Umm, Erica, we're buds, right? But you are CRAZY sometimes. There is nothing wrong with this ad.

COMMENT DELETED: Off-Topic

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Meh. I usually hate on ECB (disliked the first post on this topic), but the recent trend of Zipcar to either denigrate Metro or ignore it completely is a bit snide. I wish Flexcar hadn't left/been bought/whatever happened to it; it seemed like a better corporate/environmental citizen.

I wouldn't say that these ads are as evil as you're making them out to be, they are just badly written. I can see they are trying to convey the same message as flex car, that the car service expands your options. But they are written in a way that they seem to be calling their own customers lazy, rather than being witty and irreverent, which I hope is what they were going for.

I have to say that the ad is pretty idiotic. As a metro-user (but mostly a pedestrian), I don't rent cars because I need to go more than three block or even miles. I get a car when I have to pick up something to cumbersome to carry on the bus or my back. Zipcar would be better off taking that angle. Of course, nearly all ads are stupids. Especially ads for banks.

Honestly Erica, get over it.

OH MY GOD WHAT AN OUTRAGE!!!!!

Or not.

COMMENT DELETED: Off-Topic

We'd rather not moderate your comments, but off-topic, gratuitously inflammatory, threatening, or otherwise inappropriate remarks may be removed, and repeat offenders may be banned from commenting. We never censor comments based on ideology. Thanks to all who add to the conversation on Slog.

Erica, have you tried writing messages to Zipcar itself?

1 and 2, you guys sound like the crazy ones here.

Erica's post made sense - I just re-read it, and I'm still not sure which part you had trouble understanding...

Have to agree with 3 about Flexcar vs. Zipcar.

Zipcar: Transit is NOT your competitor!

I'm a Zipcar (was a Flexcar) member. I don't like the ads much, but then I also think that they're targeted at a very different demo than ECB or myself.

I think they're targeted at people who had to get rid of that second car, or maybe the first car, and resent riding the bus. That are a bit emotionally insecure about their cars, as most Americans (myself included, when I owned one) are. Cars are moveable personal zones, buses aren't. The ads target that discomfort of leaving your personal zone.

My argument would be this: even if the ads themselves aren't socially responsible, they end result of getting more people to use Zipcar just might be.

So, the ads don't offend me nearly as much as ECB. And, despite the SLIGHTLY higher prices, I have to say that I prefer Zipcar: their website and mobile access are great, they care for the cars better, their service has been good, and this really blew my mind: our closest car has on-street zoned parking. We live in a high-density area. Despite the signs, people often park there when the car is away. Flexcar would do nothing. Not even a threat or a piece of paper under the windshield. One jerk parked for 24 hours in the spot with no repercussions. So, when we called Zipcar, what did they say? They'll be towed before the morning. And they were. That made me extremely happy.

It's an ad, not a white paper; try not to read too much into it.

Zipcar's ad might not be brilliantly clever, but it's not insulting to tell someone they have options beyond walking or taking the bus.

I'm a Zipcar (was a Flexcar) member. I don't like the ads much, but then I also think that they're targeted at a very different demo than ECB or myself.

I think they're targeted at people who had to get rid of that second car, or maybe the first car, and resent riding the bus. That are a bit emotionally insecure about their cars, as most Americans (myself included, when I owned one) are. Cars are moveable personal zones, buses aren't. The ads target that discomfort of leaving your personal zone.

My argument would be this: even if the ads themselves aren't socially responsible, they end result of getting more people to use Zipcar just might be.

So, the ads don't offend me nearly as much as ECB. And, despite the SLIGHTLY higher prices, I have to say that I prefer Zipcar: their website and mobile access are great, they care for the cars better, their service has been good, and this really blew my mind: our closest car has on-street zoned parking. We live in a high-density area. Despite the signs, people often park there when the car is away. Flexcar would do nothing. Not even a threat or a piece of paper under the windshield. One jerk parked for 24 hours in the spot with no repercussions. So, when we called Zipcar, what did they say? They'll be towed before the morning. And they were. That made me extremely happy.

I'm a Zipcar (was a Flexcar) member. I don't like the ads much, but then I also think that they're targeted at a very different demo than ECB or myself.

I think they're targeted at people who had to get rid of that second car, or maybe the first car, and resent riding the bus. That are a bit emotionally insecure about their cars, as most Americans (myself included, when I owned one) are. Cars are moveable personal zones, buses aren't. The ads target that discomfort of leaving your personal zone.

My argument would be this: even if the ads themselves aren't socially responsible, they end result of getting more people to use Zipcar just might be.

So, the ads don't offend me nearly as much as ECB. And, despite the SLIGHTLY higher prices, I have to say that I prefer Zipcar: their website and mobile access are great, they care for the cars better, their service has been good, and this really blew my mind: our closest car has on-street zoned parking. We live in a high-density area. Despite the signs, people often park there when the car is away. Flexcar would do nothing. Not even a threat or a piece of paper under the windshield. One jerk parked for 24 hours in the spot with no repercussions. So, when we called Zipcar, what did they say? They'll be towed before the morning. And they were. That made me extremely happy.

