{"id":474714,"date":"2010-03-17T16:51:54","date_gmt":"2010-03-17T20:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/?p=17291"},"modified":"2010-03-17T16:51:54","modified_gmt":"2010-03-17T20:51:54","slug":"the-future-of-your-glove-box-mazda-testing-video-%e2%80%9csmart-start-guides%e2%80%9d-in-the-mazda-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/474714","title":{"rendered":"The Future of Your Glove Box: Mazda Testing Video \u201cSmart Start Guides\u201d in the Mazda 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"2010<\/a><\/p>\n

RTFM: A simple, four-letter initialism that can deflect\u2014in the most patronizing way possible\u2014nearly any car-related question. (For those who don\u2019t know, it stands for Read the F****** Manual.) While RTFM is in common usage, at least among self-righteous internet denizens, allow us to introduce a new variation: WTFM, or Watch <\/em>the F****** Manual.<\/p>\n

We suggest the term because Mazda is testing a new way to educate its new owners with this very cool video Smart Start Guide. (It\u2019s worth noting that Chrysler is going whole hog and eliminating huge manuals altogether, replacing them with DVDs and slimmer handbooks.) Mazda\u2019s guide covers five topics: keyless entry and start, auto headlights and wipers, climate control, Bluetooth connectivity, and the navigation system. We were told that selecting the topics was more a matter of using what good-quality footage was on hand\u2014from dealer training and other sources\u2014rather than focusing on specific issues Mazda owners were having.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\"2010<\/a><\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not to say the guides\u2019 success isn\u2019t being closely tracked. Mazda canvassed its dealers\u2019 on-hand inventory for vehicles that featured all of the relevant equipment, and out popped 800 or so top-spec Mazda 6 Grand Touring models. As a result, 400 of the guides are being placed in the cars, with the remainder going without. Mazda will be following up with all of the cars\u2019 buyers and comparing their experiences to see if the video guide made any appreciable difference in their understanding of their new family sedans. Some dealers will specifically point out the new guides, while others will just drop them in the glove boxes without a peep.<\/p>\n

The reason behind the video guide? The company says it has seen concerns in its own owner surveys as well as third-party analytics like the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study regarding \u201cdifficult to use\u201d features. Another reason cited was that customers usually want to leave after the buying process instead of sitting through a long\u2014and valuable\u2014introduction to their vehicle; they\u2019re done dealing with the dealer and want to go enjoy their new car. The video guide gives the company an opportunity to explain features more in-depth than with a printed handout.<\/p>\n

One concern with Mazda\u2019s guide is what\u2019s going to happen to them once the battery dies; it\u2019s good for 40 plays or so. Will owners just toss the electronics into the trash rather than properly recycle them? Probably. It\u2019s good, then, that the package also includes a paper \u201cSmart Start Guide.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feedback so far has been positive, Mazda says, and we can understand why. The video guide is a cool way to interact with customers, and, taken with Chrysler\u2019s initiative, this looks like the future of your glove box.<\/p>\n

Watch this video to see clips of Mazda\u2019s new guide in action (video of video is so<\/em> meta):<\/p>\n

<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n

Related posts:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Mazda\u2019s Efficiency Strategy to Include Stop\/Start, Energy Regeneration, Diesel, and More – Car News<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. 2011 Mazda 2 – Video<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Mazda Kiyora Concept \/ 2011 Mazda 1 – Auto Shows<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    RTFM: A simple, four-letter initialism that can deflect\u2014in the most patronizing way possible\u2014nearly any car-related question. (For those who don\u2019t know, it stands for Read the F****** Manual.) While RTFM is in common usage, at least among self-righteous internet denizens, allow us to introduce a new variation: WTFM, or Watch the F****** Manual. We suggest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6415,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-474714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mobile","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6415"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474714\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=474714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=474714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}