One of people’s biggest fears of electric vehicles is being electrocuted, so to help deal with this phobia, Mitsubishi electrified an entire room, so that the only safe place was inside the car itself. Shock therapy is one of many ways the Electriphobia Research Institute, a new online campaign by John St., can help potential electric car buyers overcome their fears.
To launch the new all-electric car, the i-MiEV, videos at Electriphobia.com address various concerns such as how to fill up an electric car or where the tailpipe is, says Angus Tucker, co-CD and partner, John St.
“We didn’t want to market this as a green vehicle,” he says. “The thought of buying electric vehicles scares people, [so] the whole digital experience is treated like therapies.”
The campaign, which launched mid-April, targets a niche buyer across generational lines, who wants a car that’s fun to drive, and wants to be the first to have a new technology, says Tucker.
PR and print ads drive to the site for more therapeutic features like a Gripe-o-meter (offering people something other than gas prices to gripe about) and a commutalculator (which measures distance travelled – providing fodder for the Gripe-o-meter).
