Smart Car Ping-Pong’s Its Way Into Buyers Hearts

There have been many ads that promote Smart Cars by harping on their compact size, fuel efficiency, ability to park even in the tightest of spaces, but this ad has none of these. All it is out to prove is that the Smart ForTwo ED  is competent, but above all its fun.

The Smart eBall campaign was conceived to remove the common conception that electric cars are not fun to drive and accelerate very slowly.

BBDO Germany arranged this outstanding outdoor stunt, that called attention to the car’s cool side and that it is fun to drive. The agency set up a giant computer game of ping-pong, at a Frankfurt auto show, with two smart Electric drive cars as controllers to hit the ball. The drivers of the car had to steer backwards and forwards to play, as they monitored their movements on the huge video screen. Users were allowed to drive the cars and play on their own. To prove that EV’s were very safe to drive, the cars were driven by ordinary, would be users and not trained professionals.

The stunt, the first ever computer game where cars were used as controllers, rammed home the amazing acceleration of the electric model of the car. Its popularity can be gauged from the fact that it drew a huge number of spectators. Estimates say that it attracted around half-a-million spectators. The 3,000 smart eBall games that were played during the fair, fuelled enough interest to garner considerable coverage on the internet as well as on local news channels.

The ad also helped dispel preconceived notions that electric vehicles may be good for the environment, since they have no emissions, but they have inferior power and do not perform as strongly as traditional fuel-powered vehicles. The bold and creative publicity-stunt shows that for its diminutive size, it does pack a powerful punch.

The Smart ForTwo ED, named after its seating capacity has a range of around 87 miles per charge, however, when used in an urban atmosphere and warm temperatures, the car can give up to 98 miles on a full charge. Incidentally, a three and half hour charge will increase the battery’s capacity by 60 percent, whilst it takes 8 hours to charge it fully. It is powered by 16.5 kWh lithium-ion battery using a 30kW motor.