Hybrid Car

Hybrids Shift into the Mass Market

Part II of an Interview with Bruce Ertmann, Corporate Manager of Consumer Generated Media, Toyota

Shifting a company’s customer base from early adopters to mass market consumers is one of the key challenges facing green marketers. Few green companies have been able to expand their niche beyond a core set of customers. One of the primary reasons is that consumers tend to not like paying price premiums for green products. Another reason is simply that consumers have not traditionally prioritized “green” as a deciding attribute when making purchase decisions.

Yet, certain green brands like the Toyota Prius seem to be crossing this “chasm” into the mass market. Though still in the early stages of their adoption, Hybrids have already generated broad appeal with mainstream consumers. Moreover, the stereotype of hybrid owners as treehuggers is far from the truth: in fact, they are high income, mainstream consumers.
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