US – Electric vehicle (EV) charging network Electrify America has unveiled a playful digital marketing campaign to demystify EVs.
The campaign – Normal Now – is being rolled out across the US with an educational website, as well as online videos and advertisements across streaming platforms and social media. Tapping into Netstalgia, the humorous campaign uses dated design cues such as Comic Sans and a website visitor counter, with the aim of normalising zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) by drawing comparisons between consumers' current perceptions of EVs and how technological advances such as mobile phones, smart watches and online dating were once regarded.
‘A large percentage of the car-buying public cite functional concerns about EVs, like range anxiety, charge time and cost as reasons they wouldn’t drive electric,’ says Richard Steinberg, senior director of green cities, marketing and communications at Electrify America. ‘We believe that fear of change and lack of exposure to EVs in pop culture is making people view them as too different from what they’re used to, and therefore are striving to normalise EVs with this latest educational campaign.’
Statistics show that while the adoption rate of EVs is still relatively low, the market for these vehicles is gaining traction (sources: McKinsey & Co, IHS Markit).