Nissan uses Tesla Model 3 in an ad campaign aimed to boost Nissan Leaf sales. A Nissan Leaf print ad appeared in several esteemed media publications, reminding electric car enthusiasts that the Tesla Model 3 is not the only innovative vehicle on the block. The marketing twist may hold some truth, since Tesla is inconsistent with new vehicle launches. The Nissan Leaf is also quite affordable for an all-electric car, after the federal rebates, of course, costing roughly $22,000. Is the marketing department at Nissan going to target the Apple Car next?
Benefits of Nissan Leaf Compared to Tesla Innovation
Consumers are savvy, but do they want to wait for innovation to come to market? The Nissan Leaf is an all-electric car ready for purchase since 2010. Tesla may be in the process of developing some excellent all-electric vehicles, but the when is maybe outweighing the what. Electric car enthusiasts can have a Nissan Leaf sitting in their driveway today. But they may be waiting for an unknown length for Tesla’s Model 3. Nissan is doing all they can to increase sales of the Nissan Leaf. Sales declined 43% last year, and sales continued to drop by another 28% for the first quarter of 2016.
Unorthodox Marketing Strategy
The print ad highlighting the availability of the Nissan Leaf, and subsequent negatives of Tesla, is not the marketing norm. It may be common in politics to bash your opponent in ads, but not so much when attempting to boost product sales. However, the bold new marketing strategy of Nissan has a certain appeal. The “why wait” and sense of urgency the ad employs may be effective in a “now” society. After all, the Nissan Leaf could be a stepping-stone until Tesla or the Apple Car reaches the roadways.
What About the Apple Car
There has been a lot of buzz over the Apple Car, and it may be worthwhile to wait for it. But consumers may be waiting up to five years before even seeing it in real life. Apple and expert designers are still tweaking the Apple Car design and features with rumors of seamless, driverless features. The Apple Car may also be ahead of its time, since designers aim at making it fully autonomous. This could be too early, as state and federal laws still need to catch up to the innovative vehicles for safety adherence. One thing is for certain, the race for the best electric car is on.
