New Nissan Ads Shift the Way Car Buyers Evaluate Options

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Many new green brands have been introduced over the years with what I've called "green marketing myopic" pitches (think GE's "dancing elephants" and Conoco's "cheering dolphins"), only to realize the opportunity to link environmental product attributes with the primary reasons why consumers buy (all) products in the first place. Nissan fell into this camp with the polar bear ads for their new LEAF electric vehicle. However, their new campaign suggests that Nissan's marketing team is on an vertical learning curve, and in my estimation, represents some of the sharpest green marketing smarts around today.

Many new green brands have been introduced over the years with what I've called "green marketing myopic" pitches (think GE's "dancing elephants" and Conoco's "cheering dolphins"), only to realize the opportunity to link environmental product attributes with the primary reasons why consumers buy (all) products in the first place. Nissan fell into this camp with the polar bear ads for their new LEAF electric vehicle. However, their new campaign suggests that Nissan's marketing team is on an vertical learning curve, and in my estimation, represents some of the sharpest green marketing smarts around today.

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A New Metric for Car Buyers

The ads from this week's Fast Company (see illustration) assert a new metric for car buyers—"miles traveled for one dollar." The implication, of course, is that a gasoline-free vehicle, is far more affordable than the alternative. The implications are huge: Nissan can excel in and own as an advertising claim. Complementing the tagline, "Shift the way you move," the metric helps to change the reader's thinking about the relevance of historical miles per gallon accounting—and underscore leadership and innovation of the LEAF itself (with resulting halos to brand Nissan).

EPA's New Fuel Economy Labels

This approach is reminiscent of what I love about the EPA's new fuel economy labels: they include annual fuel costs and estimated fuel savings in addition to mpg, and smog and greenhouse gas ratings—thus helping would-be drivers to understand the direct, compelling benefits of buying a greener car.

Article continues: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/06/new-nissan-ads-shift-car-buyers-evaluate-options/