PR Tip of the Week: Green Cars

We recently featured TMG Strategies’ pitch as a case of “trick or treat” PR – meaning that the company approached the wrong person (an environmentalist) with the wrong pitch: no more and no less than labeling the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox a “green automobile.” The family-friendly car was tested by a few mommy bloggers, and PR companies representing GM started targeting the male audiences as well. The question is, why aren’t poppy bloggers jumping on the opportunity to test the cars? Could it be because someone is trying to sell them as “green?”

For the folks at TMG Strategies it was pretty unclear why we criticized them, so based on that experience, we decided that this Sunday’s PR Tip goes to all the PR companies representing the automobile industry. Artwork, as usual, from Everything PR’s Alexandru Carmocan:

To make the story even clearer, here is how the public reacts to PR pitches that are carelessly crafted:

“I’m afraid so much of what passes for PR today is just plain dumb.” Matt Keegan, auto writer, commented. “This entire “green” movement is irritating as it plays on environmental fears, nay of which are exaggerated or misplaced, to market a product. Certainly, the Equinox gets very good gas mileage & it has a cleaner burning engine, yet it still emits harmful emissions like virtually every car on the road.”

We certainly hope the auto PR industry understands now that a pitch should focus on a real value and not on something illusory, spoon-fed to the reader for the sake of a successful sale.