Toyota launches marketing campaign for Prius c, including television commercials

good stuff. it's now clear how 'new buyer' aimed they are with this car. i hope we see the full commercial.. the shorter ones are a little silly...

 

Hate those ads, very goofy. Toyota just can't, or won't put together an ad for the prius that doesn't make it look like it's for goofy hippies.

I think they would do well to find real owners of a Prius who are not the stereotypical fat old guy with a beard. Find a guy who leads people in war but when he's back home he drives a Prius or a guy who takes his Prius to the gym where he boxes. It wouldn't have to push away the goofy hippies, who obviously are a large portion of the purchasing demographic.

 

The only one short enough to air is the first one...

dude with the high-pitched voice annoys me and will annoy an untold number of viewers.

 

Ok... After the third one... I am thinking the following. Whoever thought of this motiff, needs to be shot. Or, as the old Robin Hood Movie with Kevin Costner, the Alan Ryckman quote of, "Dig his heart out with a spoon..."

I'm sorry, but even though I am almost 40... The commercials are just... Not really 'ideal' for the target audience they are going for. It's kind of tacky and questionable.

 

Wow.

I absolutely HATE the first ad.

I know Toyota want's to target young people, fine. But why portray these youth so stupid, cartoonish and ultimately shallow and ANNOYING? This is youth, nobody wants to be. Total whiff Toyota.

The other Minute and 1/2 pieces I don't view as commercials. IMO the second one is funny, but more a stand up routine than anything else. Doesn't really sell the vehicle, but it's a semi-interesting commentary on growing up in the 80's and what "Life" is all about. Same with the other two pieces, IMO, not commercials for the vehicles as much as a drawn out stand-up routine.

I know Toyota wants to convey that Prius c is friendly and obtainable, and reach a young demographic. But IMO this is really the wrong approach. Toyota isn't the only one, but for some reason there is this idea that anything economical and aimed for a younger audience must be presented in IDIOTIC terms.

"Almost"..almost makes me wish for some folk music, swaying bush people, and/or even the creepy multi-person.

Toyota used to have such great advertising. Especially for Prius. Lately? It's deteriated.

I'd go Prius c, youthful and intelligent and "cool", not Prius c, the choice for cheap annoying young people I'd like to see inprisoned.

The good news? Toyota creates products good enough to overcome their own handicapped advertising.

 

I don't like the commercials at all.

But, "Informed" buyers (like me, I'd say) don't need advertizing. There's a rule in advertizing: if you hate the commercials you aren't their target. Their target is a group whom they are trying to convert into buyers.

Who's the target? It's young adults with good jobs with enough income to buy a car.

What's the message? You're an adult now. The colors say "Fun!" the humorous notes say "Fun!" but the words say "Grow up!" This is the real Game Of Life. The Game of Life begins as you're graduating. You get married, have children, buy a house and try to retire with wealth. It's a serious game. Buying a car is a serious thing, but don't fear the dealers. They will help you get this car and this car is efficient, reliable and modern and it will help you do all the others things you want to do.

Objectively speaking, I think the commercials are OK. Subjectively, I think they suck.

 

I'm sorry, but it still feels like a horrible tact in trying to convert the young. The Volkswagen with the guy asking 'is it fast?' to 'is it safe?' is a better transition from getting better.

 

Sure that's who they are targeting. But why do they feel the need to portray young adults, with good jobs and incomes as simultaneously being shallow and annoying cartoonish idiots?

Those have to be some of the most annoying portrayals of anyone I've seen in advertising in a long, long time. I think you can convey, young, with expendable income....in much more positive terms.

I realize I'm NOT the demographic Toyota's advertising agency was attempting to reach BUT I don't think ANYONE wants to play the game of LIFE with that group in the first commercial.

As far as attempting to tell us not to fear the dealership.

Good Luck with that.

With all due respect to those that do work hard at dealerships, and those dealerships with ethical standards. I'm sorry, but it's going to take more than an unshaven stand up comedian, with a couple of stick figures to convince me NOT to tell ANYONE and EVERYONE going to a dealership "To Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid". (of course Toyota can't promote this idea, nor would I expect them to) But since dealerships are individually owned and operated? I think your wasting your time telling me or anyone not to fear them.

