Car Buyers Motivated By 'Green'

Toyota, Honda and Chevrolet are perceived by consumers as selling the most environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient models, according to a new Eco Watch US study from Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research.

Sixty percent of respondents reported they were "extremely concerned" or "very concerned" about the environment, citing water and air pollution, global warming and energy shortages as their primary issues.

The online study of 1,000 in-market consumers, taken in September, also found:
* 58% were considering a more fuel-efficient vehicle for their next purchase. On average, they said they would be willing to spend up to $2,600 more on an environmentally friendly vehicle.
* 57% said they had changed their driving habits.
* 58% who have already changed the type of vehicle they are planning to buy said they would not go back to their former vehicle of choice even if gas prices were to drop to $1 a gallon.
* The alternative-fuel technologies they most favored were hybrid engines, hydrogen fuel cells and natural gas vehicles.
* Motorists were most skeptical of biofuel, diesel and battery-electric vehicles.

Half of respondents reported that rising gas prices were a factor in their next car decision or have made them consider vehicles that they heretofore would not have considered. And 75% said they wished there were more alternative fuel vehicles in the marketplace to choose from.

The appearance of Chevrolet right behind Toyota and Honda, names almost required in an talk about fuel-efficiency, "is proof that advertising works," said Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com.

"They have been hitting it so hard in their marketing," Nerad said. "And what is ironic is that a lot of that advertising centers on the Volt, which isn't even available."

Hybrids, the alternative fuel technology that has received the most attention, represent only 1.6% of new car sales in August, per CNW Marketing Research, Bandon, Ore.

New diesel models with fuel systems allowing them to meet emissions standards in all 50 states are just starting to appear from Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes. But state taxes and demand have so far kept the clean burning fuel too high in price to make it attractive to most buyers.

According to KBB's Web site, the top 10 "green" cars of 2008 are (in order): Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, Smart Fortwo, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Mini Cooper, Ford Escape Hybrid, Honda Fit, Mercedes E320 BlueTec, Toyota Highlander Hybrid and the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid.

New Twingo Campaign

For the launch of Twingo Sport, Renault asked Publicis to work on a European campaign that will seduce youth. It includes press and two TV spots. In these two humorous films, director Bart Timmer (Pac), showcases two situations normally embarrassing: a son discovers that his father is a drag queen and a mother learns her daughter is striptease professional. The spots conclude "Good with its time, good in its twingo" and a music by Sporto Kantes.

BMW 7 Series - Hourglass Moscow

We just found a video of the gigantic construction on the red square at moscow that marks the launch of the new BMW 7 Series. The world´s biggest hourglass in front of a famous scenery.

Enjoy!



BMW 7 Series - Hourglass Moscow - video powered by Metacafe

Subaru DC Mountain Lab 1.5 // Ken Block

For those who appreciate extreme sports, here is an amazing video featuring Subaru Official U.S. driver Ken Block, who plays with the DC Shoes snowboard team on the snowpark of the mark in New Zealand.

Can you park a MINI Baby Racer?

From Germany an amusing advergame created by Interone for MINI. It's called Power Slide Parking and it challenges users to push a friend on a MINI Baby Racer right in a parking place. It's difficult and engaging enough to make you play at least a couple of times while keeping an eye on the collection of MINI cars parked along the street.

Peugeot "Picky Hitchhiker"

Make Peugeot owners feel privileged by placing very picky hitch hikers. On big cardboards it reads that they only want to drive a Peugeot. The Picky hitch hikers were placed in heavy traffic spots in all major cities. This meant high visibility and under the radar communication from an unfamiliar source. The hitch hikers looked and where believed to be real and as Peugeot owners stopped to pick them up they where told that they owned a very nice car and received a box of chocolate from Peugeot. And since the market leader Peugeot holds an app. 10% share of all cars in Denmark it made sense to encounter the target on the road. 89 hitch hikers where on the streets. The campaign ran two times with an estimated 1.21 million car owners (half of all car owners in the Denmark) reached. The campaign was featured in national news as well as nationwide magazines.

Bronze Media Lions Winner.


Agency: Uncle Grey Aarhus, Denmark.

Trend of the Month - OFF=ON

While in many parts of the world the new business quarter may be all about inflation and expensive oil and collapsing housing markets, the online world remains a hotbed of innovation and opportunity. So this month, Trend Watching is looking at some new ways the offline world is making the most of the online steamroller.

Download the report HERE

WIFI in your car

Planes and trains adding wifi is no longer a story, but automobiles are still in an early phase of the OFF=ON cycle. For a move towards digitizing cars, keep an eye on Ford’s SYNC and GM’s Onstar, while true en-route online access is made possible by Autonet Mobile. The latter turns cars into wifi hotspots, allowing multiple people to connect their computers to the internet. Autonet runs over both 3G and 2.5G cellular data networks and is capable of receiving WiMax signals. Users simply plug a router into their car's cigarette lighter, start their wifi device(s) and surf the net. Autonet Mobile claims to be effective on more than 95 percent of roads in the US.

Avis was Autonet's first corporate customer, rebranding the service as Avis Connect, currently available at 13 locations across the US for USD 10.95 per day. Autonet recently also entered into a partnership with Chrysler to create Chrysler UConnect, which is offered in all 2009 models and will also work with earlier Chrysler models.

Fiat Bravo - Bravo!

In Holland, this very odd TV commercial is making its way around the web, while it hasn't been on TV yet. In a typical Dutch setting, a cow judges cars that drive by. The Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus are boo'ed away. But for the Fiat Bravo, the cow has something else to say. See for yourself:

GYM Concept Car Powered By Your Exercises

The future is coming and in the future, the cars powered by fossil fuels will be forgotten therefore designers will have to come up with new ideas for new types of fuel. While hybrid and solar-powered cars seem to have an advantage, the GYM concept car comes with a new and revolutionary idea: a car which harnesses the energy from your workout.

You might be wondering if you can generate enough energy to power your car, but the thing is that the GYM concept will feature an electrical engine and batteries which will be charged thanks to you. You will be able to do that via a plug-in socket which will be connected to your exercise equipment

The GYM concept will be an one-seated car and will be made of lightweight materials like molded magnesium alloy and carbon-fiber. The design resembles a fighter aircraft from World War 2 and maybe with all this exercises you are getting ready for war. Just kidding here. Unlike many other concepts, I hope that the GYM car will become a reality in the future.

Smart - Street Marketing

With Smart it is already tomorrow! Almost… We are in the Shibuya subway station in Japan. A Street Marketing operation puts forward a vending machine. Instead of finding confectionery, the distributor offers Smart. Great Idea!