Marketing is both an art and a science, and nobody really knows where the balance falls. However, when a marketing message is off, it is often quite clear. What brings this to mind is a television advertisement recently aired for the Toyota Prius. So we’re all on the same page, this blog post is neither an endorsement for this hybrid vehicle, nor a condemnation. I’ll leave the judgment about this automobile and its environmental merits to you and your friends.
My concern is with the particular promotion where an ostensibly conservation-minded family is so thrilled to see their son wash their Prius in the rain to save water. And this is great, considering parts of our country are suffering from a drought and this is a wonderful message to convey. And, without a doubt, this boy is washing the car with phosphate-free soap. It looks so nice and healthy for our planet, at least with the optics. Yet there is one major problem with this advertisement: the sun is shining all around the house and it appears that the water pouring down is coming from a well-positioned sprinkler system.
As full disclosure would have it, I do believe we have a problem with our environment — from water shortages to climate change to air quality — and there are measures we can do collectively to hopefully stem the tide. As an aside in terms of real estate investment, there are more signs indicating that there are real profits to be gained from sustainability as well.
However, this is a discussion that will be ongoing for a very long time. My point in noting this Prius commercial is that we are all in control of our message and how it’s delivered. Although one can never predict how it will be received, one should always be careful in making sure the content and the design match up. If not, it will be seen and called out.
And where do you go from there?
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Jonathan Schein is senior vice president and managing director of business development with Institutional Real Estate, Inc.
