Toyota Debuts Integrated Marketing Campaign for All-new Prius c

TORRANCE, Calif., March 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc., along with its agency of record, Saatchi & Saatchi LA, today launched the marketing campaign for the Prius c, the newest member of the Prius Family. "The Game of Life with Prius c" demonstrates key vehicle attributes in a fun and approachable way that aims to appeal to first-time car buyers looking for a fuel-efficient and tech-savvy solution to their transportation needs.

Targeting city-dwelling millennials, the fully integrated campaign leverages a partnership with Hasbro and utilizes The Game Of LIFE across multiple mediums. The campaign embodies the youthful spirit of the vehicle and offers creative content that integrates this iconic childhood game.  "The Game of LIFE with Prius c" also takes into consideration that young professional millennials shop and make purchase decisions very differently than other generations of car buyers. Thus, the campaign offers visual tools and easy ways to share digestible information and collect opinions.

"The Prius c campaign acknowledges the fact that buying a car is a big decision, as well as a new experience for many in this demographic," said Bill Fay, group vice president, marketing, Toyota. "We wanted to give our customers something entertaining and engaging, yet familiar, they could identify with while introducing a vehicle to help them navigate this exciting new chapter in their lives."

The all-new Prius c joins the Prius Family, which includes the third generation Prius, the Prius v and the Prius Plug-in Hybrid. The letter "c" in the Prius c moniker represents "city." It is designed to function as an urban-friendly vehicle with an engaging driving experience, accessible price, a city fuel economy rating of 53 mpg and available convenience and advanced in-car electronics features such as Entune™ technology. Prius c offers the highest city mpg rating of any vehicle without a plug.

For this busy, young professional target, media is always on and content is always queuing. For this reason, the campaign content is designed to be easily watched and shared with their inner circle regardless of the platform it is being viewed on.

Broadcast
Two broadcast commercials, beginning with "Malti-poo" premiering on March 12 and followed by "Dolphin Tattoo" on March 19, feature bright colors and bold imagery evocative of the iconic board game. Both spots combine humor with product messaging and will air during network and cable shows such as Grey's Anatomy, 30 Rock and The Simpsons, as well as programming on Bravo and ABC Family.

Digital
Digital media elements will also utilize The Game Of LIFE imagery. The "Spin the Wheel" ad units will allow users to spin the familiar color-blocked game wheel to see how Prius c's features can help them overcome some of life's dilemmas. Digital programs, including those in partnership with YouTube, Facebook, Hype Machine, Pandora and Hulu, will leverage all digital screens—Web, mobile and tablet—to support the target audience's media behavior. Additional partner collaborations will feature first-of-their-kind executions, such as a mobile spinwheel integration with Urbanspoon, custom Prius c badges on BuzzFeed, and sponsored free apps available on Amazon.com for the Kindle Fire.

The Prius c YouTube landing page will greet users with a virtual board game where they'll be able interact with a series of videos offering tips and tricks on navigating life's more daunting tasks, including:

• Car Buying 101: George Basil teaches viewers how to get the most out of the dealership experience.
• Wallet Wisdom: Danica McKellar of The Wonder Years fame provides financial advice in this series of videos.
• Tech Talk with Nye: Featuring Bill Nye, these videos explore technology and other gadgets found inside Prius c.

Later in March, the YouTube page will also host a Prius c overview, Google map tool and more. Additionally, the innovative "Meet the Prius c" vehicle configurator will allow users to customize their own Prius c in a variety of colors and trim levels through a series of uniquely choreographed videos.

Consumer Experiences
Toyota will offer consumers a chance to get behind the wheel and experience the vehicle first-hand. The Prius c will be integrated into a number of lifestyle events, music festival activations and ride and drive experiences in the coming months.

Print & Out of Home
Prius c will appear in a number of print publications, including TIME, People, InStyle and Sports Illustrated. Digital elements will be integrated into portions of the print plan to reflect insights about the multi-tasking, "always on" nature of the Prius c target. In addition to these placements, out of home boards inviting consumers to "meet the Prius c" will be displayed in several markets.

To learn more about the all-new Prius c, visit www.toyota.com/priusc.

About Toyota
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion.  Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of nearly 1,500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers which sold more than 1.64 million vehicles in 2011.  Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.

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SOURCE Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.