Battle Of The Brands: Which Asian Automakers Bare All On YouTube?

Richard Read

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Richard Read covers technology, social media, advertising, legal issues, and other auto industry topics for High Gear Media. With a background in... More

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Screencap from Subaru's YouTube channel

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Hello, and welcome to another round of Battle of the Brands: YouTube edition. We've already taken a peek at YouTube channels run by American and European manufacturers, and today, we're moving a few thousand miles to the east, to Asia -- which for American consumers, really boils down to Japan and Korea.

What's the point of all this nerdy, nitpicky comparing and contrasting? For one, it gives the marketing geeks and obsessive-compulsives on the High Gear Media staff a chance to applaud those companies who are doing great work on the social media front, and to rip apart those who can't (or won't) get their act together. Plus, it's August, and it's hot outside, so we're stuck in front of our laptops and need to look busy.

Tomorrow, we'll finish our overview with a look at exotic and premium marques. Then on Friday, just before our traditional three-shot lunch, we'll announce some grand prize winners. The "prizes" are mostly symbolic, but hey, it's the thought that counts.

* * * * *

Honda: http://www.youtube.com/user/Honda
Total uploads: 262
Total subscribers: 8,686
Total views: 8,734,783
Date launched: October 10, 2005
Date range of clips: One week to two years
Like: Great, evocative design; strong header; loads of clips
Dislike: Disabling the "all" button; the page hypes Honda's racing heritage, which may not be what all customers think about when they think "Honda"
Most recent clip: "Honda Loves you Back 'The Love Scrub'"

Hyundai: http://www.youtube.com/user/HMAUSA (because "/hyundai" got swiped!)
Total uploads: 75
Total subscribers: 633
Total views: 3,620,981
Date launched: April 12, 2007
Date range of clips: Five days to three years
Like: Nice to look at; someone's thinking outside the normal template;
Dislike: If you have a Flash-blocker -- like many of us do -- that header is just a curious mass of blankness; and although it's pretty once it's up and running, the header is also a little large
Most recent clip: "Got It, Get It"