January 15, 2006
World's Toughest Briefs: Hybrid Cars
The Financial Times challenged all creative minds to design an ad campaign to broaden the appeal of hybrid cars. I teamed up with Michael Saji. Here is a sample of our entry.
Hybrids mean freedom from pollution, from high gas bills, from foreign oil. That is 
common knowledge. Our campaign associates hybrid technology with a new kind of freedom. The freedom associated with SUVs and race cars. "Free to Roam" and "Free to Accelerate" emphasize these aspects. "Free to breathe" shows that the campaign is flexible enough to tie these new-found freedoms back to commonly held believes about hybrid technology. The campaign can be adapted to fit any car company that is currently working on hybrid SUVs, Toyota being only one of many.
Free to Roam
"Next gas, 500 miles." Not a problem if you get 50 miles to the gallon. Even if it is an SUV. Now that I have a hybrid, I'm free to go wherever I please, as far as whim or fancy takes me. And I can take comfort in traffic knowing that.
Free to Accelerate
As I zoom down the tunnel, I enjoy the power of a hybrid V6 engine. People don't realize that with a hybrid, you just get more—more acceleration, more torque, more 
power, without the poor mileage of a turbocharger. No wonder they're developing hybrid engines for F1 racers.
Free to Breathe
Imagine a world with pollution cut in half. Suddenly your breaths are cleaner, crisper. Freer. Now imagine your cost of gas cut in half. Take a deep breath and enjoy. Hybrid technology gives you both, and much more.
Posted by Gernot Wagner on Sunday, January 15, 2006. 
