automotive

Zipcar Targets COVID-Weary City Dwellers

Zipcar is touting the advantages of non-car ownership and the ability to reserve a car through a no-contact system only when one is needed. 

With the pandemic prompting more telecommuting and less of a need for 24/7 access to an automobile, Zipcar is playing up the convenience and cost savings of using its transportation service. 

The effort, themed “Metropolis” is aimed at young city dwellers. It is the first work from Boston-based creative company Colossus, which won the assignment in March. 

Hailed as the future of shared transportation when it debuted in 2000, Zipcar has recently been overshadowed by ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft, so its marketing has focused on transactional and utilitarian messages. The brand needed a boost of humanity and relevance, says Travis Robertson, Colossus executive creative director.

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“The Zipcar brand was in need of some oomph,” Robertson tells Marketing Daily. “Over the years, the transactional product benefit had become the messaging hero, but the emotional hook had gotten lost.”

The agency built a likable brand personality in “Metropolis,” which brings to life all the different personalities you’d see on a city block. 

The intent was to add a layer of whimsy and distinction in the otherwise unremarkable car rental category and serve as a light-hearted celebration of city living and all that it has to offer (with a Zipcar, of course.)

The new effort includes animated videos, emails, newsletters, banners and a Zipcar website refresh, offering a new look at Zipcar’s brand and interfaces across various devices.

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