Caravan Magazines and lack of Towing Mirrors
Submitted: Tuesday, Jun 21, 2005 at 06:18
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Noosa Fox
I have been looking through the Caravan & MotorHome and Caravan World magazines and find that in almost all the advertisements for caravans or tow vehicles that the tow vehicle does not have any towing mirrors. Their product reviews are no better either.
I cannot understand why the so called expert journos that do these stories publish photos of the test car and caravan on public roads without having the required mirrors. Just goes to show that are not the experts that they think they are I suppose.
BTi play it safe with their adds, all photos are off road and not a tow vehicle in sight.
Anyone else noticed these photos?
Reply By: TroopyTracker - Tuesday, Jun 21, 2005 at 07:33
Tuesday, Jun 21, 2005 at 07:33
Brian,
Haven't noticed the photos you speak of but don't doubt it, for alot of them it only reflects their lack of atttention to the often important "details". What gets me is their so called reviews, most of them read like ads and seem to be written by people who've done little caravanning or research into buying a van recently. Don't often buy them these days, find more usefull info on the net-ie the
BOG.
Matt
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Reply By: Kiwi1 - Friday, Jun 24, 2005 at 20:06
Friday, Jun 24, 2005 at 20:06
I never cease to be amazed at the way one magazine declares particular vans to be the best of their type each year. This is trumpeted by the manufacturers' advertising with no acknowledgement that the awards are taken from that tiny section of potential competitors that have been "tested" by the magazine during that year. It follows that if BT, Phoenix, Trakmaster, et al, are not tested in a particular year, bragging rights for the Best Offroad Caravan of The Year could be a black-top tourer with a token strip of checkerplate and a free plastic compass on the keyring . It goes without saying that non-advertisers are unlikely to be invited to the party.
It reflects poorly on manufacturers who tout their winner without an appropriate qualification.
In March 04 that same magazine published a grovelling apology to a manufacturer for having had the temerity to note a few minor failings in a van it tested. I cancelled my subscription on the spot.
Michael
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Follow Up By: Bushtracker - Friday, Jun 24, 2005 at 21:32
Friday, Jun 24, 2005 at 21:32
Unfortunately it seems to come down to dollars.. They concentrate on covering all who spend money to advertise with them evenly with something. Once years ago, we put 8 men on the roof of one of our vans to show how strong they were in relation to wood framed vans.... Word got out and as I understand it, the magazine was told by a couple of other manufacturers that if they printed the picture they would pull their advertising from the magazine.! It even goes to the 4x4 magazines, where everyone that advertizes gets to be the "Best" one year or another. We just try and get the idea across not to be fooled by the Shows or Magazines, come and see how they are built for yourself..
That does work... And now we started taking a bare frame to the Shows, and since we have in the last few years no one else has take a piece of frame to show off like we do... We also put a picture in the Brochure of 9 men standing on a bare frame.. That gets a little interest.
But I used to be bothered by the "stuff" in the magazines, until now I just ignore it and carry on.. But that is why our advertizement in the magazines is non standard to what the others print, just to capture their attention and get them to the Factory to see how they are built.
Regards, stg
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