Blue is the new “Green,” sort of. A quick review of recent eco-themed automotive marketing suggests that the word green may be losing steam as a catch-all descriptor of things eco-friendly.
Branding Green
Indeed, Mercedes-Benz brands its diesels as BluTEC, Hyundai has its Blue Drive initiative, and Volkswagen used CrossBlue to name a recent hybrid concept vehicle.
But, marketing goes beyond words, and memorable iconography can go a long way towards keeping potential customers aware of your product.
And so it goes at Chevrolet, where the brand has begun employing a new, seemingly versatile logo and badge to its most earth-friendly products.
I’m calling this the “wave,” though Chevy marketing types may have their own name for it. What intrigues me is the simplicity of the icon, as well as its ability to multi-task.
As seen in the images here, the wave has been applied to vehicles boasting three entirely distinct fuel-conserving technologies.
As shown, the Spark EV is an all-electric vehicle, the Cruze Eco a gasoline-powered compact optimized for efficiency, and the Cruze Turbo Diesel is obviously diesel powered.
What’s handy about the wave is the box it resides in. As the squiggly line rides high in the rectangle, there’s room for specific-vehicle customization: EV, eco, 2.0 TD.
While the combined volume of these three vehicles is fairly low, you should start to see the occasional wave ahead of you in traffic. And, as some thought seems to have been put into the implementation of this graphic, consider it likely we see it on more vehicles in the near future..
Oh, and it’s worth noting, the wave does not (yet) appear on the Chevy Volt.
Branding Green
Branding Green
