This charging company wants to reach electric vehicle drivers with digital displays
Volta, a company that makes charging stations for electric vehicles, wants to attract current drivers to those cars with educational ads running on its social media channels, website, and the OOH digital display platform Volta Media Network.
The ads are meant to sway drivers with benefits that might resonate, such as the cost savings of owning an electric vehicle (EV) or the effects on the clean environment. The ads will be periodically changed at charging stations in the United States among its 2,900 EV charging stalls and 4,900 digital media screens. The ads will change depending on geography and location.
“We recognize that cars are emotional, and Americans have personal and cultural attachments to them so this makes switching to new EV technology intimidating to many,” said Brandt Hastings, Volta’s chief commercial officer behind the marketing strategy. ”Our campaign had to appeal on an emotional level as well since it’s not just about facts and figures.”
As part of the brand’s marketing strategy, eye-catching EV chargers have also been placed at grocery stores, pharmacies, and shopping mall entrances. “With this campaign, we’re using the power of our Volta Media Network, which is embedded directly into our EV charging stations, to dispel myths and show all drivers why their next car should be an EV,” said Hastings.
Volta’s campaign is timely as momentum behind electric vehicles continues to gain steam. The campaign also launched on Volta’s Twitter and Instagram accounts. “We believe that all car owners will be EV drivers in the future, but to realize this future as quickly as possible, they must be able to see themselves behind the wheel of an EV,” said Hastings.
It is unclear how much Volta’s ad budget is allocated to this campaign, as Hastings would not share budget specifics. Volta’s media sales revenue increased 73% year-over-year to $11.2 million, per their second quarter earnings report. Volta also added some new brand partners in the second quarter, including Michelin, Genesis, and United Airlines. Hastings said outside paid channels were not used for this campaign and declined to share how the advertising budget was split between Twitter and Instagram. Ad spend data for the brand was not available on Pathmatics and Kantar.
Volta’s campaign ties in with the widespread automaker advertisements, especially for mainstream brands promising to make electric vehicles accessible.
“This could help position [Volta] into the evolving top tier and what will be a confusing logo-map of providers across the country,” said Mat Zucker, senior partner, co-head of marketing and sales at Prophet, a growth strategy consulting firm. He added that campaigns like this one could help encourage progress in establishing charging infrastructure, which leads to anxiety among EV owners about range.
For Volta, the future is focused on advancing a cleaner, carbon-free energy future for drivers and the environment. “We are continuing to expand access to public EV charging infrastructure and are doing so through the support of our powerful and impactful media network,” Hastings said.
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