Mitsubishi cures electriphobia

John St. was challenged with the task of differentiating the all-new and fully electric 2012 Mitsubishi i-Miev from the other eco cars, and had to do so without national TV, radio or print.

The agency found that most green-conscious consumers were interested in the electric car, but had a lot of anxiety about buying one. People had to get over these fears if they were to try the i-Miev, so John St. gave those fears a name (Electriphobia) and created a way to cure it: the Electriphobia Research Institute.

Electriphobia.com was designed to address the real fears people had about electric cars. The intent was to educate the consumer about the i-Miev, but entertain them as well.

John St. launched the campaign with ads online and in the urban daily Metro, as well as PR and an experiential event at the Green Living Show in Toronto. All media drove to Electriphobia.com, where visitors were encouraged to explore the "highly scientific" treatments available for each of their fears of the electric car. For example, "Shock Therapy" cured subjects' fear of being electrocuted by the i-Miev (by electrocuting him or her with everything else in the room). After each therapy was completed, their "patient chart" would be updated (and posted on Facebook) and they would receive useful information about the vehicle.

Three films ("Shock Therapy," "Tailpatch" and "Silent Treatment") were released online to encourage interest and drive the target to Electriphobia.com. In two months, the site received over 200,000 unique visitors, four-and-a-half times the projected 43,000 John St. hoped would visit over the length of the campaign.