Strikes have brought parts of France’s oil industry to a standstill this week. Gas stations are running dry, lines are building at the pumps and people are hoarding fuel. The only people smiling? Electric car owners.
A look at Renault’s new marketing campaign for the Zoe model in France
And electric car makers have been quick to seize the golden marketing opportunity.
France’s Renault (RNLSY) launched a campaign this week to boost the visibility of its top selling electric car, Zoe, with multiple posts on Facebook (FB, Tech30) and Twitter (TWTR, Tech30) and advertisements in three French newspapers.
“In France, we don’t have any more petrol but we do have Zoe,” tweeted Renault. Its Facebook posts quickly received thousands of ‘likes’ and ‘shares’.
Renault said the campaign had led to a 50% spike in calls from drivers seeking information about the Zoe model. It also prompted electric car owners to post carpooling offers online to help other drivers who had run out of fuel.
Read more: CNN Money