Prius Campaign - Early Returns

its a great song no matter what the video

 

I'm not knockin the song. Hell I have their greatest hits cd loaded onto my music flashdrive in the car. lol

 

I would much prefer that any money
Toyota spent on this so-called "creative" advertising had been used to reduced the price of the car. Good products do not need to be "sold", least of all by green munchkins.

 

Seriously??? Polyester was so comfortable. Didn't care for hip huggers or even the wider bell bottoms. Now that I'm expanding I would really appreciate polyester though. As for the music, at least back then the dirty songs didn't sound vulgar.

 

OK, here's my 2 cents.

I love the commercial. I don't think of myself as being the former "typical" Prius owner. Wait - I don't mean this in a bad way. I am still waiting for my Prius, but as of now I don't plan to study all the statistics on MPG, try to hypermile or quite frankly care about reducing my "footprint" . I'm not getting Political, I'm just stating where I'm coming from. I've owned Camrys, 4Runners, and an Avalon.

The reason that I chose the Prius is basically, I need a new car and it meets my needs. I am married with 2 boys ages 13 and 10. I like to go scuba diving and volunteer at the Aquarium as part of the dive team. My dive box with all my gear does not fit in the trunk of my Avalon and I like the idea of a hatchback.

I also like the fact that since I will be having a car payment, I would like to spend the least amount on gas as possible. Which is why I am not getting another 4Runner.

The Prius is a great car that I think will hopefully become a lot more common once people realize that it's really marketed towards everyone, not just the eco-concious.

So, back to the commercial. I will say that it does have it's bits of "cheesyness" if you will to it, but it is very catchy. I have known that I wanted a Prius for awhile and everytime it started playing, it didn't matter where I was in the house, I could hear the "Dum Dum" and I knew instantly that it was the commercial for "my" car. So much so that whenever it came on, the kids would say, "Hey, Mom, it's your car on TV again" .

So I think that it did what it was designed to do. Draw people in and make them curious about it. Am I glad that it's more eco-friendly than say an SUV? Sure. Especially when I'm saving my own "green" as in $$.

 

I too bought the Prius for the green factor. Green as in $$$$$

 

Excellent read! I have a marketing undergrad, 4 classes away from my MBA with several years of experience in the field. The campaign from my perspective as a critique has been excellent.

As a consumer, my wife and I fit into the 60 - 90 PIRQ range (her being higher in that 80 and me in the 50-60 because of the Gen II) but the Gen III and the campaign did exactly what you described in my household:

It caught our eyes on TV and days later while running some errands, we stopped by the dealership to see it in person. We fell in love with the combination of class, sporty looks, comfort and features, fuel economy and sustainability, and the price point to match.

The Gen III Prius campaign caught our attention and the car did the rest. We have one on order and we can't wait these last 2 weeks until it comes in.

Priuschat is the icing on the cake.

 

My background: I'm an owner of a video production facility so I've been part of making ads and television for many years. Though not directly in the ad business, I'm around it all the time.

I think most people don't understand one of the oldest rules in advertising: it's not about the information that a viewer takes away, it's about the feeling they take away. In other words, with all the information pollution out there (remember, the Prius commercial is sandwiched between a million others, too. Think a viewer can remember even a "single message" from every one? Really?), commercials need to emote a "feeling" to a viewer that stays with them. So...it may be that viewers walk without knowing ANYTHING about the Prius including features, options, etc. BUT, they know they have a feeling of...well, you name it from this commercial...harmony, peace, good feelings, optimism, combination of people & technology, etc. So...to judge the spot by the information people take away is really using the wrong scale of grading.

Now, though I'm constantly editing television, I have to say I watch almost zero commercials. Too busy to watch much tv, but when I do, it's DVR and no spots. That said, I have a couple opinions on the overall campaign that it seems Toyota is doing with this:

It's a bit silly to argue their target demographics. I have NO IDEA what their research shows. Obviously, this commercial goes after people "leaning green" already. This spot, believe me, is not going to "turn" a certain segment of population to the Prius. If they air this during professional wrestling or MMA fights, well, they are wasting money. So, they obviously see a sizable population they can convert to being new customers and that is who they are targeting.

