The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    Nissan's Polar Bear TV Ad

    By AmericanDreamer on Mon, 09/20/2010 - 11:53am |

    Has anyone else seen it?

    I can't speak for anyone else, but, knowing full well I was being manipulated, it touched me in a way few ads do.

    Nissan knows what is common knowledge--that the polar bears are facing a dire threat to their very existence, and that this bothers many people.  And they just took that and put it right there on the screen, in the viewer's face.  Not in an accusatory way but in a way that left the viewer able easily to imagine something she can do to help.

    I'm curious to see whether this ad is catching, or is neither particularly more or less effective than any other TV ad.  Also, whether sales for that particular car go up in the near term.

    Comments

    I'm still waiting for a polar bear to thank me for riding my bike. Wink

    The advert was well-done, but the Leaf will use fossil fuel power - electricity probably generated by coal plants. If the owner charges overnight, he may take advantage of otherwise wasted electricity.

     


    by Donal on Mon, 09/20/2010 - 12:52pm

    I bet we have someone at this site who could figure out a way to dub you on your urban camouflage bike into the ad to replace the guy and his car. 


    by AmericanDreamer on Mon, 09/20/2010 - 1:01pm

    Maybe if you called your bike "The Leaf" Nissan would pick up on that and start marketing it.  Either that or sue you for a trademark violation.


    by AmericanDreamer on Mon, 09/20/2010 - 1:03pm

    Not meant as PR, but here's 3 bear ones at Posterous - 2 are pretty grim global warming ads... the other a lovely clip of polar bears and huskies. 

    http://quinntheeskimo.posterous.com/quercus-stop-global-warming

    http://quinntheeskimo.posterous.com/planestupids-polar-bear

    http://quinntheeskimo.posterous.com/polar-bears-and-huskies

    I think the Leaf one does a better job of giving us something positive we can do. 

    As for emissions, even if you recharge your car with electricity made from100% coal, it emits less than from burning gasoline. Not massively less, but less. 

    If your electricity has any cleaner sources in it, the emissions plummet. 

    And obviously, if you use renewable energy, direct emissions from your car fall pretty much to zero. There'll still be some embodied emissions in the vehicle, but I believe these are less than 20% of full lifecycle emissions.


    by quinn esq on Mon, 09/20/2010 - 2:34pm