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By Kevin Killough, State Energy Reporter
Kevin@CowboyStateDaily.com
What could make a car chase scene more exciting than criminals being arrested because they have to stop at a charging station?
During Sunday’s Super Bowl, General Motors will unveil its new ad campaign featuring Will Ferrell and other startups to announce the automaker’s new partnership with Netflix. That includes placing GM’s lineup of electric vehicles on the streaming service’s shows.
Typical marketing
Vince Bodiford, publisher of TheWeekendDrive.com, said the partnership should come as no surprise.
“Product placement is nothing new in the auto industry. I think Ford probably placed the Edsel in a lot of movies,” Bodiford joked, referring to the 1950s model which failed spectacularly.
The company found success when it placed the Ford Mustang in the 1968 movie “Bullitt,” starring Steve McQueen.
BMW paid for some of its most expensive sports cars to be placed in the 2012 James Bond film “Skyfall.” One of the flashy cars was destroyed, which probably sold a few units.
Bodiford said it’s a standard part of the marketing strategy for automakers.
“The car companies have deeper pockets. They see it as a very long commercial for their car,” Bodiford said.
If you build it?
In 2022, electric vehicles accounted for 5.8% of all new cars sold in the United States, up from 3.1% the previous year.
Bodiford said that while electric vehicles still make up a small portion of new car sales, the big three manufacturers — General Motors, Ford and Chrysler — have committed to having 100 percent electric lineups within two to five years. .
He said they will probably make it.
“When auto production says it’s going to do something, I think back to World War II, when Cadillac was making tanks in two months,” Bodiford said.
Now the question is, will they sell?
“If you make a million electric cars a year, but the market only wants to absorb 5% of them, you have a very serious problem,” Bodiford said.
It might be time to invest in an extra gas pickup and wait for the supply to dry up.
EV culture
Netflix and GM believe their marketing campaign will get consumers interested in General Motors’ electric vehicles.
“Entertainment has a great impact on culture. We want to make electric vehicles famous on the streaming, small and silver screens to build an electric vehicle culture by telling stories that embody the experiences of driving and owning an electric vehicle,” said Deborah Wahl, Chief Marketing Officer GM’s global, in a statement about the partnership with Netflix.
Netflix shows “Love is Blind,” “Queer Eye” and “Unstable” will feature the Chevy Bolt EUV, electric GMC Hummer and Cadillac Lyriq, according to the announcement.
Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Marian Lee said, “From TikTok dance trends inspired by ‘Wednesday’ to thoughtful discussions about climate change with ‘Don’t Look Up,’ we know that entertainment can drive fandom and inspire connections.”
on my watch
Perhaps promoting climate change debates by placing EV Hummers in Netflix shows may not go exactly as the companies hope.
President Joe Biden recently caused a backlash when a photo of himself in a Hummer EV was posted on his Twitter account. The photo’s caption read: “On my watch, the great American road trip will be completely electrified.”
Many have criticized the promotion of Hummer electric vehicles because they actually produce more carbon dioxide than many gas cars.
According to a Quartz analysis, a Hummer EV produces about 276 grams of carbon dioxide per mile when charged on the average American electric grid. A gas-powered Toyota Corolla, by comparison, produces 269 grams per mile.
The Hummer battery alone is heavier than the total weight of a Honda Civic. Then there is the price of the vehicle, which is around $110,000.
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