The hidden hybrid PR coup
We've all seen the assorted tinsletown glitterati rolling up to award shows and premiers in their shiny new hybrids. Some of them like Ed Begley, Jr. and Darryl Hannah are genuine greenies. Others not so much. So why do so many celebrities show up in Priuses instead of stretched limos when the cameras are turned on? Look no further than the EMA. EMA is a non-profit that is funded at least in part by Toyota and Lexus, CNN reports. The Japanese company has spent about $100,000,000 marketing their hybrid technology over the past decade with at least some of that money going to convince the likes of Pierce Brosnan, Blythe Danner, and Ted Turner to show up in their products. So far Toyota is still well ahead in their promotional efforts compared to the Europeans like Mercedes and Volkswagen that are pushing new diesels but that may change in the next year as many of the new BlueTec diesels hit the streets.
[Source: CNN]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Karkus 3:01PM (5/24/2007)
That was a smart move by Toyota for getting some initial publicity for the Prius back in 2003/2004 (although it certainly didn't influence my decision). While it may have been a factor initially, I really don't think that very many of the people who buy a Prius today even remember any of that. Today, Toyota hybrids are selling well because they're nice, smooth, quiet, safe, reliable cars that also happen to get good MPG !
(On a side note, the Prius got a lot of bad press for the movie star connection too. Anti-hybrid articles often mentioned DiCaprio, etc driving a Prius as a negative.)
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