Truth Versus Advertising: Sex Is Sexier Than The Environment Edition

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

With the environment taking an ever-larger place in automotive advertising, it’s interesting to note that Fisker’s latest brochure puts green in its place: behind sexy. Of course these sultry images [via BusinessInsider] aren’t free from environmental overtones, featuring taglines like “designed to get you hot, not the planet,” but it’s clear that Fisker is more heavily relying on the most traditional tool in the advertising playbook. Why? For one thing, even though Fisker is delivering Karmas, the EPA has not yet certified its efficiency rating… so we don’t even know how environmentally friendly it is yet. For another the Karma’s main rival, Tesla’s forthcoming Model S, is pure electric and therefore more appealing to wealthy environmentalists. Finally, unlike environmental messaging, sex doesn’t remind people that Fisker was the beneficiary of over half a billion dollars in government loans. Plus, sex is still, well, sexy. The more things change, the more they stay the same…


Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Newfdawg Newfdawg on Aug 19, 2011

    Wow, talk about a phallic symbol....

  • TonyJZX TonyJZX on Aug 20, 2011

    the point of the high heel stepping on the bowser nozzle is an obvious play on a standard hardcore fetish but hey... at least it's not a gathering of Nissan Leaf owners

  • Michael Karesh Michael Karesh on Aug 20, 2011

    They've had these photos on the website for a while. When I first saw them I thought they were out-of-touch, at best. So is the target Fisker customer so tasteless that these photos will appeal to him? (Clearly not a her.)

    • ZoomZoom ZoomZoom on Aug 20, 2011

      Hey, at least the headline and the pics aren't boring like oh-so-many Pebble beach headlines or *yawn* all those pics of befuddled old guys in charge of the auto manufacturers. Or GM. This article made me look, and that should be the first rule here; get the eyes on the page! But the site is still too slow when loading. And yes, the dirty little secret is that sex sells.

  • Stryker1 Stryker1 on Aug 20, 2011

    Man. I can't wait to have sex with that car... wait... No, that's right.

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