ACK -- comment form kept saying it was failing. Sorry for the triple posts. I really don't think I'm THAT important.

@8--
I love how some shitty off-topic comments get moderated. But then people like #8 make sure to pack as many personal insults into on-topic comments so they can't be regarded as completely off-topic and therefore be moderated.

Oh, Bellevue Ave, you're just so tricky!

Hyperbole, thy name is Westneat. Zipcar. Barnett.

Are all of you people stupid? The ad isn't positing Zipcar as an OPPONENT of transit, and no rational person could possibly believe so. It's an ADJUNCT to transit. Which is what it is.

If this ad was saying "get off this bus and buy a car, fool", then Erica's outrage would be justified. That's what she apparently thinks it means. But no; what it says is "hey bus rider, there are places you can't get to on a bus, but you don't need to buy a car to get there either. Check us out".

The ad exactly mimics Erica's original enthusiasm for Flexcar. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see that phrase "your possibilities just expanded beyond X" in one of her previous articles on the subject, in fact. It's a big selling point. Erica used to want shared car services to succeed; now, apparently she wants them to fail. That's really weird.

@15, people don't rent Zipcars because they want a little personal space; they rent them because they want to go someplace the bus doesn't go, or takes forever to get to, or because they have to go to several different places in a row, or because they have to carry something big or heavy there or back. THAT'S WHAT ZIPCAR IS FOR.

If there's an ad for a dentist on a bus, does Erica automatically think, "FUCK, why go to the dentist when you could be riding the bus!"

I repeat my challenge: Erica, take transit someplace ridiculous like Ocean Shores and back, and write a story about it.

Since you deleted what I said because of words like cunt and shit for brains;

Busses have limited options. Your innability to parse the hyperbole of 3 blocks means you didn't comprehend the message which is "zipcar gives you more options." you got stuck on 3 blocks.

are you purposely being dense ECB?

@19--
No, the ad is no way proclaiming Zipcar to be an adjunct to transit.

It's utilizing the billboard of a bus to say that without this Zipcar option, you are really limited in your travels, which is downplaying transit completely.

The 'hyperbola' of three blocks doesn't matter--the ad implies that one's weekend possibilities are as limited with transit as they would be if no transit was available, and if you want to do anything outside of the area you can access on foot, you need a zipcar. This doesn't exactly cast Zipcar and transit as partners--it's kinda saying that transit sucks. Which it doesn't.

Love you Erica, but this is kind of dumb to get all mad about.

I'm sure I could get more than three blocks on foot if it weren't for that damn invisible fence!

take the bus to tulalip casino on a weekend and write about it. do you really want to spend 2 and a half hours for progressive jackpots?

Can you move an armoire on the bus? Or go to the mountains for a hike?

Seeing how angry you get over these ads makes me wonder if Zipcar's advertisting department has little meetings every week to determine the best way to piss you off:

Ad worker #1: Hmm...how can we use our advertisements to piss off Erica C. Barnett this week?

Ad worker #2: Good question! Well, we already denigrated public transit and implied that you need a car to get more than three blocks from your house, so what now?

Ad worker #1: I've got it! We show a greased, naked woman with a dog collar around her neck, dry-humping a Mini Cooper. Maybe put a little "Obama '08" sticker on the car bumper?

Ad worker #2: Brilliant! But what about the text?

Ad worker #1: How about, "Now you can enjoy the view from the Viaduct in style. Zipcar."

Ad worker #2: Brilliant!

@ NapoleonXIV (#24)

“Your weekend possibilities just expanded beyond a three-block radius. Zipcar.”

The only person these ads are likely to attract as a customer is Katie Holmes.

@25: who on Earth wants to go to the Tulalip Casino?

Since you deleted what I said because of words like cunt and shit for brains

You poor baby.

fnarf is spot on, as always.

and erica, please do not refer to car-less folks as clueless shut-ins, even in jest. i do not own a car. i have never owned a car. i did not learn to drive until i was 35, and it was a nerve-racking, sweat-inducing experience. thank god i never had to drive on the freeway, or i would have freaked out big time.

as a long time city dweller, i have also never needed a car. i can walk or bus to everything. i take the bus to visit my mom in edmonds. if car transportation is needed (which is rare), i call my brother. i have saved thousands of dollars over the decade by skipping car ownership, which is why i'm frequently mistaken for a millionaire.

so, erica, honey, no more sarcasm like that, okay? whyntcha do a story on people who live the car-less life and live it fully? LIKE ME FOR EXAMPLE.

and quit bitchin'. people will start thinking you're one of those women obsessed with being skinny who bitch due to their blood sugar always being low.

Abby's right.

But meanwhile gasoline usage is down 2.6 percent this month according to the Wall Street Journal, and Americans are shifting to buying fewer "luxury" cachet items and buying things they need instead of things they want.

Zipcar's on the knife edge, and they're trying to move off the blade.

Abby, I do. Why? Because I love to gamble. I prefer to gamble than do anything arts related besides watch musical theater.

@20 -- I didn't say that people rent Zipcars because of want for person space. I said that the ads are targeting people who feel that way, which I think is a valid demographic to target an ad to.

