2010 Prius TV spot

I keep a spreadsheet with all that on there too, and I don't consider myself a geek. (Of course, my daughters probably do, but that's their problem.)

I haven't seen the ad yet but I agree with people who say it should not just appeal to the dorky, hippy, green crowd. I like Tideland's alternative ad but I would put more emphasis on the really cool state-of-the-art gadgets. I would compare a fully loaded 2010 Prius with some other upscale car that is priced 10K more and ask where else can one get all this for under 32K AND 50mpg. We already have the green and practical-minded crowd -- need to to appeal to those who just want a really cool car and can afford anything.

 

I did not like the commercial and hardly noticed the car at all!! Very hippy feel. I liked the Honda commercial cause it was fun and light-hearted and made me think "Hmm...vacations in my new car...with my family at the beach...fun!"

I agree with most on here that say advertise all the cool new features and HOW MUCH you get in this car...oh, and it gets highest MPG OF ANY MID-SIZE CAR EVER!! LOL
[[elbow in Ford's ribs]]ound:

 

Thanks for the tip! DVR now programmed for 2 shows I've never watched, haha. I really do think this ad, although it is kinda pointless, will look spectacular in HD.

 

Reminds me of Honda's UK diesel commercial from 3 years ago.

 

The good news is the audio in the commercial sort of does what people here were recommending, by mentioning more power, more space, and less air pollution (using some odd phrasing about fewer smog emissions). The bad news is, the commercial is worse than people thought. I was really prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt, but this is just awful. Assuming anyone even realizes it's a car commercial, they will not remember it, what it said, or even what it was selling. I guess they were aiming for eccentric and charming, but the video was just doofus, and the harmony tag line is just absolute sanctimonious drivel. If anyone does notice this commercial, or realize what it's for, it will just reinforce the negative stereotype or make people not want to have anything to do with a Prius. It aimed for cool and came out drool. Toyota - fire them, fire them NOW. Tideland is now in charge. Did you people test this at all?

 

Though I was responsible for the strategy behind the marketing campaign, I did not create the actal commercial, so I have no vested interest. But I'm curious...

What was "doofus"? What does that mean?

If this one doesn't get noticed, what kind of commercial does?

Do you know what the intended message was in the commercial? Hint: there was only one real message.

Finally, EVERYONE TAKE NOTE. You guys feel a lot of the bashing over Prius because you always take note of the naysayers. HOWEVER, in all our research and survey information, Prius brand image is VERY VERY GOOD overall. It does not have the overall negative image you think it does... it only appears that way to you because it has become a lightening rod for a small number of vocal detractors.

Doug Coleman
Prius Product Manager
Toyota Motor Sales, USA

 

This is not really directed at you Doug. But it may give you marketing insight for a market out there that is not enamored with the Green issues.

As a "not yet_but hope to be soon" owner of a Prius I look at this whole situation as an outsider. I like the image the TCH gave me. It said Green without yelling it, but it also simply appealed as a good sized practical fuel effecient family car. The Prius however SCREAMS GREEN. The advertisements build on this theme and that's OK but I believe because this is a "cult car", the cult members have wanted this image and push it to the limits, sometimes to the point of bing obnoxious. In the process they alienate themselves from the rest of the automotive world. They seem to like it. On other forums I encounter parinod Prius owners that think every SUV is out to get them. Fact is, Prius owners have picked the fight over the years and yes some SUV owners may get vocal. But it's not supposed to be the rest of the automotive world against the Prius. Somehow, if we want people to drive fuel effecient cars they need to become mainstream. And as far as the advertisement, I didn't really see it appealing to mainstream America. It sorta reminded me of one of the new age cartoons my Grandchildren watch.

