Prius Commercial

This is a good ad. I like it.

It would seem to me that Toyota must be expecting the results of their increased Prius production to start yielding increased availability soon. I certainly can't see them spending the money for ads like this unless they're expecting product to be available for those who would respond.

 

And the title is:

PRIUS: THE BLACK HOLE / UNIVERS[AL] SUCKER

right?

Confusing message, overall. OVERLY pathetic wrapping of the "Car of the year" stuff.

Another example of "Great product, shameful marketing (and distribution)".

 

I saw a print ad in the Smithsonian magazine recently but have seen very little other advertising to date. (Don't stimulate demand if you can't provide the product.) Once they can get the cars out to the dealers, I think the ads will show up.

Also, I have heard there will be hybrid synergy drives in other Toyota models, and some American manufacturers are going to start using the technology too. It is an idea whose time has come. IMHO

Ellen

 

The only place I've seen print ads for the Prius is The New Yorker -- most of them being along the lines of what you see on the Toyota web site.

They seem to consistently get printed there -- often the back cover, 2 or 3 times double-page ads.

Since it's the one magazine I subscribe to, I guess they've got some of their customer modelling on-target.

 

Commercials like this do lead one to think that the marketing department didn't know how to sell the product, when the commercial was made. The most common place I see this, I think, is in movie trailers where they just don't know who their audience is, or how to sell the film. (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is the most recent one that comes to mind.)

However, given the gigantic demand for the car, the reviews, and the massive amounts of discussion about it, you would think that NOW they could get a firm handle on their potential customer base, and the best way to promote the product.

Maybe we'll see commercials in a few months that are much more on-target.

 

I see print ads in quite a few publications, Scientific American has one each month. Also, NPR regularly has Prius Ads (oops...sponsorship messages).

 

This commercial has been airing for months on the Discovery Science channel.

 

OK, makes more sense to me now.
Still, people who made this video clip doesn't have a clue about product they advertise.
Which is as minimum, unprofessional.

 

> At the risk of offending John, I'd say it was a bit too "trekkie" for my liking

No offense... especially since I witness the other extreme a lot... when someone does something "treker" and doesn't even realize they did it.

By the way, I managed to get a digital capture the "universe" commercial too. The other one, "black & white dots", keeps eluding me though.

 

agreement with everyone who didn't like the ad........
ukeright:
(rant)
they should have gotten more, different, or better focus groups to review it, if they got any at all....

sorry, gang, but i was in Marketing for a decade or two before retiring, and the problem here isn't Marketing, it's the advertising people not talking to the Marketing people, but that's normal.

the ad folks are typically born bright and creative, and know for sure that nobody else in the Corporation is as bright and creative as they are, and, therefore, are genetically incapable of listening to them!

the commercial might imply the interior size of the car (big enough for the whole universe?) or a "bigger concept" than "just a car", but gawd, i don't like how they did it!

i'm available for consulting, if anyone at Toyota gives a patoot.
(/rant)

still a pretty car, too.....
(and maybe i'm torqued because it's only been three months and my dealer never calls me to let me know any good or bad news.
oops... (/rant)

 

yep, when i checked it out, at first i was elated to see it, then when it ended... that's it!?! :guns: it's like their only selling point was that it's roomy and got the COTY award... ukeleft: