Toyota launches "Why Not?" ad campaign, the largest in the company's history
11-05-07, 12:12 PM
#1
Speaks French in Russian
Thread Starter
Toyota launches "Why Not?" ad campaign, the largest in the company's history
Toyota has launched its "Why Not?" campaign, the "biggest, broadest corporate campaign in its history" according to Ad Age. Toyota would not discuss how much it will cost but the spending on the national TV, print and online ads in America, is expected to well exceed the $40 M they spent last year on ads. The campaign will run through March and focus on three corporate pillars; environmental commitment, economic impact and social responsibility. The ads were created by Dentsu America, New York; Toyota choose the theme of "Why Not?" after 6 months of consumer research.
Why is Toyota doing this? Toyota has received a lot of bad press recently such as green groups attacking them over a proposed CAFE standard and losing a recommendation from Consumer Reports. We admit to adding a few articles to the pile, noting decreases in Highlander's safety rating and 2009 Corolla's fuel efficiency. Steve Sturm, Toyota's VP-strategic research, says there is no connection between the new ads and the recent bad press, that the ads are just a way for America to better understand Toyota's corporate image.
The website toyota.com/whynot has two print ads, video of the TV commercial "Harmony" and making of the TV commercial. The Harmony commercial features a car made from twigs, mud, etc. by three people that slowly fades in time lapse images into the natural environment. The voice over asks "Can a car company grow in harmony with the environment? Why not?" and explains Toyota is working towards cars with zero emissions and "zero waste" in everything they do. Ad Age is not amused writing "striving isn't accomplishing, and it strikes us as a bit disingenuous to be selling some unattainable vision of the future."
We will have more on the "Why Not?" ads as they appear through March. Tell us what you think of the ads and if you see any of them we miss when they appear on NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press, Nightline, 20-plus magazines and even on PBS, part of a sponsorship package of Nature.
[Source: Ad Age]
Why is Toyota doing this? Toyota has received a lot of bad press recently such as green groups attacking them over a proposed CAFE standard and losing a recommendation from Consumer Reports. We admit to adding a few articles to the pile, noting decreases in Highlander's safety rating and 2009 Corolla's fuel efficiency. Steve Sturm, Toyota's VP-strategic research, says there is no connection between the new ads and the recent bad press, that the ads are just a way for America to better understand Toyota's corporate image.
The website toyota.com/whynot has two print ads, video of the TV commercial "Harmony" and making of the TV commercial. The Harmony commercial features a car made from twigs, mud, etc. by three people that slowly fades in time lapse images into the natural environment. The voice over asks "Can a car company grow in harmony with the environment? Why not?" and explains Toyota is working towards cars with zero emissions and "zero waste" in everything they do. Ad Age is not amused writing "striving isn't accomplishing, and it strikes us as a bit disingenuous to be selling some unattainable vision of the future."
We will have more on the "Why Not?" ads as they appear through March. Tell us what you think of the ads and if you see any of them we miss when they appear on NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press, Nightline, 20-plus magazines and even on PBS, part of a sponsorship package of Nature.
[Source: Ad Age]
11-05-07, 01:40 PM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
Another waste of funds, IMO.
Why not take that ad money and, instead of a BS public-relations campaign, use it to improve the quality of some of the recent Toyota interior materials and sheet metal? The Tundra, especially, is in dire need of both....the Camry, to a lesser extent.
Hyundai, for instance, when they had so much trouble with quality back in the 80's and 90's, didn't try and BS their way out of it with ads. They rolled up their sleeves, everybody chipped in and did their part, and improved the quality of their vehicles FIRST, and THEN did the ad campaign "Driving is Believing". By then, there was something to believe IN....hey, it even made a believer out of ME, and I'm not easily swayed by car ads. I require proof first.
Why not take that ad money and, instead of a BS public-relations campaign, use it to improve the quality of some of the recent Toyota interior materials and sheet metal? The Tundra, especially, is in dire need of both....the Camry, to a lesser extent.
