Eco-Vehicles card game that provoked ‘car-rage' is up for marketing award

A MARKETING campaign that provoked ‘car rage' among some of Britain's motoring writers by converting the iconic playground game Top Trumps to promote green vehicles is up for an award.

Climate change charity Marches Energy Agency isn't often listed alongside major car manufacturers, but it is competing with BMW and Citroen for the GreenFleet ‘Green Marketing Campaign of the Year'.

The agency developed the Eco Vehicles Top Trumps game which got rid of Porsches and Ferraris and replaced them with hybrids and electric motors.  Engine size and horsepower used to be superior, but winning features in the card game became lowest CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency.

Motoring writers were outraged.  One even called for protests outside schools because every secondary school in Britain received a set of the cards courtesy of England international football goalkeeper David James whose pure plant oil fuelled Chrysler is pictured on the front of the pack.

But the Marches Energy Agency now has the last laugh with the nomination for the award that will be decided on Thursday (25 September) at Twickenham Stadium.

Kris McGowan, the agency's senior project manager who helped to develop the new game, said: "Eco Vehicles Top Trumps is a fun and entertaining way to educate youngsters about the new range of climate friendly options available for transport, and we are delighted that it has been short-listed for this award."