Email to Lotus customer service Manger - ref colour photos

[Tailslides]

Actually it does cost money. You need a department for it, workspace, furniture and equipment, and have to pay people to staff it. Then there's the operating expenses and the cost of developing and creating all the materials that have to be approved before being released.

They don't need just one guy at a desk to send us some photos or news, they need a department to handle global marketing and communications for everyone; customers, dealers, press, etc., as well as whatever sources they either create themselves or contract to produce things.

That's just at the corporate headquarters. They need to create and establish a standard, then extend that to a marcom approved look and feel for every dealer, every official representation, whether permanent or temporary. That extends to every single item, whether printed or a sample, so there's brand and presentation consistency. Right now it looks a lot like a fan club operation. At least apart from design, engineering and production. They need to take what they're doing in those 3 areas, and replicate that level of quality and professionalism in communications and the customer experience.

One guy doing some of that would be nice though

 

[Tonyshepp]

Well then, what are they doing? I'm not normally a 'people should be fired' type of guy, but considering how important this car and launch is, there needs to be an explanation as to why there's this big hole in the image of the company in that area. With all those people and resources in place, there should be some kind of enthusiasm for the customer interface experience. Somebody is dropping the ball here. I don't know who it is, but this just seems bizarre to be this close to production launch, and have all the things you described in your previous post.

You only have to look on LinkedIn to see some people with roles like senior customer experience manager at Lotus.
This isn't a one man band operation, the 132 publicity demonstrates what is capable.
Perhaps focus is on getting to IPO the Chinese EV section of Lotus and many a bonus awarded for doing so....

 

[Nova]

I believe the lack of photos is deliberate. There are lots of challenges to delivering color-accurate images, especially the lack of control over what the user uses to view the images. It has become industry standard to use renders to present as product images because they can dial up the saturation, and lighting effects for maximized dynamic range to make the image really pop. It's more difficult to do that with real product photos, which will tend to look more dull and flat than real life. Sure, you can use Photoshop on a real photo to get similar results, but if you are going to fiddle with the colors and contours, might as well go with a render to begin with.

 

[Pegasi]

I believe the lack of photos is deliberate. There are lots of challenges to delivering color-accurate images, especially the lack of control over what the user uses to view the images. It has become industry standard to use renders to present as product images because they can dial up the saturation, and lighting effects for maximized dynamic range to make the image really pop. It's more difficult to do that with real product photos, which will tend to look more dull and flat than real life. Sure, you can use Photoshop on a real photo to get similar results, but if you are going to fiddle with the colors and contours, might as well go with a render to begin with.

I really agree with this. Sometimes less is more. If you put something out there it had better be good. Whether it be pictures, communications, specs.

 

[VL3X]

I believe the lack of photos is deliberate. There are lots of challenges to delivering color-accurate images, especially the lack of control over what the user uses to view the images. It has become industry standard to use renders to present as product images because they can dial up the saturation, and lighting effects for maximized dynamic range to make the image really pop. It's more difficult to do that with real product photos, which will tend to look more dull and flat than real life. Sure, you can use Photoshop on a real photo to get similar results, but if you are going to fiddle with the colors and contours, might as well go with a render to begin with.

publish the damn photos.
#nofilter
/end

 

[TomE]

Well then, what are they doing? I'm not normally a 'people should be fired' type of guy, but considering how important this car and launch is, there needs to be an explanation as to why there's this big hole in the image of the company in that area. With all those people and resources in place, there should be some kind of enthusiasm for the customer interface experience. Somebody is dropping the ball here. I don't know who it is, but this just seems bizarre to be this close to production launch, and have all the things you described in your previous post.

That's what I keep asking myself! As Tony says, a quick search on LinkedIn and you'll find many people who have seemingly relevant roles. Some of them have included in their profiles about working on the Emira launch and aspects of the comms and customer care programmes. I'm sure they're clever, enthusiastic, hard-working people but they don't seem to be addressing what customers are saying they are missing.

 

[TomE]

I believe the lack of photos is deliberate. There are lots of challenges to delivering color-accurate images, especially the lack of control over what the user uses to view the images. It has become industry standard to use renders to present as product images because they can dial up the saturation, and lighting effects for maximized dynamic range to make the image really pop. It's more difficult to do that with real product photos, which will tend to look more dull and flat than real life. Sure, you can use Photoshop on a real photo to get similar results, but if you are going to fiddle with the colors and contours, might as well go with a render to begin with.

Reading between the lines of a couple of chats with Lotus people I think this is their reasoning. They haven't been able to take photos they're happy with.

