Honda purges select comments from Crosstour Facebook page
Many moons ago, when the internet was newish and Netscape ruled the land, we took a class called, "Anatomy of a Virtual Community." The idea was to explore and study how online communities functioned, if they were good or bad and if you really could achieve something akin to the mid-Nineties liberal arts school conception of "community." You have to understand this was back when chat rooms were as exotic as Tahiti and there wasn't anything on the internet but porn. The class itself didn't go so well, because most of the students wouldn't participate in the group chat the way the professor envisioned. Point being, it's quite difficult to control behavior in an online environment.
Honda just got hit upside the head with this particular lesson. Yesterday, we posted that the Crosstour Facebook page was overflowing with negative comments regarding the look of Honda's new CUV. Seems that the public at large isn't too thrilled with the design. We went ahead and ran our own poll and looks as if Autoblog readers agree with the Facebookians – 81.7% of you feel the Crosstour should be killed with fire, and just 3.1% of you think it is good looking. And we'd guesstimate that well over 81.7% of the ensuing comments are negative. Many rabidly so. Difference is, we left the comments alone, while Honda was purging 'em on Facebook. To be fair to Honda, they say they have removed a total 28 comments (out of thousands) because of "profanity or inappropriate content." Further, they note that they "...did not remove any comments that simply expressed a negative opinion about the Crosstour." They did, however, remove one that expressed a positive opinion.
Our pal Alex had the presence of mind to grab a screen shot of the above exchange which has since been removed from the Crosstour page. Obviously, this type of thing is embarrassing for Honda. And it illustrates what a sticky pickle modern day PR folks find themselves in. Regarding Eddie Okubo's comments, here's what Honda has to say:
Did Eddie really do anything wrong? He's an employee defending not only his company and that company's product, but his livelihood. Yet his comments and other similar non-sanctioned corporate communique will one day wind up in business textbooks as examples of how social media marketing can go very, very wrong. Also, isn't every employee with a Facebook/Twitter account suddenly a spokesperson if their company decides to use social media? It could be that multinational corporations just aren't ready for Facebook and it's ilk. It's definitely an issue that deserves further study.Eddie Okubo is a manager in Honda Product Planning. His post was removed for two reasons: 1) He did not first state that he is a Honda employee and that his posting is his personal -- not Honda's -- opinion. 2) He is not a spokesperson for Honda.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
David 3:34PM (9/03/2009)
So wrong.....But every mother loves their own children, even the ugly ones.
Is Fugly no longer a contemporary word? I didn't see anyone use it to describe the Crosstour.
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Tourian A5 5:04PM (9/03/2009)
You'd imagine they put new designs in front of a focus group and ask them "how does this look to you?"
I mean, SOMEONE had to realize this thing was fugly before they unveiled it.
Aloysius Vampa 3:34PM (9/03/2009)
I almost don't even care what Honda does anymore, you know?
I don't envy anyone who works in PR. *shudder*
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James 3:42PM (9/03/2009)
Honda's going DOWN with this infamous Facebook/Crosstour fiasco...
StinkyPete 3:58PM (9/03/2009)
They still make a mean portable generator.
StinkyPete 3:59PM (9/03/2009)
They still make decent portable generator and lawn equipment.
Silly Pickle 4:11PM (9/03/2009)
Phew! I was worried. I saw this post on their Fecesbook page and hoped they hadn't deleted it. Made me laugh...here it is. (not mine, I don't do Facebook...creeps me out - AB is so much cooler)
"Babak Gilbert Man: I had to become a fan to comment on this marvel of engineering. Who would've thought that modeling a wedge of cheese for an automobile would turn heads in a good way. This thing is utterly appalling. What kind of rims are those....what is th...at? What IS that??? I'll tell you one thing...If I was into committing suicide by running in front of a car, I would go out of my way to avoid being hit by one of these. I don't know if my family and relatives could stand the shame and embarrassment of "Death by Crosstour". On second thought, maybe this car would look better with a dead body wedged in the grill....Yea....I'm going to market that."
There might be others that were funnier - and of course there are the defenders of the ugly who say they love it. One guys avatar looks like he's maybe 13 years old. I can tell you my 13 yr old would (probably, hopefully) hurl a months worth of lunches - I'm going to have to show him tonight. If he doesn't hurl, I may just have to take him downstairs, pull out the 20 yr old history of car magazines in my basement and re-teach him.
My wife on the other hand...she'll probably like it. But then what does she know...she likes pretty much anything I don't just to be different.
James 4:38PM (9/03/2009)
The name sez it all..."X-Tour".
A definite "cross out " in any prospective car buyers list.
yakapo 4:57PM (9/03/2009)
The only way the crosstour could look any worse is if they gave it the bottle opener- buck tooth Acura grille.
Maybe Honda's lead designer is a double agent who secretly works for Hyundai.
Paul 6:22PM (9/03/2009)
According to their agency, Eddie Okubo was the product planner on THIS CAR!!!
Honda's PR, ad agency and product planning are among the worst in the car business. To see this whole train-wreck unfold just goes to show how lost Honda is.
I've been a HUGE fan of Honda for years (cars, cycles, F1) but they're clearly on a bad path and have lost their engineering mojo.
Michael 3:36PM (9/03/2009)
Looked like ass yesterday and still does today. Hmm will it look like ass in a year when the "cool" factor has expired; not that It ever had any.
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Javanese 3:37PM (9/03/2009)
I guarantee you that somebody will get fired from honda because of this car.
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Jared 3:40PM (9/03/2009)
Really? So who got fired for the current Honda Pilot and the entire Acura line (with the beak/shield front grill)?
Given Honda's styling misses lately I'd say that a whole bunch of people need to get fired.
kal326 4:54PM (9/03/2009)
I nominate Eddie Okubo for being a shameless tool.
anonymous j 5:51PM (9/03/2009)
Are you sure? Cause I don't remember hearing about anyone getting fired from Acura for the new TL...
Wobbly_ears 3:38PM (9/03/2009)
I seriously question the intelligence of those who design vehicles at Honda. In the past 2-3 years, they have given us the Acura range with its godawful beak, the Pilot with that 'thing' on the grill, then this monstrosity.
Is Honda trying to perform a hara-kiri on itself??
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UCJR 3:42PM (9/03/2009)
I can almost guarantee that there's at least one Honda engineer or exec who's already tried falling on their own katana after the negative backlash from this vehicle.
Jared 3:41PM (9/03/2009)
As opposed to committing hari kari on someone else ;) ?
Tom Miller 4:34PM (9/03/2009)
"Is Honda trying to perform a hara-kiri on itself??"
You hit the nail on the head. I have bought more Hondas than any of make (5), but my wife's 2007 Civic will likely be the last if their styling trend continues.
Assass1n 9:55PM (9/03/2009)
Don't forget about the CR-V, Civic (coupe or sedan), Ridgeline, Element... Actually, come to think about it, the ONLY (relatively) good looking Honda is the one they are killing- S2000.