MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT

Over the years, trends have continuously changed. Whether because of age, advancements, abilities, talent, or new styles, there is great opportunity when things progress. This thought applies to almost all applications.

Through ten years of progress of Garage71 radio and Grease Inc. magazine, we have seen market changes, an aging kulture, the social media explosion, as well as the descending curve of social media. We have seen the fat tire come and go. We see that old is the new “new.” The Big Wheel Bagger seems to be barely holding on these days, but only in some markets.

Then, the LS conversion is the dream of many hot rod owners today who believe it’s the best choice when building your hot rod. The fact is, we could discuss for hours the current trend changes, as well as argue with many over living in the “past” and what is reality.

We have taken the time, while many are unaware, to go back to college and continue to improve our skills as well as knowledge. We see this growth mindset as a key to success. You can never learn enough. There is no wrong question, although there are many wrong answers, especially in the day of the opinionated social media influence.

Over the last several years, we have worked on improvements with outreach and developing our on-line voice with Garage71 radio. Since the launch of Garage71, the argument was internet radio will never go anywhere. At that point, we laughed knowing that the day and age is coming, and it has. While AM/FM is still available, all stations, including those on the dial, are on internet radio. It is a mechanism to get your message heard. It is actually one of the most subtle changes within media outsourcing today. However, less than 15% of “radio” is listened to on traditional devices; other sources are more widely used, including radio applications, music services, self-created playlists, podcasting, and of course, radio.

Today, you can flip on your television and tune to Garage71 radio if you have a SMART TV or the Alexa Fire Stick. With an easy request — “Alexa, play Garage71 on the TuneIn app” — in an instant you can listen to the “American Radio Revolution, Garage71”, on any Alexa device. In addition, we have maintained a free listening base, as we have always been a firm believer that accessibility is key to long-term success and growth. We have grown our audience to a consistent nationwide listeners base, with a very large base in the Southeast.

With the Garage71 base, we have been able to maintain distant relationships with larger brands, as well as our audience in markets such as the Midwest, West Coast, and international markets including Australia and the UK. It has been the foundation of our platform since the launch over ten years ago with Rev. Andy and Psychobilly Freakout.

Behind the scenes, we have continued to research, listen to influence in the market and kulture, observe people’s habits, grow our intellectual knowledge, and then apply what we have learned to practical practices in the field with success. We have been working on the new revised version of the Grease Inc. website, separating our brands on stand-alone pages providing specific stories and updates to more specified markets, while also continuing cross-branding at all times. Grease Inc. has become a nationwide resource for the Kustom Kulture Lifestyle.

As our content has grown over the years, we are looking at better ways to share that content and deliver stories people want to hear. From lifestyle articles, to news alerts, to updates on festivals and events, Grease Inc. has covered Kustom Kulture events coast to coast. Now, we are excited to share with you the new unveiling of the Grease Inc. website at the long-time address at greaseinc.com.

The launch of the new website provides you with headings like: Entertainment, Featured Rides, Rag Doll Features, News Alerts, and People & Places. We have created links that, with a click of a mouse, one can read current or past issues of Grease Inc. in whole with several updated features, including links for many of our premium advertisers and endorsements. There is, of course, a link to the voice of our brands, Garage71 radio, with a pop-up screen that is completely under your listening control. We have added links to our YouTube channel where you will be able to see more of our live appearances, and new Dashboard Confessionals, planned for 2019.

The new site was created following current updates and trends in the market. The site is linked to all of our social media platforms with our efforts to balance what is found in print and on-line. We will be sharing various ways to search the web or social media applications to provide a consistent resource when it comes to the Kustom Kulture.

In addition, we are adapting our street marketing abilities and expanding on the content of Grease Inc. in print. Beginning in January 2019, Grease Inc. will be available on a bi-monthly basis. The decision comes after years of chasing deadlines and pounding clients for material to meet these stressful print schedules. That is not what we are about. Over the years it has been clear that we do not follow a local pattern, but we do follow the nationwide influence in our market. We have always been inspired by the materials we have grown up reading and being fans of ourselves. With content being key, we feel as though it is best to maintain our high level of quality.

With a longer base time, we believe we can prepare the highest-quality material, including more features and stories you have already been reading for a decade. This also evolves our on-line marketing strategy, providing our sponsors and advertisers a better use of our marketing capabilities. We will be supplementing all of our endorsements with additional on-line support, as well as planned announcements providing the best delivery in today’s current market and trends.

Our decision is based on an evolving market. We have heard over and over that print is dead, when in reality it is the complete opposite. Yes, when devices like the Kindle and iPads took the market, there was a very large surge and increase in on-line reading. Over the past ten years, data has been collected and analyzed showing that trend has balanced out. The reality of the current market is almost a near 50/50 split when it comes to receiving information from on-line vs. print. Long-time print icons like Popular Science disappeared from retail shelves, only finding themselves to reappear years later due to the fact that people still retain materials that are of interest, and want them at an arm’s reach.

Think about it. Where are those special issues that everyone collects? Where are they on-line? They are lost in an ever-changing “web” of tangled chaos that is not always as easy to navigate as we sometimes want to believe.

Also, it is amazing how so many businesses do not use the web or social media properly. We hear the same discussions everywhere. Here is a clear example. There is a pretty kool bar/restaurant about 2 miles from our house. The place is actually really good. We went there at their opening, but really have not had the time to return just because of scheduling. I met someone there a few months back and saw they had live entertainment (a decent line-up too) and were having a car show. Now, I know what takes place in my home town when it comes to shows, and this, less than two miles away, wasn’t even on the radar.

When discussing with the GM and bartender about all that is going on at this good little spot, they say that all of their marketing is done on-line. Great! But, obviously it is not working. They are most likely using a blanket company who has absolutely no connection to the Kustom Kulture or, worst yet, a very underpaid low level admin doing simple posts which receive no participation from viewers on-line. It is one of the biggest misuses of social media we see client to client. It is far from easy and far from simple posting. As a matter of fact, it is far from even routinely placing boosted posts as well. That is the fastest way to throw money to the wind, and in the long run is more costly.

So, what is the magic? Well, that is where we will work with you and show you as we head into a new decade at Grease Inc. As we rapidly speed towards 2020, we have created a dynamic approach providing all the key elements that both our endorsements seek, as well as what our readers and listeners want. We are excited about our current updates and know you will be as well! We have always prided ourselves on quality and consistency, and here you will clearly see more of our efforts in providing that for you.

2019 will be an extremely busy year. From festivals in the Midwest to chopper shows in the Southeast, Grease Inc. and Garage71 will be reaching new levels of performance and demands. Here, on our homepage and web-site, you can expect to see more from People & Places updates from weekly shows and events, interviews and articles on entertainment and artists, and coverage you can count on when it comes to Kustom Kulture. We are excited about the new year ahead, and we will see you soon at a show near you. Until then, you can always follow us and keep in contact through our social media on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greaseincmagazine/ and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaseinc/

Brian “Big Boy” Whitcomb