Automotive Industry Gets First-of-Its-Kind Focus Group-Inspired Media Feedback Service from Telemetry

Telemetry PULSE assembles veteran auto and tech journalists, engineers, and analysts to provide confidential feedback on automotive products and services before OEM launch.

NOVI, Mich., July 28, 2025 — Telemetry announced today a new service, PULSE (Product

Understanding & Launch Strategic Evaluation), which combines the company's research and analyst advisory services with its well-established network of the industry's largest pool of professional automotive writers for editorial marketing. The service leverages the expertise of frequently cited automotive technology analyst Sam Abuelsamid, who joined Telemetry in January.

"We identified a gap in the market for genuine, journalist-led feedback during product development," said Craig Daitch, Founder of Telemetry. "Media coverage significantly influences product acceptance and market adoption, yet most companies only engage with journalists after their products are finalized. PULSE enables honest insights from the voices that will shape public perception, while there's still time to make meaningful changes."All professional services work under the strictest, legally binding terms of confidentiality. 

Why Journalist Perspectives Matter to OEMs During Product Development

Automotive journalists bring a unique combination of industry-wide product exposure and consumer translation expertise that is invaluable during development. Testing hundreds of vehicles and technologies annually across a multitude of global brands, journalists possess unparalleled comparative knowledge of what works in real-world applications versus what appears promising in specifications.

More importantly, journalists excel at identifying the critical gap between engineering capabilities and actual user experience. While internal development teams focus on functionality and technical achievement, journalists evaluate products through the lens of everyday consumers, catching usability issues that might be invisible to teams with deep product familiarity.

"Journalists serve as experienced, independent evaluators who bridge technical capability with market reality," said Daitch. "They understand which features have genuine story value and what will generate positive coverage, what might face criticism, and what truly differentiates a product in a crowded marketplace."

Beyond usability assessment, automotive media professionals significantly influence consumer perception and purchasing decisions through their coverage. Their reviews directly impact product acceptance in the market. Understanding what will resonate with journalists during development, when changes can still be implemented, proves far more valuable than discovering problems in published reviews after launch.

Journalists regularly cover industry trends and identify emerging consumer preferences and competitive positioning that may not be obvious to teams concentrating solely on product development. This gives OEMs a broader market perspective during crucial decision-making moments.

From Post-Development Briefings to Active Product Development Consultation

Here's how the PULSE process works: When automotive companies have products or services in early development stages, whether software systems, hardware components, or tire designs, optimizing the combination of features, functionality, and customer experience often remains difficult despite understanding benchmarked competitors and latest technologies.

PULSE offers three moderated sessions with Telemetry’s team of experienced automotive journalists, who review products from North American, European, and Chinese automakers. Moderated by Sam Abuelsamid, VP of Market Research, each 1.5-2.5-hour session allows clients to present concepts or prototypes for panel feedback at various decision points.

In addition to live feedback, Telemetry provides a written summary within 48 hours of each session.

Built on Deep Professional Partnerships with Media

PULSE builds on four years of cultivated relationships with the automotive and technology media landscape. Since its founding, the agency has developed what industry insiders recognize as the country's largest network of professional automotive writers. 

Telemetry's journalist network has produced nearly 3,000 pieces of content on behalf of some of the world's largest finance and automotive retail brands, demonstrating both the breadth of expertise and the trust these media professionals place in Telemetry's judgment and discretion.

"Our contributing journalists understand the business of automotive media, what makes compelling content, and how different audiences consume automotive information," said Daitch. "When we ask them to participate in PULSE sessions, they bring years of collaborative experience with our team, plus the confidence that comes from working with major industry players."

This established network means PULSE clients benefit from pre-existing professional relationships rather than cold outreach to unfamiliar media contacts. The journalists participating in PULSE sessions already understand Telemetry's standards for professionalism and confidentiality, having worked successfully with the agency across multiple high-stakes projects for Fortune 500 companies.

With Abuelsamid's technical expertise added to this proven media network, Telemetry offers a combination of analytical depth and journalist relationships that would be difficult for companies to assemble independently.

The Advantage of Having an Engineer-Analyst on Staff

Clients can also request technical benchmarking studies across any automotive category. Telemetry is unique in having Abuelsamid, a highly cited analyst and engineer, on staff. As a technical expert with encyclopedic knowledge of automotive product engineering systems, Abuelsamid provides objective comparative analysis of emerging automotive technologies, services, and products — from connected vehicle services to tire performance metrics to safety systems.

"Many new automotive products and services are still in early development phases," said Abuelsamid. "We can provide data-driven insights on market adoption, feature performance, and competitive positioning across virtually any automotive category."

For more information about Telemetry and its services, please visit www.telemetryagency.com.