Hyundai, for instance, when they had so much trouble with quality back in the 80's and 90's, didn't try and BS their way out of it with ads. They rolled up their sleeves, everybody chipped in and did their part, and improved the quality of their vehicles FIRST, and THEN did the ad campaign "Driving is Believing". By then, there was something to believe IN....hey, it even made a believer out of ME, and I'm not easily swayed by car ads. I require proof first.
11-05-07, 01:59 PM
#4
Lexus Fanatic
Maybe so, but don't you think that the money would be better spent on quality and material issues? I mean, even just 1% of the money that Toyota has is a LOT of dough.
11-05-07, 02:03 PM
#5
Advertising isn't about how much money you spend, but how well you spend it.
Some recent ad campaigns have been lackluster (the GS "Donut," no advertising for the new xB, little defense coming from the Camry front against its competitors [like how the Aura and Accord have been hitting it recently] ). Some have been excellent (the GS "Dignified," all the new LS commercials, quirky Yaris and Rav4 commercials, etc).
In all, I think Toyota needs to create a focus on their brand as a whole, not just each car individually. Scion is doing great with their ad campaign because it's fresh, and it's seen across their line-up. Lexus is doing great with their ad campaign because it's refined and luxurious, and it's seen across their line-up. Toyota is somewhere in the middle, where they need to emphasize economy, fuel efficiency, reliability, value, and fun.
The idea shouldn't be "Why Not?". The idea should be "You need to get this because...".
Some recent ad campaigns have been lackluster (the GS "Donut," no advertising for the new xB, little defense coming from the Camry front against its competitors [like how the Aura and Accord have been hitting it recently] ). Some have been excellent (the GS "Dignified," all the new LS commercials, quirky Yaris and Rav4 commercials, etc).
In all, I think Toyota needs to create a focus on their brand as a whole, not just each car individually. Scion is doing great with their ad campaign because it's fresh, and it's seen across their line-up. Lexus is doing great with their ad campaign because it's refined and luxurious, and it's seen across their line-up. Toyota is somewhere in the middle, where they need to emphasize economy, fuel efficiency, reliability, value, and fun.
The idea shouldn't be "Why Not?". The idea should be "You need to get this because...".
11-05-07, 02:20 PM
#6
Lexus Champion
Call me an idealist but I think if companies invested their ad dollars, efficiently, almost entirely in added materials and assembly quality - then the added quality would be advertisement enough as it would cause a buzz in editorials and by general word of mouth.
IMO, the reason Toyota is doing so well today is because of their attention to detail on their cars, NOT because of any special advertising campaigns.
I wonder if they're forgetting this. Dropping quality and increased spending on ads and recalls.
Starting to sound like GM about 20 years ago...
IMO, the reason Toyota is doing so well today is because of their attention to detail on their cars, NOT because of any special advertising campaigns.
I wonder if they're forgetting this. Dropping quality and increased spending on ads and recalls.
Starting to sound like GM about 20 years ago...
11-05-07, 05:21 PM
#7
Lexus Fanatic
HAHA, who cares about how much money they spend on a stupid *imo* 'Why not' ad campaign... They spend a jagabillion dollars in F1 and look at the return they get from that. 
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11-06-07, 10:46 AM
#10
Lexus Champion
It's the result of a gullible press and an ignorant, shallow thinking public who just want to feel good, which is why the Prius does so well.
11-06-07, 12:13 PM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
Because, today, image counts for a lot. Look at BP, an old style oil company who spends a 1% of their profit on renewables, and they are held up as some sort of shining example of what an energy company should be. They are actually at the bottom of the barrel as an oil company. But image is everything.
It's the result of a gullible press and an ignorant, shallow thinking public who just want to feel good, which is why the Prius does so well.
It's the result of a gullible press and an ignorant, shallow thinking public who just want to feel good, which is why the Prius does so well.
But with the Prius, to be fair, the Prius is more than just image. This is not a car that you can easily bad-mouth. I look at and review a lot of new vehicles, and while I don't like the Prius styling (never did) and its sluggish acceleration, it is hard, for the money, to beat the quality that goes into a Prius. Its assembly and material quality is truly first-rate, inside and out....far better than many of its own corporate brothers and sisters at Toyota.
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