Eco Friendly Driver

Green Marketing Gone Awry

by Hilary on April 14th, 2008

Quite a few bloggers have been commenting lately on “green” marketing - how replacing older items with new supposedly environmentally-friendly version doesn’t make sense, how many of the natural or eco-friendly products aren’t … how certain hybrids aren’t much better for the environment than their significantly cheaper gas-only counterparts.

Now, according to Slate.com, the image of the hybrid car is changing … but not - in my opinion - for the right reasons:

the rising cost of oil and the current recession, which started among subprime consumers and is steadily eating its way up the economic ladder, may combine to change the hybrid vehicle’s image from a white-collar status symbol to a blue-collar money-saver.

Financially we know this doesn’t make sense for most people. Gas hasn’t reached the price where driving a hybrid is going to be less expensive than payments, insurance and gas for a different model, but the perception of savings (and of value) are making hybrids more popular.
I like it, but I dispise it, too. That evil monster, “marketing,” that convinces us that lies are truth. Are hybrids wonderful? Hells yes, but are they financially sensible options? Most often the answer is no.
The last thing I want to do is convince someone struggling to pay for gas to add a hefty car payment to their burdens. Try buying a less expensive electric car. Use ride share or car share options. Bike, or drive on down to the bus station and pick up a map and a month’s pass. Take our Earth Day Challenge. (Yeh, I’m pimping that.)

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