This weekend I opened my new issue of The New Yorker (now you’ve got me pegged) and noticed something interesting about the inside cover ad spread. The most prominent selling point in this Earth Day ad for the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid is the SUV’s screen interface.  The caption reads:

Visual readout of the navigation radio displays whatever power mode you are currently in: engine idle, engine power, hybrid power, regenerative braking, or battery power.

It sounds a little bit like the Energy Monitor screen on the Prius.  It shares the screen with sound system controls (AM/FM/XM Radio, CD, Aux), each accessible in different tabs.  

It’s notable that the screen is nowhere touted (that I can find) on the Chevy Hybrid website, but it’s the one feature visually called out (besides the vehicle itself, looking serene among the Redwoods) in the ad.   

I wish I could have been a fly on the wall as the marketers made their decisions about this ad.   I wonder why Earth Day brings this interface to the fore in its campaign, while it’s not really a part of the “standard” sell.     

How does the “visual readout” appeal to someone looking for Earth-friendly solutions this week, rather than any other week?  How does this type of interface function as a selling point for some audiences, and not for others?

Things are a little slow around here as I’m vacationing before beginning a new position at a design agency here in Austin.  Posting will be pretty low-key until I get settled back in to a work routine.