Note to Subaru: whoops, your agency doesn't know your product
It's a fact that the English language is currently being sliced to ribbons. Spelling and grammar have gone out the window, and elocution is such a lost art that we're amazed when a speaker can manage a paragraph. It's interesting to see where these shortcomings manifest themselves. One would assume that an advertising agency, being in the business of communicating, would double- and triple-check a message before sending it out for the world to see. Imagine our surprise, then, when across our digital desks slid a memo from Carmichael Lynch trumpeting the Minneapolis, MN agency's relationship with Subaru of America.
It didn't start well. The subject header of the email read: "Subaru 360 Goes Airbourn (sic) To Find Home on 10th Floor." Interesting capitalization, and a very creative spelling of airborne. Bush league for an agency that handles Harley Davidson, Jack Link's, Cargill, and Toys 'R' Us, to name a few. Intrigued by the mention of a 360, Subaru's diminutive first stab at automobiles, we read on. Carmichael Lynch, upon landing the Subaru of America account in 2007, located a 360 and had it spiffed up for display in the company's 10th floor lobby. While small, the only way to get the little Subie ten stories up was a crane, which hoisted the car through a window last Saturday. Delightful little story, and we were inclined to give the wacky subject line a pass until we read the last sentence, which started: "Today's Subaru Forrester..." Whoa. If we were SoA, we'd be incensed. Spelling bee time: Forester. F-o-r-e-s-t-e-r, Forester. Forest is a chronically misspelled word, but it's still intolerable when it's the very firm being paid to represent the actual product.
Well, now we feel better. Check out the pictures of the 360's crane ride in the gallery, and hit the jump to see the original text of the email from Carmichael Lynch.
Gallery: "Airbourn" Subaru 360
[Source: Carmichael Lynch]
Subject: Subaru 360 Goes Airbourn To Find Home on 10th Floor
Click the "Related URL" link above for fun pictures of a Subaru 360 (circa 1968) that was "carried" up to the 10th floor of agency Carmichael Lynch where it now greets visitors to the Minneapolis advertising agency.
Carmichael Lynch handles all advertising, media, digital advertising and dealer support for Subaru of America. Shortly after the agency's partnership with Subaru was announced in 2007, Carmichael Lynch located this classic and rare Subaru 360. The car needed a bit of work – but now is ready to be on display in the 10th floor lobby.
The Subaru 360 was first sold in the U.S in the late 1960's – the car was in production from 1958-71.
On Saturday morning, the car was hoisted, with great care, by crane through a removed window panel of the agency's 10th floor.
Today's Subaru Forrester, Outback, Impreza, Legacy, Tribeca and WRX can each trace their lineage back to the Subaru 360.
Enjoy the pictures!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
matt 10:44AM (9/28/2008)
are you going to post an article every time someone sends you grammar-less email?
Reply
Pengwin 11:12AM (9/28/2008)
no, but you will act like a douche bag every time you don't like something that gets posted!
oh, and by the way, its "send you A grammar-less email"
Richard 7:02PM (9/28/2008)
Pengwin,
Albeit an asinine comment, matt could have been using the collective in which case his grammar would be fine.
notYou 10:55AM (9/28/2008)
Autoblog: It's a fact that the English language is currently being sliced to ribbons. Spelling and grammar have gone out the window, and elocution is such a lost art that we're amazed when a speaker can manage a paragraph.
Far be it for Autoblog to critique English spelling and grammar, eh?
Reply
ale 11:09AM (9/28/2008)
Yea, really, as many errors autoblog makes... but i dont really see the point of this article.. i mean damn, typos are a part of life, jeez move on
BOB 2:23PM (9/29/2008)
".......While small, the only way to get the little Subie ten stories up was a crane, which hoisted the car through a window last Saturday...."
HOW ABOUT__________
" While badly written and confusing, the only way to take Autoblog articles by certain writers, is with a large grain of salt."
D 11:22AM (9/28/2008)
It is pretty funny of Autoblog to complain about grammar and meaning in other people's articles, given all the mistakes you guys make.