Now, that said, when will Prius' and hyrid cars TRULY hit the tipping point? Well, when they can appeal to the "other side." To me, there needs to be a large scale, cross company campaign that deals with this type of message: want to "fight terrorism?" buy a hybrid. It is a message that is not out there enough now about reducing our need for foreign (mostly mid-eastern) oil. Once the Prius (and other Hybrids) make the move into the rightwing is when it will truly take over. Until then, much to our disappointment, it will continue to be part of tree hugger jokes by Fox news anchors (which I literally heard the other night...I think it was Sean Hannity scoffing at hybrids). Ugh, it drives me crazy. That's why I don't watch much tv.

Thoughts?

 

Found this reaction to the commercial on YouTube:

 

Ah, the innocent, unbiased consumer reacts. That little guy is a focus group unto himself and undoubtedly a future PCer. :welcome: Cash!!

 

We have to remember that we are all seeing the ads through the eyes of a prius owner. The ads, to the "outside" world, show a very eco friendly car through the use of creative color and a catchy song.

They are so different from the traditional "fast car driving in the rain" commercial that
they make you want to stop what you are doing and watch the landscape people as they change.

IMO they are represent a simple introduction of the 2010 prius. Each commercial has a simple message, ie. 50mpg, solar ventalation, etc. They don't overwhelm the viewer with lots of features and talking. A real turn-off!

I wonder how the female/male demographics compare? From a women's point of view the prius commercials ROCK!

 

My friends and I here in Texas really like the 4 window auto-down. It makes it way easier firing back when fired upon by a van load of gangbangers. With dark tinted windows, I like the stealth factor of the Prius. Gangbangers never expect Prius owners to shoot back. It would be nice to offer a gun rack that fits into the slots of the sliding rear cover to hold a couple of pistol-grip 12 gauge shotguns. An ad featuring this would really appeal to gas-guzzling pickup drivers.

Another idea would be belt-fed weapons mounted on the roof in a war zone scenario with a tagline about beating the terrorists at the pump and in their own backyard. This would appeal to military types and might even get a military contract when the Pentagon realizes that the range would be much greater. Even with a diesel engine, the Humvee only gets 4 mpg in urban driving and 8 mpg on the highway. The U.S. Defense Department spends over 10 billion a year on fuel costs alone and needs to find ways to reduce its dependence on oil.

 

the you tube video with the baby was so funny, i loved that!
the commercials are very well done, it does all the things you said it should.

i think one of the coolest optional features on the new prius is Intelligent Parking Assist. i saw a video online of a guy demonstrating it and i was like whoa that's so cool! one way you could market towards younger buyers like my self (24) with this idea:

(night scene)-prius V in blue- prius V in blue because big wheels appeal to younger buyers and blue is a eye catching color, it is also a sophisticated color-have a catchy song going too, something with a good beat). have a prius filled with 20 something's (girls and guys) and have them on their way to a football game and looking for parking near the stadium. then the driver spots a space and confidently pushes the IPA button going by the space then comes to a stop. the female in the pasenger seat asks " are you sure you can make that?" then he says "no problem" and takes his hands of the wheel and the prius parallel parks itself. then they all get out and eagerly walk toward the stadium. then you say whatever messege you want to convey about IPA and have a shot of the prius in it's space looking pretty.

i'd love to hear what you think about the idea Doug.
(don't worry i won't try to claim it if you want to use it, LOL)

 

its funny that children react to the commercials. i think the technical, ecological, economical and environmental impact that happens when driving a Prius i is well known, well talked about and etc...

so, its my opinion that if Toyota is looking for a new market, they need to determine the level of understanding of that new market and how to communicate. they had to go with...well, you know

 

I just watched the You Tube video posted by 12 parsecs. How funny is that? It doesn't surprise me at all since I just finished stating that the commercials are colorful with a catchy tune. That's exactly what babies are attracted to. SOrry for my grammer.