Zipcar doesn't need to, and probably shouldn't, target people like you, ECB or me who rationally understand the benefit to Zipcar. We're already members (at least ECB and I are. Dunno about you). They want to expand their base.

The bottom line: are the advertisements getting more people to sign up? Only Zipcar can answer. If they are running the same campaign next fiscal year, I'd say the answer is yes.

kesh, try to read and comprehend that statement it wasn't about me.

hernandez, FTW!

and yes, i got home all right last night, chulo.

@29: Well, the Tulalips certainly want you to, for one. The parking lots for it and the outlet mall sure don't seem any less empty this summer than past seasons. Lots of BC plates. Their new hotel is booked for a few months in advance already. The weak dollar and proximity to the Canadian border means it's one of the few avenues for positive economic trends in the region.

I'm more offended by the word "weekend" in this ad. If I need a car for a weekend (or for more than 90 minutes even), I'll rent one. It's cheaper.

kesh, try to read and comprehend that statement it wasn't about me.

scary@31: Erica wasn't saying people without cars are clueless shut-ins. She was saying the idea of the AD is that people without cars are clueless shut-ins.

I'm so very, very sick of ECBashing. That having been said, the ad doesn't bother me. But my wife and I, between us, own three cars and a motorcycle so I'm not really the target market or the target offendee...

Erica I completely agree - I hope they go out of business. Everyone should buy their own car!!!!

@27 - awesome - everyone should read that one.

the only thing missing is to show the Mini cooper full of groceries packed in (brace yourself) free plastic bags.

ECB you should be ashamed for turning this into a campaign against Zipcar. One post maybe, but three? Who's side are you on exactly?

@38 raises a good point. If you're going for the weekend, you can get a Toyota Prius rental for a lot less.

But, if you just have to move an armoire ... ok, that I can see.

MonkeyNose, I'm not a member. I have a car.

But I didn't until after I turned forty, which is something Erica can't say.

Let's also ignore the very small number of people for whom a ZipCar is within three blocks.

Bah, I don't care if they get overtaxed anymore.

Kesh and BA -- you guys obviously still need to screw. All that pent up passion is manifesting negatively again on the threads...

ECB...you tortured soul...may I suggest something? At the risk of repeating myself (something I think you may be OK with, for some reason), would you be willing to consider that Zipcar is less in thrall to an anti-transit agenda and more in thrall to the deliverables of a shite ad agency?

These ads are too poorly crafted to merit your concern, even if they were anti-transit. You might pick on a campaign that could actually do damage. Just a thought.

It's almost as if Zipcar has full-size trucks available. You know, if you were moving or something, and didn't want to use a disreputable moving company.

@38 It's actually cheaper, most times, to use a Zipcar.

First, they pay for gas. Second, since I don't own a car, I don't carry insurance, and the rental agencies charge through the roof.

Third, they're much more convenient, and you don't have to wait at the counter for an hour while the agent randomly types things into a computer screen. Does anybody else think that they're playing tetris while a 2400 baud modem connects them to their HP minicomputer?

@48,

It's cheaper if you only need it for a short time, but, even with the ridiculous insurance fees on a rental car, if you need a car for at least 6 hours, renting is cheaper although not as convenient. And I'm basing this on FlexCar fees, which I understand were lower than Zipcar's.

@48: Rental insurance is a scam. Get a decent credit card and basic liability insurance.

Laterite brings up an interesting point. Why didn't Erica move house on Metro?

JTC: You make a good point--it is probably a shite ad agency. But I think it's OK to criticize our own, too--e.g., I think Obama is clueless on late-term abortion, but I'm going to vote for him in November--without it being an argument that EVERYTHING about them sucks. Case in point: I'm still a Zipcar member.

#48, you don't need to buy ANY insurance for a rental car, not even the "liability supplement" that most rental car companies try to get you to buy. State law requires they provide the legal minimums for auto insurance. That's good enough for meee.

During off-peak season (ie, not summer) you can get a rental car on capitol hill or downtown for about $19/day plus tax. Zipcar is so much more convenient, tho.

@49 Zipcar has about a $66 day rate for a 24 hr. blockout (plus tax, which kills up here, but what can you do?).

At budget, a compact rental over the weekend is $38, plus supplemental liability (@50, yes our CC carries some insurance, but call me paranoid -- I'd rather pay a few bucks and have better odds for payment between two companies, than one which will likely find a reason not to pay), that's $12, plus personal accident, that's $5. So, $62 or so (I'm rounding here), minus gas. Then, consider my time for the hour or so to get and return the car. Zipcar is only slightly more expensive, and much more convenient.

What I wish is that my previous insurance, Pemco, would offer drivers insurance for people who don't own cars. Then I wouldn't have to worry about the extra insurance, and the rental would be tons cheaper.

@54: If you're paying $62 a day to rent a compact car, you're getting ripped off.

@55 Do you have any advice for me on how not to be ripped off, then? What's your car rental strategy?

@51 - because the bus line she would have to use has people on it that have wheelchairs, that's why.

57 COMMENTS ON THIS?

PEOPLE, GET A LIFE!