Toyota Drafts 'Civilians' for Hybrid Campaign

DETROIT Visitors to Toyota's new hybrid site will receive a testimonial from Craig, a Los Angeles-based Prius owner and a handpicked "actor" for Toyota's plan to let the people do the talking.Toyota.com/hybrids is one more community site for the meager hybrid crowd (the segment is 1.6 percent of the overall auto sales market), but it is also considered by Toyota as a launching pad for future broadcast spots, encouraging its nearly 10,000 users to submit video or written messages on the reasons for their purchase or embrace of hybrids and their synergy drive technology.It also positions Toyota among the hordes of companies that are striving to interact with their customer, ideally to drive more interest in the product. In the auto industry, companies have moved to allow similarly posted video content, notably GM's misguided effort last spring to solicit homemade commercials for its Chevy Tahoe SUV, which drew the wrath of the anti-SUV crowd via videos protesting the use of large vehicles, the war in Iraq and just about anything out of step with liberal causes."It makes the people nervous to allow the consumer to get into this, but we monitor and filter the blogs," said Gregg Benkendorfer, Toyota's national manager of interactive marketing. "We don't edit, but we filter; the last thing we need is a video by some guy with his girlfriend draped across a Prius."Broadcast spots are being edited now, culled from some of the submitted video, for broadcast early this year, said Peter Kang, creative director of emerging technology at Saatchi & Saatchi, L.A., Toyota's primary agency. Saatchi developed the site with Firstborn Interactive, also in L.A."These spots will be literally the same content as on the site only in a different format," Kang said. "It's easy to find people who are passionate for their hybrids, and these people will list their reasons for owning or being interested in hybrid technology. These people will be part of 15-second spots and they give very honest answers about what life is about and how this car is important to them."And everything in the hybrid campaign, both brand and product specific, will direct the consumer to the Web site, where they can interact with hybrid owners.Toyota's venture relies on a mini site contained within the larger hybrid site to create deeper "click" for information and to engage the user. Firstborn created a similar site in November for JBL for its "Destination Anywhere" campaign, which solicited videos from users integrating JBL product into them. A print component ran in the entertainment and lifestyle pubs, directing traffic to the site."User content will be big in 2007, as it was in 2006," said Mitch Lowe, CEO, Jumpstart Digital Marketing in San Francisco, an interactive media marketing company. "People can now do things like video through simple devices that used to be complicated. And hybrid users tend to be more enthusiastic about sharing their ideas. Doing ads with user-submitted material will lower the cost of production, and the people who submit videos will keep watching to see if their videos are on there. For vehicles that emote, like hybrids, it's a great idea."Toyota is the U.S. leader in hybrid sales, with an estimated 160,000 sales this year and 227,000 projected for 2007, according to Global Insight analyst John Wolkonowicz. Overall, Global projects sales of 452,000 in the U.S. for 2007."Hybrids are all image, and part of big marketing campaigns, but they really don't make sense," Wolkonowicz said. "The Prius, of course, is the best selling hybrid because it's the one that is most identifiable. And everyone wants everybody else to know they're green. It's not about doing it, it's about seeing it."

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Toyota Drafts 'Civilians' for Hybrid Campaign

Steve Miller

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