On this second point I admit to personal prejudice born out of a lifetime of scaring experience.

 

I'm pretty sure the guy with the beard is actually on day release from the hospital and his psychiatrist is keeping a close eye on him as he does the commercial.

OK ad, could have been made truly great by the guy whispering to the salesman after ("also, is it fast?"). I got from the ad that VW isn't fast, it's safe.

 

At first glance? I thought he was the GEICO caveman. Then I realized he wasn't and got really scared.

Yeah, I'm being nit-picky here...but I'd shave for those spots.

 

These are annoying goofy commercials that don't contain much information. I am obviously not in the target audience. There is such a thing as "to cute".

I think Toyota needs to hire a different advertising agency.

 

Sigh, just do a normal car commercial showing it zipping along winding country roads for once! These ads just reinforce the freak image the Prius and its drivers have to fight every day!

 

"too cute" is not what I call this... It seems way too campy or trying to capture people who are simply into South Park and Archer mentality, or literally, people IN those shows versus trying to appeal more to the practical minded young adults, which there are some.

 

Well, to be honest, Skoorbmax... Fast shouldn't be your concern. I think the point of the commercial is that most of your life, you cared if it was fast... But now, you are a father, with a kid... Your priorities changed.

Toyota is trying to go for the 'You are now an adult'... That's great. But the implimentation of the ad is HORRIBLE. It's vapid and insulting, even for the younger generation. Hell, the Allstate commercial about the young woman who's budget was probably thought down to 'ramen noodle a day ' budget. If anything, it should be also be going, "Hey, an affordable, green hybrid." Just as allstate was hyping the affordable insurance.

 

Yes, but .... if carman or bevis tells the audience to buy a prius then they might run in the opposite direction. Now matt and trey might be able to do a great commercial for prius with cartman ragging on it and stan defending the prius, but they already did the pious show.

Yep. vw dub isn't fast That nissan thing about stretching the car was cool though, when you needed room for kids but didn't want to compromise.

yes, simply awful

 

hallo everyone,but i tjink it still feels like a horrible tact in trying to convert the young

 

I don't think they're trying to get the viewer to identify with them. I think the characters are deliberately freakish to make the viewer feel better about themselves. They just want to get the efficient message across.

I find that Prius c advert far less worrying than the Sienna and Highlander commercials: the messages in those were horrible.

Again, it's about arming them with some knowledge so they have confidence in the process. The target market includes many first-time buyers who won't have set foot in a dealership.

Similarly, I think the Bill Nye commercial is designed to give some information to the viewer so they feel more knowledgeable about the hybrid system and therefore more confidence about the car. The nanowatt joke is in there to break up the lecture and make the viewer feel good for understanding it.

The car is reliable and efficient.
A car is useful.
An efficient, reliable car gives you more money to spend on what you need and want to do.
Now go and buy that car.

But, to me there are two dangers in the campaign:
- People might actually see the cartoonish idiots as "typical Prius c drivers" and reject that group despite the efficiency message.
- The bearded guy. To me, he just doesn't have the right level of gravitas in with the humor.

 

OMG. Holy cow are those bad! Condescending is what I get out of those ads. Are potential buyers really that dumb? I hope they're not, and I don't think they are. If Toyota thinks they are, then many of those potential sales might run away before they investigate the Prius vehicles further.

Toyota, are you reading this thread? You need to get a new ad agency, and also replace whoever approved this campaign. And while I'm at it, the other ads this past year have been equally creepy (like the giant made out of people).

I like Bill Nye and his work, but I think he got used by Toyota big here. Of those embedded in the OP, the Nye spot was better than the others.

 

The Giant made out of people wasn't that bad, and the Prius v commercial wasn't horrible either. The giant bit was basically, an example of having everyone being lumped together and now there are going to be more choices for people wanting a Prius.

As for the Nye ones, they were ok, but the 50s informational music was kind of annoying as hell. Again, not exactly what I would term trying to win over the younger generation.