porsche USA headquarters in Atlanta USA. He started his channel back in 2013 in addition to his articles on Jalopnik.
Doug rose to fame quite quickly due to his humorous nature. Doug is a funny car and his videos are very interesting. He shows off a car’s “quirks and features” which nobody else really does. These features are usually interesting parts of a car whether good or not. Doug can even make boring cars like the Dodge Neon or the Mitsubishi Mirage seem interesting. This is why manufacturers nowadays love him.
In fact, Ford gave Doug De Muro a pre-production “dummy” Ford Bronco. It had no engine at all but that didn’t matter. The Bronco has a huge fanbase and a new Bronco coming out is big news. The last Bronco went out of production in 1996, a year after O.J Simpson’s runaway from the LAPD in his Bronco. The Bronco is a huge rival to the likes of the Jeep Wrangler and many people want to buy it. The fact that Ford gave Doug a pre-production Bronco shows just how respected he is and just how much Ford values his opinion.
Another one is Carwow. Now Carwow may be a major company within the automotive industry, well in the UK at least. However, they do have a main-man and that’s no other than Matt Watson. Everyone knows Matt Watson. He was `n editor at Auto Express and he presented “I Want That Car.” In 2016 he uploaded his first ever review with CarWow and the rest is history. Carwow now has five million subscribers and Watson and his camera crew are invited all over the world to test new cars such as the latest S-Class. In fact, many people check out Carwow prior to buying a new car plus the whole idea of Carwow is to save you money.
Carwow itself is a website where you can find a car cheaper second-hand. they have a huge list of dealers on there. The YouTube channel was made simply to market the platform but it has grown so much that it makes Carwow a seven-figure income each year.
Then there are even smaller Youtubers that gest respect such as the Connecticut-based Nick Murray. He may only have 186k subscribers but in the Porsche world, he is very well known. He purchased two new 991 911 models one in 2013 and another in around 2017 2018. Both had issues and both were refunded by Porsche North America. He made a series of videos explaining the issues and it went viral amongst Porsche enthusiasts. He is heavily respected in forums and although manufacturers do not really lend out their latest cars to him, he still manages to review new cars most particularly Porsches in a different way.
He instead goes through the configurator discussing different options and his opinion on them. considering he’s purchased around 4 new Porsches and one new BMW in the last few years, he is quite qualified to talk about this. He lets his viewers know whether or not a certain option is worth having on their new car. This is most appreciated because Porsche options are quite expensive hence why it’s always best to get an opinion on whether or not you should get them. He also works closely with his local dealer hence he has inside access for advice etc. Nick is a funny guy, originally from New Zealand. He makes all of his viewers laugh by being childish but not hostile. He is very friendly and he has quite a way when reviewing cars.