 

Since you asked for feedback, here goes. I like the ads. They are cute, entertaining, and very cleverly made. However, I would be surprised if they sell a lot of cars. Take a look at the competition. Honda pushes their hybrid by selling the benefit of great mileage; not that you save money, but you can drive past the gas station while your friends fill up.

I think that to be really successful here (meaning beyond the people like us), you need to sell the Prius similarly to how you sell the Lexus. Your Lexus commercials seem to divide their time between slice of life views intended to enhance social status, and demonstrations of the advanced technology in the cars. Obviously this strategy works.

This concept could easily translate to the Prius. Consider: a person drives into the company parking lot. Another employee pulls into the space next to him.
[employee 1] Is that a new car?
[Prius owner] Yes, it's the 2010 Prius.
[employee 1] I heard of them. Do you really get the mileage they claim?
[Prius owner] Yup, I get 50 mpg, but it's not why I bought the car.
[employee 1] Why?
[Prius owner] Watch. (he gets into the car pulls out of the parking space, then demonstrates parking assist]
(show look of amazement on employee 1's face)
[Prius owner] And that's only one reason. (they walk away chatting about the car)
(Voice over) Prius, it's not just about the mileage.

Anyway, just a thought. While the dancing and the music are nice, some slice-of-life feature demos coupled with admiration from others might do a better job of hitting the mainstream. I have other ideas, but you have to pay for them

 

I'm from Canada and people generally don't seem to know what a Prius is.

Here's a few questions that I usually get:

1. Do you have to plug it in? Clearly, people think the Prius is a weird, non-traditional car that will require them to change their driving habits to adapt to it. They don't know that you just put gas into it and drive it like any other car.

2. What did you pay for it? When I tell them, the response is usually "Really? Wow, is that ever cheap!". Then you remind them that over the life of the car, they'll get about $5,000.00 back in reduced fuel cost at today's fuel prices and they're even more impressed.

3. What mileage do you get? When I tell them I drive 1000 km (621 miles) on my commute to/from work, and then only add 38 litres of fuel (10 US gallons), they do a double-take.

4. How much room do you have inside the car? I open the back door and have them sit in the back seat. Once they realize how spacious it is back there, there's little doubt about available room up front.

I usually don't bother trying to describe how smooth the car is with its differential gas-electric transmission, or how peaceful it is having the engine turn off at stoplights and in busy stop and go traffic. I think that's something you usually need to experience for yourself.

I think a good advertising campaign should have answered all of these questions a long time ago. Maybe a future version will address them...

 

Do you guys read posts? As in, did you read my post?

Commercials aren't about information. They are about feeling. Go read mine.

You have :30 within a sea of crappy information...you cannot expect people to pull information away. That's what the web is for these days. The best you can do is make them feel that the Prius is... It's about an emotional grab, not information.

 

I think you made very good commerials for the average consumer. Toyota should use them also in Europe.
But definitely one thing could be improved: The music in the commerial "MPG" [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7vI-L4Lfmc]YouTube - 2010 Toyota Prius "MPG" TV Commercial[/ame]

There is a much much better song, "Here comes the sun" from the Beatles:

It would be a real eye-catcher. A german company, which produces honey, used the song several years ago in commercials very successful, so it shouldn´t be too expensive to use it.

 

LOL !! Did the dealer throw in the suit at no extra charge or did you have to pay for it?

Toyota must have spent a gazillion bucks on those spots. I personally don't like them very much because they are so "twee" (a probably dated British term somewhat equivalent to the American use of the word "precious") -- they make the car look tiny and can only be driven by tiny little people (in flower outfits) -- but they do get your attention, especially if you're aged six and under. What I also don't like is that all three ads are pretty much the same with the same type of message. Why limit the appeal to a specific type of audience rather than try to target more car-technology lovers with more sophisticated ads?