Ed Bobit's Publisher's Page

A lecture is an occasion when you numb one end to benefit the other.-John Gould

The best argument is that which stems merely an explanation.Dale Carnegie

"The Medium is the Message" because it is the medium that shapes and controls the search and form of human associations and action.-Marshall McLuhan

The day that you received your July issue of Automotive Fleet was a milestone day. You might have thought it odd to see the magazine wrapped in, what we in publishing call, a polybag. Designed to protect its contents. You might have sensed that it seemed heavier and appeared thicker than usual. And. when you opened it VOILA! - videotape. Pretty surprising.

We've seen a lot of change occur in the fleet market over the years. Some forty years ago, Sam Lee, one of the industry leaders at that time, found out that even the factories did not have a written fleet policy. Since then, however, the factories have directed to you an ever-inceasing stream of promotion sheets, specs, incentives, warranties and miscellaneous hype; all designed as tools to assist you in efficient vehicle purchasing.

About ten years ago, McCullagh Leasing developed a slide rule-type gimmick that offered easy cross-referencing on models. And, with the advent of computers, it was inevitable that someone like ARI would create a floppy disk chuck full of data that mirrors the dozens of pages found in any of the leading lessor recommendation or guide books published each year for client reference. When the disk is inserted in the drive, and a few strokes are hit, the computer can display a list of vehicles meeting individualized specifications, or a comparison of corporate acquisition costs versus employee reimbursement, of a vehicle replacement cycling analysis, or the effects of proper preventive maintenance on used vehicle residuals. It's an understatement to say that electronic technology has come a long way. All of these tools are helpful in meeting today's complex challenge: What to order and why?

Over the years the car companies have made a conscious effort through their early regional previews, in cities such as Palm Springs. Las Vegas or Detroit, to enable volume buyers to have the opportunity to personally view the new products and see color films of the vehicles "in action." GM took this a step further this year with their satellite presentation to over 20 cities, providing simultaneous information to an even greater number of buyers.

The VHS-format videocassette included with our July issue has to be called "State of the Art." It represents more than 26 minutes of new product presentation to each of 20.000+ industry people which can be viewed at the buyer's convenience, in the environment of his/her choosing, without incurring any lost time for travel away from the office. It is a step ahead of the audio cassette that Delco Electronics provided along die same lines last year. The United Stales Postal Service informs us that both appearances are "firsts" in any U.S. magazine. Our readers have been most appreciative of the videotape and are viewing it with enthusiasm. We salute Buick for their vision, innovation and interest in the fleet market. Their move was a boldly unique breakthrough to assist every fleet buyer.