{"id":170783,"date":"2025-04-04T10:20:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T10:20:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/advertising\/vml-wins-ionna-account-to-challenge-teslas-dominance\/"},"modified":"2025-04-04T10:20:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T10:20:36","slug":"vml-wins-ionna-account-to-challenge-teslas-dominance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=170783","title":{"rendered":"VML Wins Ionna Account to Challenge Tesla’s Dominance"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

VML is leading brand creation and design for Ionna, an EV charging network founded by eight automakers, the agency has shared exclusively with ADWEEK. <\/p>\n

The win followed a roughly five-month-long competitive pitch process, which concluded in Feb. 2024, said Robb Smigielski, chief design officer and executive lead of brand design, at VML.<\/p>\n

Ionna, a joint venture between BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Toyota, publicly launched in Feb. 2024 and opened its first \u201crechargery,\u201d as the stations are called, in Apex, North Carolina, in October. <\/p>\n

Building rechargeries (and trust)<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The goal of Ionna is to solve a major problem facing EV adoption: lack of consumer trust and confidence in the charging infrastructure, Smigielski explained. <\/p>\n

What people often refer to as \u201crange anxiety\u201d is, ultimately, anxiety about whether chargers are going to be available and in working condition, he said, especially given the operational and maintenance challenges<\/a> that have plagued many of the major charging networks.<\/p>\n

Ionna aims to have 100 locations with 1,000 chargers set up by the end of 2025, and 30,000 \u201cultra-fast-and-reliable charging points\u201d by 2030, according to its website. That\u2019s about the same number of Superchargers that Tesla had installed in the U.S. by last month, according to U.S. News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ionna is automakers\u2019 first significant effort to challenge Tesla\u2019s dominance in EV charging, and it\u2019s coming in an era when many people are distancing themselves<\/a> from Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Currently, Tesla\u2019s network makes up a majority of the fast chargers available across the country (it\u2019s currently at 58%, according to research and analysis firm EVAdoption). If Ionna can make good on its promise, it could offer an alternative.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Ionna<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nostalgia, convenience, and Bucee\u2019s-level brand obsession<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In developing the brand identity for Ionna, Smigielski said, VML created a lexicon around EV charging that he hopes will become part of the culture as more people buy electric cars. The stations are rechargeries, the chargers are \u201cgeniune Ionna charge dispensers,\u201d and EV owners who use the stations are \u201cIonnians.\u201d <\/p>\n

The retro feel of the branding alludes to a community-centric, almost utopian vision of American life, marrying old-school Route 66 vibes to a clean energy future and shooting for the brand obsession people have for regional gas station chains like Buc-ee\u2019s or Wawa. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"
Ionna<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cBuc-ee\u2019s came up a lot,\u201d said Graham Smith, executive director account management for VML.<\/p>\n

Given that charging a car takes at least 20 to 30 minutes compared to the five-minute chore of gassing up, Ionna\u2019s rechargeries are equipped with things to occupy customers\u2019 time, including Wi-Fi, coffee and pastries, video games, a lounge, and conference rooms visitors can book to get some work done while charging.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Ionna<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fundamentally less transactional because you have to spend some time there,\u201d Smigielski said. \u201cIt\u2019s a little bit more like gas station meets airport lounge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, branding can only go so far in building consumer confidence. The company will have to build out its infrastructure fast and then keep them working for the EV owners that choose to trust them. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn a world where all charging brands skew to either techno-cold or parking-lot-boring, designed for machines instead of the people who drive them, Ionna was created to reintroduce comfort and familiarity back into the open road,\u201d Ricardo Stamatti, chief product officer for Ionna, said in a statement. \u201cTo build a modern service station where we\u2019d check your oil, for free, with a welcoming smile\u2026 If EVs had oil.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VML is leading brand creation and design for Ionna, an EV charging network founded by eight automakers, the agency has shared exclusively with ADWEEK. The win followed a roughly five-month-long competitive pitch process, which concluded in Feb. 2024, said Robb Smigielski, chief design officer and executive lead of brand design, at VML. Ionna, a joint […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":170784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12023],"tags":[3825,11074,34270,4027,11343,1305,68387,58877,11328,68386,10829],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-170783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advertising","tag-account","tag-accounts","tag-automotive-advertising-news","tag-challenge","tag-dominance","tag-exclusive","tag-ionna","tag-sustainability-news","tag-teslas","tag-vml","tag-wins"],"yoast_head":"\nVML Wins Ionna Account to Challenge Tesla's Dominance - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=170783\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=170783&page=2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VML Wins Ionna Account to Challenge Tesla's Dominance - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"VML is leading brand creation and design for Ionna, an EV charging network founded by eight automakers, the agency has shared exclusively with ADWEEK. 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