Advocacy & Safety - Car ads in bike magazines

I bought my first issue of Bicycling Magazine the other day and was surprised to have a VW spread smack in my face the first thing. Then Honda, Subaru, Land Rover, Nissan, Saturn, Chevrolet...

Well why shouldn't bikers like a good SUV to take them to the best places for biking, but I was still surprised.

I was going to make the same post in regards to Bicycling magazine, but you beat me too it. Check the back cover for a large interchange for a volkswagen ad. The roads would be horrible for cycling and not a bike lane in sight. This in a cycling magazine. :mad:

:beer: S

Originally posted by Spire
Check the back cover for a large interchange for a volkswagen ad. The roads would be horrible for cycling and not a bike lane in sight.
Hm, I don't have that (the may issue, ”editor's choice”). Almost all ads are bike-specific, like SUVs to carry the MTB.

Originally posted by swekarl

Hm, I don't have that (the may issue, ”editor's choice”). Almost all ads are bike-specific, like SUVs to carry the MTB.

Mine is June, so keep an eye out for it!

:beer: S

Bike rags wouldn't exist if they had to rely only on bike manufacturers for advertising dollars.

Also, the bike magazines cater to mainstream readers that have disposable income to spend on their advertisers products.

You have to face reality that the anti-motorized vehicle types that post here are in the minority in society.

If the ads didn't generate a lot of revenue for the advertisers they wouldn't be advertising in the bike rags.

I was surprised the first time I saw a VW ad in Bike magazine. But then I thought about it and realized that I have a Jetta and I read Bike, so they're probably targetting the ad pretty well.

I think most people who read bicycle magazines own cars, and I definitely don't think that owning a bike automatically makes someone anti-car. And the car manufacturers probably hope that they can link a love of biking with the image of their company.

So in the end, it all makes sense.

andy

Originally posted by martin
You have to face reality that the anti-motorized vehicle types that post here are in the minority in society.
Yes, that's true.

It's because of this that we have such serious smog problems.

I disagree that cycling mags can't survive without advertising from auto makers.

A well written mag that attracted equal numbers of male and female readers could replace motorcar adverts with ads from companies that make hair and skin care products, home electronics, etc. - basically, all the things that men and women use every day. The advertising department just has to work harder and go after them.

I know one bike mag that doesn't carry car advertisment and its "Cycle Sport", that's why I have stop my subscription with Bicycling Magazine, almost all their articles are recycled and maybe 3/4 of the mag is advertisment, nah not my type.....

I'm willing to bet that MOST bicycle mag readers spend a lot more time in a car than on a bike.

Thus, it almost makes more sense that bicycle mags have more automobile adverising than bicycle advertising.

Speaking of VW ads and Bicycles.
I found this one in a graphic design book a while ago. It was posted in Consumer Magazine as a full page ad. I found it a little disturbing myself.
What do you think?
http://www.killyourcar.org/criticalmass/Pics/VWBikeAd02.jpg

Originally posted by MadCat
Speaking of VW ads and Bicycles.
I found this one in a graphic design book a while ago. It was posted in Consumer Magazine as a full page ad. I found it a little disturbing myself.
What do you think?
I think it was quite fun! :eek:

Originally posted by MadCat
Speaking of VW ads and Bicycles.
I found this one in a graphic design book a while ago. It was posted in Consumer Magazine as a full page ad. I found it a little disturbing myself.
What do you think?
http://www.killyourcar.org/criticalmass/Pics/VWBikeAd02.jpg
yes, it is really an energy absorbing door, it will sap the life out off that cyclist:crash: :crash: :crash:

if you read bicycling magazine and the car ad's are the only thing that bothers you than you are a better man than i.

It's another reason to pay the premium to get Uk Future Publications' excellent "Cycling Plus," as well as our country's own Velonews. The car ads have always struck me as weird, kind of like condom ads in a Catholic mag.

MadCat - yeah, that ad is pretty bad. If Ford ever had an Excursion ad with a picture of a family about to get smacked by a truck and a caption that said, "Energy absorbing crumple zone", I think they would be in trouble. But somehow the VW ad is acceptable. I hope somebody got a stern talking-to.

andy

Ever look in Nat'l Geographic or Ouddoor Magazine? At this point I wouldn't be surprised to open Audubon Magazine and see an add for a nuclear powered SUV.

I know someone who hit a car door at 20mph and flipped over it, landed on her back and was then yelled at and insulted by the driver while she lay gasping for air. She would not find the VW add very amusing. That was the day she quit commuting by bike.

Clay

Not to sound too anti-corporation, and not to get off too far on a tangent...but I digress...

Corporations have ungodly power when it comes to media of all sorts. How can you belittle someone who is paying your bills? With the mere mention of pulling of an advertisement, a corporation can control what can be said. Why do you think Politically Incorrect was cancelled? Perhaps it had something to do with Bill Maer perceivably insensitive remarks about 9/11. In that instance, major advertisers pulled their support.

Car ads do not belong in cycling magazine, but neither do pharmaceutical ads belong on the nightly news. One last word...NPR.

Originally posted by MadCat
Speaking of VW ads and Bicycles.
I found this one in a graphic design book a while ago. It was posted in Consumer Magazine as a full page ad. I found it a little disturbing myself.
What do you think?
http://www.killyourcar.org/criticalmass/Pics/VWBikeAd02.jpg

Funny?

I tell you what is funny; Funny they didn't have the guy opening his car door and stepping out of his car into an oncoming bus. Jeez, why didn't they use a bus? Now THAT would have been more funny.

