Ok. When I first saw this story, I was ready to rip Toyota a new one, but as I read more about it, I thought it was a fairly ‘green’ way to market a car that’s going to have advertising associated with it anyhow. Toyota has begun ‘planting’ large 18 ft tall solar powered flower sculptures/rest areas throughout several major cities in the U.S. as part of the new 3rd generation Prius‘ marketing campaign.
Flower Power (like you couldn’t see that headline coming)
The sculptures are not only designed to be eye-catching rest stop areas for pedestrians, but the flowers also provide several 110v electrical outlets, for charging cell phones and computers, as well as free localized Wi-Fi access. The solar cells that power the flowers are embedded behind the petals of the flower and produce enough electricity to power the Wi-Fi and accommodate 10 devices charging simultaneously. The solar cells used in the flowers are the same ones that are used on the roof of the new generation Prius.
Currently the flowers are in Boston, but will soon be traveling to L.A., Chicago, New York City, Seattle, and San Francisco. Now I know what you’re going to say so don’t. I realize the material and energy used to manufacture and transport these things isn’t small potatoes, but the Prius is going to be marketed whether you think it should be or not. So why not have a reusable campaign that actually contributes something to its target audience? If these are used by people to charge their mobile devices on their lunch breaks, or just those hanging out where they’re deployed, the amount of energy they saved could be fairly significant. However; that’s not really the point.
The Good: A creative and reusable marketing campaign device that not only conveys its intended advertising message, but provides passerby’s with free renewable electricity and Wi-Fi.
The Bad: The energy involved in manufacturing and transporting the flowers isn’t free, clean or renewable.
The Bottom-Line: Toyota is attempting to get the word out about the new Prius while at the same time somewhat educating the general public about clean energy, its uses and its benefits i.e. free Wi-Fi and mobile charging.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY RATING:
YOUR SUSTAINABILITY RATING:
Related Posts:
Follow us on Twitter and join us on Facebook. While you're at it, subscribe to our feed as well!
Discussion
View Comments for “Toyota Deploys Solar Sculptures To Market Prius And Provide Free Wi-Fi/Power”