Like, for instance, you know, the opening sentence to this post:
"It's a fact that the English language is currently being sliced to ribbons."
You do not slice something to ribbons.. you slice it "into" ribbons.
Reply
Seminole 11:23AM (9/28/2008)
Haha. Autoblog making fun of someone for using poor spelling and grammar.
Don't take the the wrong way, it doesn't bother me that you make mistakes. I just wouldn't make fun of someone for something I do.
Reply
AZMike 11:30AM (9/28/2008)
perhaps another term we can add to that English language ashbin:
"rims".
a rim is the EDGE of something, like the rim of a cup, or the rim of the Grand Canyon.
the WHEEL of a car is what the tire goes on. the tire is mounted to the wheel over the rim...unless you're about fourteen, or write like you are.
AZMike
Reply
Proscriptus 1:38PM (9/28/2008)
Unless you've got yourself a two-piece wheel. Ford made a lot of noise when the Model T got demountable rims.
AZMike 7:39PM (9/28/2008)
thanks for proving my point. a split rim on a Model T, or a newer truck is just that; a RIM that splits. the WHEEL stays intact.
AZMike
Michael 11:35AM (9/28/2008)
Yeah... I'm going to have to agree with the posters above who mentioned the irony of this post.
"But it's just a blog!"
No.
Reply
Benfolio 11:40AM (9/28/2008)
it's teh intarn3t
noone car3z h0w u tipe 5p377 or punktuate ne moar
Reply
mr.ed 11:44AM (9/28/2008)
A few minutes of Miniapplesauce talk radio would tell you a lot about the decline and fall of the language, and of decent manners, too.
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the other Mat 11:46AM (9/28/2008)
The President of the United States can't even pronounce "nuclear" correctly. And he pronounces "terrorist" as if it were a two syllable word. If we don't expect/demand that our leaders speak proper English, I don't know why we should hold anyone else's written or spoken word to a higher standard.
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Chris 2:03PM (9/28/2008)
Spend some time in the south or the midwest, it's called a "regional dialect". To me it's strange for Obama to say pahk-ah-stan because my native New York accent has stripped me of soft a's. Get over it.
Turkle 6:56PM (9/28/2008)
We all know that Bush Jr. cannot utter too many words without making us cringe, but the next President will not be much of an orator either. He..uh, uh, I... uh, uh, I mean, let me make one thing clear here to the American People.. uh, uhm, ...
kwsdurango 11:49AM (9/28/2008)
All the posters citing Autoblog's occasional errors are kind of missing the point - Subaru is PAYING Carmichael Lynch to make the world familiar with their cars, brand names, etc. so spelling the product names correctly should be the least the agency could do. I know the AB guys don't write for free, but I don't think they are hired to sell cars either.
If anything, I've noticed improvements in AB's writing over the last few months. Even the entries that seem a bit heavy handed or contrived in terms of language use and descriptions show consideration for the craft of writing. In a soundbite world, a little creative writing is a nice touch.
Reply
geo.stewart 12:43PM (9/28/2008)
you think AB doesnt get paid for the blog?
Do you see all the ads? You see how it is tied to AOL? Sorry, at this point it is a professional website and should be accorded as such.
The web log affords a 2-way personability not enjoyed by the one-way transfer of info through magazines, but it does not make the web log any less professional.
I too have seen an increase of late in the correctness of the postings but still room to grow. And at the end of the day, I still like the website a lot!
kwsdurango 1:21PM (9/28/2008)
I meant "paid directly by Auto manufacturers to sell the cars." I understand AB is paid to place ads on their site - however they are not writing the ads. The types of ad agencies hired by auto manufacturers get paid enough to drive the cars we drool over in AB. They should get it right.
Agreed that it is a "publication" and blogs are now professional (and should be) professional. That said, one of the reasons I like this blog is because of the sheer volume of daily entries. I don't know how many writers there are but they do seem to be working pretty hard.