Electric cars. Prius? Not really...

Respect to Tesla, who have displayed a wonderfully smart piece of market insight. Toyota started the trend with the horribly ugly Prius and quickly the ostentatious rich and famous jumped the parade showing their undoubtedly sincere environmental concern and, well, fashionability.

But despite the self fulfilling nature of owning a Prius, a Toyota is not really a car for the rich and/or famous. It's not even a Lexus...

Enter the Tesla Motors company with their first model, an all electric sports roadster, surprisingly named "Roadster". Which is not bad looking at all, especially considering the looks of the Prius. Not a cheap car by miles, going at close to $100.000. Speeding up to 100km/h (60mph) in just 4 seconds, which means it can measure up to a whole bunch of roadsters and sports cars out there which are in the same price range. The same goes for the even better looking Model S as it is named, which is a real looker if you ask me. Going at around $50.000 and racing up to 100km/h in just 6 seconds.

Anyways, time to make my point. Tesla very smartly saw that the people who were likely to buy these trendsetting vehicles, at least in this point of time, will be the financially prosperous. Those whose mode of transportation will be documented in tabloids and that need conversation topics when they're at their country club. And face it, it'll be a whole lot more fun to show off your Roadster or Model S than your Prius.

Buy our car insurance...

Today I ran into a commercial on the Dutch national TV trying to get me to buy a car insurance. Who comes up with these ideas and what the point is is lost on me... I can't find the commercial right now. But the synopsis:

An employee of the insurance company is shown working overtime, coming up with great ideas of new types of insurances. Then there's a shot with a baby and a voice over saying that a father's role in a family is easily replaced. The next thing you see is the family parrot raising the baby because the father, the employee of the insurance company works overtime so much... I mean, really? Is this supposed to make me want to buy a car insurance from them?

There have been great creative commercials in the past that kept it simple, they stayed true to the product or feeling they are trying to sell. Creative ideas are fantastic, that's what it's all about. But lately more and more of these concepts seem to go way over the top. They just loose the point for the sake of being "funny"...

Update: I found the commercial, it's in Dutch but with the above synopsis you should be able to make out my point. Here it is: