A REFLECTION BY DON HALL
What a pleasure it has been to have spent the bulk of one’s working life dealing with motoring correspondents, and in sharing the pleasure of their company, indeed, their friendship for friendship it has been since the 1970s to this present day.
The motoring correspondent is one whose task it is to keep members of the vehicle-buying public fully abreast of events taking place within the motor industry, feeding their interest with up-to-the-minute news of each new model introduction.
Across the landscape of communications – in national and regional newspapers, in dedicated TV and radio programmes and motoring publications, in special interest periodicals, lifestyle magazines, freesheets, blog sites and on social media platforms – the motoring correspondent is there to bring the public news of each new vehicle’s arrival, first with information and initial driving impressions.
Later, after a thorough week-long test drive, their readers and followers will be served a detailed analysis – with individual impressions and comparisons – intended to be helpful to those who may be interested in purchasing the model being reviewed.
In addition, their work often includes comment and reviews on motoring-related subjects…on developments to do with pricing, insurance, and taxation…on issues affecting supply and availability…on trends in respect to styling, safety, and design…on used car trade-in values…on purchase finance, and so forth.
While some might think their lives are a bed of roses, necessitating travel to overseas model launches, sometimes held in far-away places and exotic locations, it isn’t always what it is thought to be. True, the motoring correspondent can rub shoulders with the stars at glamorous motor shows. And yes, they do overnight in posh hotels, and dine in Michelin star restaurants.
But there is a less attractive truth that proves a motoring correspondent’s life is not always an easy one, of which meeting publication deadlines is only one!
After all, how many times could a sane person jump out of bed in the dark, rush to Dublin Airport to catch a ‘red eye’ flight to a car launch location, then hang around London or Frankfurt airports before flying onwards to somewhere that has no direct link to Ireland…before turning around the following day to retrace steps back to Dublin, there to retrieve ‘wheels’ from the long-stay car park before facing into a further
3-hours duration drive onwards to Mayo, or Galway, or ‘you name it’.
Wonderful, one might think…but to do it all again the following week…and the week after that…and again…and again?
Across an unbroken ‘career-spanning’ life in PR – during the course of which one has had the pleasure of working with all of the towering figures, living and deceased, whose imprint is stamped on Irish motoring journalism – one’s admiration for each and every one is unbounded.
While each writer has brought, and continues to bring, his or her own personality to the job, and to the respected body of which they are members, one must say that, to a person, they have brought distinction to their task and credit to their trade and to those outlets that they represent.
Of course, there have been those very rare occasions…aren’t there always!?
However, isn’t it wonderful to say that this writer’s memories and experiences of working with motoring writers has been wonderful, by any and every measure.
Still being enjoyed, it has been a stimulating and challenging adventure in which we in Hall PR have had the honour to represent many of the world’s leading motor brands: Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Audi, Mazda, Skoda, Citroen, Porsche, and new all-electric models from the Mercedes-EQ division, BYD and smart # ranges.
Through the years, our work with Ireland’s motoring writers has been a life’s enjoyment, made possible by the responsibility and confidence reposed in us by our client, Motor Distributors Limited. And, if that life has taught us any lesson, it is this: like motoring itself, life in PR is but a journey, one with obstacles, and some twists and turns. But mostly, these pale into insignificance when joined with the long, straight, smooth stretches that will guide you to your destination. There is one proviso: that, in terms of PR planning, you would know where it is you wish to go, and the best route to follow that will take you there. Otherwise, how else would you know for certain that you had arrived?
To those who would serve in the motor trade, give it all you have! Be interested, be enthusiastic, be loyal, for you will be an important contributor in an exciting, ever-challenging, ever-changing trade, one populated with optimistic, can-do people amongst whom are motoring writers. View them as friends, key markers on the journey to your destination. Serve them with pleasure and with pride, and let their contribution be your reward.
