Thank you for choosing 5 million Toyota Hybrids Ad (merged)

Are we talking Prius SWAG, Erica!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Yep, Casual Mafia did it right.

Agree 100%.

 

do not know. It looks like both the Auris and Yaris Hybrid are available there (Toyota Yaris and Yaris Hybrid. Compact city cars. and Toyota Yaris Hybrid Review | Autocar).

 

is a direct link to the making of video.

 

It's bad enough the Prius has been called a "vagina on wheels". This commercial does to the Prius that West Side Story did to gang fights.

 

I've never been a fan of Toyota's Prius advertisements and this is no exception. I guess they are trying to capture a "we're a family" "young and hip" vibe, but it ends up looking pretty childish.

 

According to a poster on cleanmpg.com, it was a standard Yaris in hybrid disguise. Perhaps Toyota wanted to show off as many of their hybrid offerings in the ad as possible.

 

The very, very undeniable fact that there is "Real" bad stuff in the world today, and there are worse things one can complain about, shouldn't become justified blinders for non-critical evaluation.

I've had enough of high energy "cutesy" Prius spots. Really? I don't want to see another person in a Tree or Bush costume swaying as a hybrid drives by....

Now having said all that?

I fully concede that's JUST my personal opinion. I honestly have NOTHING against song, dance and "I've been breathing the ether" smiles. Judging from the merged thread, it seems like a LOT of people enjoyed being involved in the entire process and a good time was had by all. I'm not sure I would of drank the Kool-Aid at the buffet, but it does look like a lot of Prius and Hybrid owners had a lot of fun....that's never a bad thing.

I also have nothing against the ultimate message of the commercial which is pointing out the success, growth and evolution of hybrids, even though I would of toned down the " Join Us" recruitment pitch, it came off to me as being a cultish. I expected someone in a sari to appear and start handing out flowers.

Am I grumpy about this? Yeah probably....if only because Toyota and Prius seem so stuck in this type of mode of advertising. It's because of my respect for the owners and the hybrid product that I think so much more is possible in the presentation of the same product.

 

Hi all, thanks for the fun and always controversial dialogue. I knew we'd rekindle the spirited debate with The Electric Me but I won't try to dive in the way Doug did with the Harmony campaign, I still have nightmares from that debate.

Some background (not defense)...this digital video (not a TV commercial) was created by Toyota Motor Corp, our parent company to focus on the global milestone. There is also a print ad in Time Magazine globally. The Yaris Hybrid is in there to represent a key player in the European Toyota Hybrid scene, no announcements coming on that front, sorry. So, it's supposed to appeal to a variety of people around the world in an optimistic manner (like our other Prius work), it may not speak directly to you, but it may to others. And yes, I agree that the overall message is really the key and I think TMC/we nailed that IMHO. I had a blast working with TMC on this and I think our owners who attended the shoot also got quite a kick out of the experience (some were shocked at what it takes to pull together something like this).

Best,
Erica Gartsbeyn
Prius Product Manager
Toyota USA

PS: Yes, something small/fun coming via Facebook soon.

 

^^^
Yeah. I've never starred in any sort of film, ad or TV production but I've observed movie filming (of Higher Learning (1995) - IMDb) around various spots of the UCLA campus including the dorm building where I lived (Sproul Hall). It was amazing to me see the amount of prep work, setup, equipment and # of people involved even though there were no sets to build and no lines to draw on the ground. There were plenty of Star Waggons, food, trucks w/costumes and equipment, etc.

I saw them doing a LOT of takes even for very short and simple scenes, where I observed little difference between each take, but the director asked for additional takes anyway.

FWIW, I liked this video and the making of. I've watched both a couple times already.

 

Fair enough Erica but your statements do sound like a bit of defense to me. And I would expect that is at least, part of your job.

Sure you can correctly argue that it's "Not A TV commercial"....as I believe Doug did in the aftermath of the ill conceived digital video release of "The Children of The Corn" knitting The Prius a huge cozy. Remember that? ( I still have nightmares about that ). But you run a global print ad, and release this in any capacity to the internet, and even if not by strictest sense of the word a "television commercial" it is advertising.

I'll back down. I honestly and patiently await the day that I will witness a Prius digital video or TV commercial that doesn't involve a monstrous person, made out of the trapped bodies and souls of other people. Or a commercial that doesn't confine Prius to a saccharine one dimensional world of artificiality. I'm not giving up hope.

However, fair warning, if Toyota revives the Prius c "Game of Life" campaign in any capacity? All bets are off.....

 

Cheaper to ship just bumpers and emblems to California for a video than an entire car.

 

Suppose I've gotta hit up the darker side of green when it gets more affordable and practical. The whole flowers and 'wheeeee' Prius thing makes me laugh ... at it.

 

Maybe Toyota should ask owners, in their surveys, what sort of commercial would appeal to the masses.

 

The thing is, we Toyota hybrid owners (esp. us Priuschatters) may not necessarily be the best people to ask, esp. when the gender balance is a likely skewed here.

Enthusiasts want certain things and dislike others. Most of us (myself included) don't have MBAs or degrees in marketing or psychology nor work in advertising.

 

Sometimes all the right marketing doesn't work.
Edsel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia