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Are These Electric Car Ads Effective? | Porsche Taycan & VW ID.3

With several new electric cars either on the market or coming soon, Volkswagen Group should be stepping up its advertisement game in order to show them to the world.  Two of their newest ads are for the Porsche Taycan and the Volkswagen ID.3. While they are flashy and look good, some people are not sure that they are as effective as they could be.  Are the new Volkswagen electric car ads influential enough to convert people away from gasoline-powered vehicles?

Volkswagen Electric Car Ad

It did not take long after the world premiere of Volkswagen’s ID.3 at the Frankfurt Auto Show last week for the automaker to release the latest video in their “Now You Can” ad campaign.  While you technically cannot do anything now with the ID.3, soon you will be able to, once the car is actually released to the market. 

What does Volkswagen think that we should be able to do now, at least according to this ad?  Experience the future, apparently, with all of its technological perks.  Previous ads focused on themes like having fun with an electric car, affordable electric mobility, changing the way we move, and others. 

Porsche Electric Car Ad

Not to be outdone, Porsche also released a new ad for the Porsche Taycan, titled “Different fuel.  Same soul.”  Pretty much any ad that features The Kinks is going to get my attention very quickly, and this one was no different.

The focus of this ad centered on Porsche’s history leading up to electrification. It emphasizes that while the fuel has changed, the soul of the car is still pure Porsche. 

Electric Car Advertising Lacking

Sadly, electric vehicles are often overlooked as a viable purchase option for most consumers.  One of the biggest contributors to this issue is the fact that automakers are just not advertising their electric vehicles on the same level as their gasoline-powered vehicles.  A study done by Nescaum found that in 2017 automakers were spending only a fraction of their advertising budget on their electric models. 

How are customers supposed to buy a car that they do not know about? 

While it is good that Volkswagen Group is releasing these electric car ads (and being better about releasing more electric car ads in general these days), there is not really a lot of substance to them.  They look pretty, they have good music, and they show off some shiny tech, but they do not tell me why I should buy an electric vehicle over a gasoline-powered one. 

Tell me about clean(er) energy.  Debunk electric car myths.  Show off some safety statistics, remind me how nice it would be to avoid a grubby gas station, discuss advancements in automation, stuff like that.  Really sell me on the car, so that I want to head to the dealership and plunk some money down on one.  

For now, I guess I will have to content myself with ads that look nice.

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