Ya, like instead of "energy absorbing door padding," how about, "break away doors," with an oncoming bus.

:)

Anybody see the commercial for the deodorant with a strip?They stretch a rubber strip across a rode and snag a group of roadriders to show how it stops 'odors'.

Originally posted by MadCat
Speaking of VW ads and Bicycles.
I found this one in a graphic design book a while ago. It was posted in Consumer Magazine as a full page ad. I found it a little disturbing myself.
What do you think?
http://www.killyourcar.org/criticalmass/Pics/VWBikeAd02.jpg

Is this actually supposed to be funny for VW? This is one of the most leathal situations for a cyclists and obviously they are not concerned for that poor cyclist in the picture. What kind of message does this send out?

Its not, "how do I stop from injuring the cyclists", its "how do I minimize the damage to my car".

Where exactly did you find this ad?

S

Well, the cyclist is gazing off to the side instead of looking where he's going, so he probably isn't destined for a long career of riding in traffic anyway.

Originally posted by Allister
Well, the cyclist is gazing off to the side instead of looking where he's going, so he probably isn't destined for a long career of riding in traffic anyway.

He is not gazing into space, he's checking his blind spot to get around the car. Not the moving car in the extreme left of the picture. He is doing a left look to pull out and pass!

:beer:

Originally posted by martin
If the ads didn't generate a lot of revenue for the advertisers they wouldn't be advertising in the bike rags.
This isn't entirely true. Rodale Inc., Bicycling's publisher probably sells blocks of ads across books. VW and Saturn and others probably get a discount for appearing in Men's Health and Backpacker if they take ads in Bicycling and Mountain Bike. It's possible, even likely, that the cycling magazines aren't their target at all.

Ironically, then-company president Bob Rodale was killed by a car in 1990.

Originally posted by velocipedio

This isn't entirely true. Rodale Inc., Bicycling's publisher probably sells blocks of ads across books. VW and Saturn and others probably get a discount for appearing in Men's Health and Backpacker if they take ads in Bicycling and Mountain Bike. It's possible, even likely, that the cycling magazines aren't their target at all.

Ironically, then-company president Bob Rodale was killed by a car in 1990.

While this does have a lot of sense in it, some ads could be found offensive by cyclists, such as the VW ad in this thread. It puts a laughing spin on what is probably one of the most serious problems with city cycling.

Originally posted by Spire
While this does have a lot of sense in it, some ads could be found offensive by cyclists, such as the VW ad in this thread. It puts a laughing spin on what is probably one of the most serious problems with city cycling.
True. But you have to understand that there is usually a vast gulf of understanding between a magazine's editorial staff and its advertising department and upper management. The ad guy probably just saw a bike and thought it'd be fine for a bike magazine and the publisher probably doesn't care one way or another. I doubt the magazine's editors ever see most of the ads before the book gets off the floor. Most of the time, even the design guys are just working around placeholders and not real ads.

Originally posted by velocipedio

True. But you have to understand that there is usually a vast gulf of understanding between a magazine's editorial staff and its advertising department and upper management. The ad guy probably just saw a bike and thought it'd be fine for a bike magazine and the publisher probably doesn't care one way or another. I doubt the magazine's editors ever see most of the ads before the book gets off the floor. Most of the time, even the design guys are just working around placeholders and not real ads.

You make a valid point, but I'd like to think that the Editor-In-Chief is at least a bicycle enthusiast! even if most of the other upper managment and advertising people are not.

Check out the socks.

:lol:

Originally posted by LittleBigMan
Check out the socks.

:lol:

:lol: and what is that blue on his left leg?

Originally posted by velocipedio

This isn't entirely true. Rodale Inc., Bicycling's publisher probably sells blocks of ads across books. VW and Saturn and others probably get a discount for appearing in Men's Health and Backpacker if they take ads in Bicycling and Mountain Bike. It's possible, even likely, that the cycling magazines aren't their target at all.

Its possible, even likely, that the advertisers do change their advertisements based on the publication, and, their perceived target audience.

If they miss the mark, they find other marketing firms.

Last night I emailed VW customer service and sent along the link to this thread. I thought it would be informative for them to read what people think of their advertising decisions.

Originally posted by martin
Its possible, even likely, that the advertisers do change their advertisements based on the publication, and, their perceived target audience.
I actually saw that ad in a few other magazines. I think it was just the standard VW ad. We're flattering ourselves if we think a company like VW would be inclined to spend more money on creative work to have a specialized ad designed for biuke magazines. They might do it to localize to a specific country, or for special art for Forbes... but not for Bicycling. Keep in mind that VW advertises in thousands of publications each month.

Originally posted by velocipedio

I actually saw that ad in a few other magazines. I think it was just the standard VW ad. We're flattering ourselves if we think a company like VW would be inclined to spend more money on creative work to have a specialized ad designed for biuke magazines. They might do it to localize to a specific country, or for special art for Forbes... but not for Bicycling. Keep in mind that VW advertises in thousands of publications each month.

I certainly hope you would see that ad in other magazines. If a company is marketing a product to a wide audience they will target their campaigns based on the demographics of previous sales and current purchasing trends. In the case of cycling it would/could fall into the group of health, fitness, and outdoor recreation. Factor in age, income, and a variety of other factors to that as well and you get the general profile of the target consumer group. It isn't a perfect science, but, demographics statistical analysis can give a company a better idea of where and how to spend their marketing budget.

Vehicle manufacturers have a vast historical database to gather data from based on previous new car sales. Anyone who has purchased a new vehicle has contributed knowingly or unknowingly to their marketing database.