Trying to disrupt the auto industry with The Onion's help

Elio Motors' first commercial takes political jabs amid ongoing electoral cycle

Paul Elio, the innovative engineer behind the commercial three-wheel car, had only a vague sense of what he wanted from his namesake company's latest major advertising campaign.

He did know, he said, that he wanted it to be laugh-out-loud funny. His model: the popular Kmart ad from 2013 portraying customers gleefully boasting, "I shipped my pants." "I watched that thing 10 times and laughed every time," Elio said. "That was genius."

With that in mind, Elio Motors' chief marketing officer, Tim Andrews, initiated one of the more unorthodox advertising partnerships in recent memory. Eschewing more traditional media outlets, Andrews reached out to The Onion, the satirical news organisation known for outlandish social commentaries, comedic horoscopes and political spoofs, which since 2012 has had an internal ad agency.

It seemed like an odd marriage for a burgeoning Louisiana-based vehicle manufacturer that is trying to persuade potential buyers of its very serious effort to disrupt the auto industry. Elio said that was pretty much the point.

"It's who we are," he said. "We're very transparent. We're a little lighthearted. We're not stodgy old Detroit. Not that there's something wrong with that, it's just not who we are."

Andrews said the goal was to raise public awareness about the company in the hopes of securing more reservations for its gas-powered, two-person, three-wheeled vehicle, which will not begin production until 2017. As of July, about 55,000 reservations had been obtained, although Elio said only about six per cent of Americans had heard of the company. That needed to change.

To do so, Andrews thought about tapping into the political environment that had become so feverish in the build-up to the coming presidential election. Instead of falling on one side of the spectrum, however, The Onion wanted to help viewers laugh at both.

Its first 45-second commercial, which was unveiled via The Onion's website last month, and was shared on social media over the summer, features two men - one dressed in red, the other in blue - arguing over who should take the keys to the Elio. Their argument is spiced with political jabs at both parties. ("You guys have already driven the country into the ground for the past eight years," the man in red says at the beginning. "Give me the keys." Later, the man in blue says, "This thing doesn't come with a gun rack so you may not like it.") The message: No matter what their political leanings, drivers want to get behind the wheel of an Elio.

"I don't think there's anyone doing anything like they're doing right now," said Dean Crutchfield, a brand consultant based in New York who advises young companies on marketing strategies. Most brands, he said, are leery of anything political during an election cycle because they fear alienating any customers. Even an attempt at a playful ad is too risky for many companies.

"It's so intense right now, and uptight and aggressive," Crutchfield said of the political climate, "to position a brand flat in the middle of that fight that makes it friendly and tongue-and-cheek, I think it does stand out".

Andrews said deciding if the company was comfortable was not easy. One complicating factor is that The Onion tries to be provocative in its advertising. "We always push a little further than probably most brands are comfortable with, just to see how far we can go," said Julie Scott, the general manager of Onion Labs, The Onion's internal agency, which has worked with companies and products like Ford, Bud Light and Overstock.com.

© 2016 The New York Times