Metro

ON THE COVER

Sirens Of Chrome

New book explores the changing role of women auto show models.

Bush administration is expected to help
General Motors and Chrysler get through
the first part of the year. Despite the diffi-
cult times, a fresh crop of models will take
their places at Detroit's North American
International Auto Show Jan. 17-25 at
Cobo Center and do their best to put a
positive spin on these trying times.
"It is frightening:' Krevsky admits. "But
it's not the first time our automakers have
faced hard times and it won't be the last."

A Radical Idea

2

In 1946, during the Golden Jubilee of the Automobile, six blocks of Woodward Avenue were painted gold for a parade featuring

models dressed as goddesses and floats featuring cars reminiscent of Roman chariots.

1 he cars cannot talk, no nuttier how _fabulous they look or
how 'wonderful things are under the hood. It's the product specialists
who are le to speak for them. - Margery Krevsky, author

3,

Robin Schwartz
Special to the Jewish News

I

n Greek mythology, sirens were
seductive creatures, winged women
with angelic faces and irresistible
songs. Author and talent agency owner
Margery Krevsky of Bloomfield Hills
believes their modern-day counterparts
(minus the wings, of course) can be found
strutting their stuff on auto show floors.
According to Krevsky, today's auto show
models, or product information specialists
as they're called, possess the same allur-
ing qualities as the mythical creatures of
Greek legend.

"They seek not to dash ships
upon rocks but to entice the pur-
chase of land-worthy ships to sail
upon the highways and byways of
America," she writes in her book,
Sirens of Chrome: The Enduring
Allure of Auto Show Models.
Krevsky should know.
Marger
She has spent the last 28 years
helping select and train auto show
talent through her Bingham Farms-based
company, Productions Plus. She's also
credited with reinventing the role of the
models, insisting they evolve from sex
kittens and beauty queens into trained,
knowledgeable spokespeople for Ford,

Chrysler, General Motors,
Lexus or whichever car com-
pany they represent.
"The cars cannot talk, no
matter how fabulous they look
or how wonderful things are
under the hood;' Krevsky says.
"It's the product specialists
who are left to speak for there
As we usher in 2009, auto
show models may have a greater sense
of purpose than ever before. Detroit's Big
Three automakers are hurting. Slumping
sales, layoffs and even talk of bankruptcy
have dominated the headlines; a $17.4 bil-
lion emergency rescue package from the

Krevsky joined the automotive world in
1981 (two years after the government
guaranteed loans to Chrylser, staving off
impending bankruptcy). She and model
Harriet Fuller of Bloomfield Hills co-
founded Productions Plus with the goal of
supplying auto show talent. But, Krevsky
had a radical idea: take the focus off the
models' curves and emphasize another
attribute — their brains. She entered the
field with a fresh perspective as a Jewish
wife and mother, a former Glamour maga-
zine editor and fashion merchandiser for
Hudson's, with degrees in elementary edu-
cation and business. At first, she says her
idea was met with resistance.
"I even had executives from the motor
companies say, `No, we really like things
the way they are," she recalls.
Still, Krevsky forged ahead.
She explains her motivation in the
introduction to her book. "I came into
the business hoping to take models out of
cleavage-revealing tops, short shorts and
sequined ball gowns," she writes. `After all,
Snow White and Barbie weren't the role
models of an increasingly potent corps of
women buyers — who now influence 80
percent of all vehicle purchases."
What was once considered radical is
the norm today. Each auto company holds
its own intensive product specialist train-
ing program lasting a week to three days.
Models get a basic overview of the indus-
try, learning about specific products, the
culture and brand of vehicle they represent,
and how it stacks up against the competi-
tion. They also take part in a hands-on
"ride and drive" day so they know what the
car feels like and how it handles.
Krevsky remains president and CEO of
Productions Plus, which has grown into
one of the leading suppliers of auto show

Sirens on page Al2

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January 1 • 2009

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