Toyota Partners With Shazam to Amplify the "Camry Effect"

TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. has announced the debut of an integrated marketing campaign that enables viewers to use the Shazam mobile app to enter for a chance to win one new 2012 Camry for themselves and one for a friend, during a live NBC television broadcast on Sunday, Feb. 5.  

Beginning with the "Connections" commercial, currently available online at Toyota's YouTube page, the campaign encourages people to enter the giveaway, and will allow the winner to start a new Camry Effect by giving him or her the ability to gift an actual Camry in addition to receiving one. The campaign is the first and biggest giveaway of its kind to utilize Shazam technology.

The "Connections" spot marks the first major outreach effort for the Camry Effect (www.toyota.com/camryeffect), a social media initiative developed to unite the nearly seven million Camry owners in this country through an interactive, online experience. The Camry Effect provides past and present Camry owners a platform to share their stories, moments and memories from over the past 30 years, since the vehicle was first introduced in America.

"The Camry Effect is one of the most ambitious social media campaigns we've ever implemented," said Dave Nordstrom, vice president of digital marketing at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "Partnering with Shazam allows us to increase awareness of this effort on the national stage and give one lucky winner the opportunity to positively affect a friend and start writing his or her own Camry story."

The "Connections" spot is part of an innovative approach aimed at increasing viewer engagement with the Camry Effect   A fully integrated experience across multiple platforms is created by connecting television, online, mobile and social media activities together. The campaign is supported by broadcast and digital media, as well as a robust web portal, mobile experience and targeted social media efforts.

"Connections" allows for daily sweepstakes entry by one of two methods: by viewing the spot online and using Shazam with the ad when prompted or by filling out an entry form online.  The sweepstakes will culminate with a winner notified on the night of Feb. 5, and a public announcement soon following. Participants can enter for a chance to win once a day leading up to the debut of the broadcast commercial, as well as enter again by using Shazam or entering online when the commercial airs live on Sunday. Following the broadcast premiere, people can go online and "stretch the story," or dig deeper, by expanding the commercial to view more Camry stories via a unique, interactive video timeline.

"Toyota is one of America's most trusted brands and we are thrilled to work with them on this exciting campaign," said Evan Krauss, Shazam's executive vice president of advertising. "There are more than 130 million smartphones and tablets in the US and 86 percent of their owners use them while watching TV, which is why more and more Fortune 100 brands like Toyota see the importance of implementing a mobile strategy in their commercials.  They choose Shazam because we make it easy for their millions of consumers to engage with their products."

For official rules and further information, visit http://www.toyota.com/camryeffect/promotion/rules.html.

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.