The Campaign

Parts of the new Prius were drawn as anime characters, which are popular among young people. Famous illustrators designed the characters based on the functions and performance of the Prius. Getting to know the characters made it easy for young people to understand the features of the new Prius.

Creative Execution

The promotion went on from January to March 2016. It was first announced in news releases and newspaper advertisements. Later, digital campaigns using SNS was implemented to further increase fans. As fans were publicizing their original illustrations and songs, promotion measures that utilize fan support were implemented, such as sharing the contributions to Twitter, etc.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

Website of Prius was accessed by more than 6 million people. The campaign became Toyota's largest viral campaign in the world. Number of young people visiting Toyota dealers increased by 30% and test drive also increased by 20%. Sales of Prius was more than 8 times of the projection, achieving No.1 sales in Japan. This campaign successfully created the perception of “cars are fun!” among young people in Japan.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

“New Prius re-examined all its parts from zero and drastically evolved its functions. However, young people who are the target were not interested in cars and the various functions of Prius. What connected the two was “turning parts into characters”. By having famous illustrators in Japan turn functions and parts of Prius into game characters which young people like, many young people successfully became interested in Prius. In addition, fans were attracted through the game and anime. Design of dealers was also largely changed. Young people were attracted to Toyota dealers through the characters.”

Communication was implemented by turning Prius parts into game characters that young people like. The plan was to gain attraction among young people and to make them interested in the performance and functions of Prius as they got to know the characters more and more. Young people who are the target play games and watch anime on a regular basis, and it was aimed for such people who are not interested in cars to come in contact with the contents on their own accord.