But a bunch of journalists are going to take pictures in the next 4 weeks and Lotus are unlikely to get full control over those. They could publish their own before then and head that off.

Or perhaps they're thinking they can issue an official set of pictures in the press packs and stop the journos taking their own. I don't think that's realistic.

 

[Eagle7]

That's what I keep asking myself! As Tony says, a quick search on LinkedIn and you'll find many people who have seemingly relevant roles. Some of them have included in their profiles about working on the Emira launch and aspects of the comms and customer care programmes. I'm sure they're clever, enthusiastic, hard-working people but they don't seem to be addressing what customers are saying they are missing.

If it were me, I'd be doing something like a sports broadcast, with behind-the-scenes videos, interviews, and pictures of how things are coming along. Talking to various people in various departments to put faces on the whole process. I'd be showing the countdown clock. I'd have a live stream of the first production car going through the production process, and showing it coming off the line as the first, officially produced Lotus Emira.

There's all kinds of excitement that could and should be getting generated right now, especially this close to actual production. Maybe we'll get a big surprise and they'll start all this March 1st, but so far, it's just weird how they have the most exciting sports car that the whole performance community is aware of, and everyone's excited and talking about it.... except for Lotus themselves!

 

[NickR]

That's what I keep asking myself! As Tony says, a quick search on LinkedIn and you'll find many people who have seemingly relevant roles. Some of them have included in their profiles about working on the Emira launch and aspects of the comms and customer care programmes. I'm sure they're clever, enthusiastic, hard-working people but they don't seem to be addressing what customers are saying they are missing.

The only answer is that they are not being given the freedom to do their jobs.... possibly sign off is required which would infer a heavy top down leadership situation. So in that sense the problem is at the door of

Simon Clare​

 

[TomE]

If it were me, I'd be doing something like a sports broadcast, with behind-the-scenes videos, interviews, and pictures of how things are coming along. Talking to various people in various departments to put faces on the whole process. I'd be showing the countdown clock. I'd have a live stream of the first production car going through the production process, and showing it coming off the line as the first, officially produced Lotus Emira.

There's all kinds of excitement that could and should be getting generated right now, especially this close to actual production. Maybe we'll get a big surprise and they'll start all this March 1st, but so far, it's just weird how they have the most exciting sports car that the whole performance community is aware of, and everyone's excited and talking about it.... except for Lotus themselves!

I think we've all thought about those kinds of programmes. I described something similar when I met Matt at Hethel, building on the key elements of the roadshows - where it was Lotus design and engineering staff rather than salesmen who engaged with customers. That kind of approach could have been used for regular emails.

We had one email with a short video of Gav talking about Drive modes and driving on track, which was great (although I'd already done a long write up on that ). But what we really wanted was him talking about suspension options. They knew that was a topic that needed covering - we all asked them at roadshows and if you watch the Smoking Tire podcast you can see Matt, Russell and Gav already know it's a key area of concern. But they still haven't published the note they said they would!

Maybe we're in for a big surprise on 7 March when production starts and a massive comms programme springs into life.

 

[vision]

Does anyone know the reason why they did not have samples of ice grey leather available?

They have a larger piece of leather at Hethel (as seen or Harry's video), but seemed to have completely omitted it from the roadshows as if it didn't exist.

The local dealer couldn't explain it either.

Remember the days when a new model came out, and you went to the dealer, looked it over in the showroom, and the salesman took you around the lot to see it in different colors and combinations, then you went inside and made the deal to buy or lease?

Yeah, it seems those days are gone. Now it's get in line waaay in advance by putting down a deposit, and hope you did that early enough to not have to wait 2-5 years before you get the car. This makes buying a car an act of faith now. Things just keep getting stranger and stranger.

Fed up with this your all nob heads, go buy a Porsche. Have any of you actually committed to receiving a vehicle or just waiting like sheep to pick the hell out of lotus, I don’t give a damn I’m getting a car in august, this year - whoo whooo!

 

[andrew6382]

I think we've all thought about those kinds of programmes. I described something similar when I met Matt at Hethel, building on the key elements of the roadshows - where it was Lotus design and engineering staff rather than salesmen who engaged with customers. That kind of approach could have been used for regular emails.

We had one email with a short video of Gav talking about Drive modes and driving on track, which was great (although I'd already done a long write up on that ). But what we really wanted was him talking about suspension options. They knew that was a topic that needed covering - we all asked them at roadshows and if you watch the Smoking Tire podcast you can see Matt, Russell and Gav already know it's a key area of concern. But they still haven't published the note they said they would!

Maybe we're in for a big surprise on 7 March when production starts and a massive comms programme springs into life.

Got to love your optimism...... Scott said he had hoped that video had been about the set up of suspenstion...not the modes.... He went as far as to say he thought it was going to be....... Clearly coms internally are about as good as to the deposit holders

 

[BeHappy]

If it were me, I'd be doing something like a sports broadcast, with behind-the-scenes videos, interviews, and pictures of how things are coming along. Talking to various people in various departments to put faces on the whole process. I'd be showing the countdown clock. I'd have a live stream of the first production car going through the production process, and showing it coming off the line as the first, officially produced Lotus Emira.

There's all kinds of excitement that could and should be getting generated right now, especially this close to actual production. Maybe we'll get a big surprise and they'll start all this March 1st, but so far, it's just weird how they have the most exciting sports car that the whole performance community is aware of, and everyone's excited and talking about it.... except for Lotus themselves!

They deffo need to hire YOU all that would be class, imagine how we all would feel then we’d be absolutely buzzing and feel part of such a special iconic journey, we wouldn’t be able to contain our excitement for the next 6months +

 

[SlavaUkraini]

Fed up with this your all nob heads, go buy a Porsche. Have any of you actually committed to receiving a vehicle or just waiting like sheep to pick the hell out of lotus, I don’t give a damn I’m getting a car in august, this year - whoo whooo!

Gav is that you mate?

 

[virtualmacho]

Just thinking about the legal fees when a manufacturer publishes "official" photos of new colors in JPEG format, Customers order and receive the product then proceed to make claims that the colors were misrepresented and demand compensation. The manufacturer can steer clear of new colors (which takes away some of the exitement of a new car), or wait until the media publish their own "unofficial" pictures (relieving them of the legal burden).
Maybe they can publish photos in RAW format with a reference grey card in each, requiring potential Customers to get their own software and calibrated monitors, but that can result in a load of different claims and technical Q&A that really shouldn't be thrown at a car manufacturer.
Doesn't address the overall issue of Customer Experience, but could be an explanation for the reluctance to release photos of the different colors.
Or, maybe I got up too early today, and haven't had my first cup of coffee yet...

 

[torstin]

They already have teams of people in those functions, responsible for what you're describing. Marketing, customer care, PR, collateral design and production, social media, branding, dealer comms, direct channel comms etc etc.

I now see daily adverts on Instagram for the Emira and it’s annoying to think they’re trying to attract to new customers when they can’t handle the volume they have already

 

[TomE]

Just thinking about the legal fees when a manufacturer publishes "official" photos of new colors in JPEG format, Customers order and receive the product then proceed to make claims that the colors were misrepresented and demand compensation. The manufacturer can steer clear of new colors (which takes away some of the exitement of a new car), or wait until the media publish their own "unofficial" pictures (relieving them of the legal burden).
Maybe they can publish photos in RAW format with a reference grey card in each, requiring potential Customers to get their own software and calibrated monitors, but that can result in a load of different claims and technical Q&A that really shouldn't be thrown at a car manufacturer.
Doesn't address the overall issue of Customer Experience, but could be an explanation for the reluctance to release photos of the different colors.
Or, maybe I got up too early today, and haven't had my first cup of coffee yet...

Every other car manufacturer manages to publish pictures of their cars!

 

[PaulP]

Just thinking about the legal fees when a manufacturer publishes "official" photos of new colors in JPEG format, Customers order and receive the product then proceed to make claims that the colors were misrepresented and demand compensation. The manufacturer can steer clear of new colors (which takes away some of the exitement of a new car), or wait until the media publish their own "unofficial" pictures (relieving them of the legal burden).
Maybe they can publish photos in RAW format with a reference grey card in each, requiring potential Customers to get their own software and calibrated monitors, but that can result in a load of different claims and technical Q&A that really shouldn't be thrown at a car manufacturer.
Doesn't address the overall issue of Customer Experience, but could be an explanation for the reluctance to release photos of the different colors.
Or, maybe I got up too early today, and haven't had my first cup of coffee yet...

Standard disclaimer takes care of that.

 

[TomE]

Fed up with this your all nob heads, go buy a Porsche. Have any of you actually committed to receiving a vehicle or just waiting like sheep to pick the hell out of lotus, I don’t give a damn I’m getting a car in august, this year - whoo whooo!

I placed one of the first 20 Emira deposits. Same for the Evora launch. Can’t wait to get the car.

I’ll keep providing constructive criticism on how Lotus are handling this. So far it’s a C minus and “must do better”

 

[virtualmacho]

Every other car manufacturer manages to publish pictures of their cars!

Standard disclaimer takes care of that.

OK, just a thought. I'll go get coffee.