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September 15, 2005
This Hybrid Car Brought to You by the Sierra Club
Wired magazine reports that Ford's new 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid made its debut at the Sierra Club's National Environmental Convention and Expo. This product endorsement is part of the Sierra Club's I Will Evolve campaign. The goal of the campaign is to promote environmentally sustainable automotive technology. Other manufacturers of hybrid vehicles such as Toyota and Honda, were also invited to participate.
In many ways, this endorsement is more than just an endorsement: it's a marketing partnership with serious implications. For Ford, they get instant credibility for a new product line and direct access to environmentally-conscious early adopters. As for the Sierra Club, I fear the move could be much more complicated. On the one hand, they position themselves as the environmental conscience for the automotive industry. On the other, keeping such close quarters with a corporation could bring the Sierra Club's reputation as an arms-length environmental organization into question. I suppose in these environmentally desperate times, the strategy of "keeping your friends close and your enemies closer" is a good one. Either way this is a bold move and could mark the beginning of a new era in eco-marketing.
Posted by Jason at September 15, 2005 10:23 AM
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