However from a marketing standpoint, the GREEN issue is well addressed and any thinking individual that watches the commercial will indeed remember the message and Prius. Ultimately the forget the commercial and remember Prius and 50 mpg. The prius and TCH as well as my HH technology appeals to me as an Engineer. The 50mpg appeals to me as a person entering his senior years looking towards retirement. The "less foreign oil" appeals to me as a patriot.
If I end up being "green" in the process, all the better for your cause. But when you push the Green issues as the ONLY reason to drive a Prius, you indeed alienate yourself from the masses. Might be what some want, but it doesn't serve the cause.

 

Hi Doug. Sorry if I came off a bit harsh, but it was late at night and I was truly disappointed. The answer to your question is I don't know what the message of the commercial was supposed to be. That is the problem. I assume the main message is the usual one - NEW AND IMPROVED. It's not the consumer's job to "get it", it's the job of the commercial to convey it. Think about the utter failure of the Seinfeld/Microsoft ad (thankfully quickly canned).

There are image ads (dancing silouettes with ipods) and information ads (iphone). I suppose humor ads may be another category, but they generally drive home a point and make you remember the brand or product. The famous spicy meatball commercial was great humor, but unfortunately completely failed as a commercial, because noone ever remembered what it was for. Maytag's commercials, now going on 40 years with the same gimmick, are humorous, but make a point about reliability and have very strong brand identification. The ipod ads could be simple and be all about making it seem cool with the dancing and music, because it was a simple product and everyone already understood what it did. The iphone commercials (with the benefit of hindsight) had to be the way they are, because they had to convey the message of what it was, what it could do, and why I would want it, without getting bogged down in the details.

Now, let's look at this commercial. I suppose it was trying to be both an image ad and an information ad. The image part was meant to grab attention, by being colorful, dynamic, and also sort of charming and clever. The trouble is, we've all seen these kind of images before. It comes off as stale and cloying, rather than fresh and cool. The images of the children come off as, well, childish, and as a whole, it just comes off as hippy-dippy (as others have already noted). As you say, the Prius has a strong brand identification already. The green credentials and MPG should be tag lines, like the iphone's "oh, and it also makes phone calls" tagline. There's no reason to hit people over the head with it. The rolling transcendence from winter to spring, and final arrival at the mountain top is over the top, IMHO. I posted a thread a while ago objecting to referring to the Prius as "iconic", because the word conjures religious overtones, and this commercial comes close to doing the same thing. Apparantly, I'm supposed to buy the Prius because it is my savior and will lead me to the promised land, or at least on a really good trip, provided I take some good drugs.

Now, the message. It says 3 of the things people think it needs to say. Good, so far. The problem is, the message gets lost in the images and music. You're kind of looking at the images, trying to figure out what this is and what it's supposed to be about, kind of bouncing along wtih the catchy tune, and then someone suddenly starts talking in one of those fake sincerity announcer voices, and you don't quite catch what they say because it sort of blends too smoothly with the rest of the audio. I actually had to listen 3 times to hear everything. Bad ears? I don't know. If you do hear the messages, you hear bland assertions that it has more power (really? how much? compared to what?), more room (really?, where?, how much?), and then a really difficult (badly worded) phrase about how you're being a socially good and moral person by emitting less smog something or other (?). Again, it is awkardly phrased and gets lost in the other images and audio anyway, but if you do hear it, it is heavy handed and sanctimonious, because it implies you are a bad, immoral person (not part of society) if you don't buy it. And then bam, we get hit again with another religious message at the end about how Prius is some sort of harmonizing confluence of man, machine and planet. Gag me. Most Americans are too cynical for this kind of heavy handed tag line, and you are preaching to the choir, instead of the unconverted.

I think this commercial fails to convey the new and improved message, and is just more visual noise coming out of the box. At best, not memorable or cool, and at worst, actually kind of cloying and annoying. I suppose it might reinforce the Prius green image or brand, but not in any useful way. That's not what you need right now.

The thing I hear most from other people (you know the "unconverted") is the old saw about how it doesn't pay for itself, and/or sometimes some of the ongoing myths about how it's dangerous or doesn't actually result in less pollution anyway. There's also still a perception that it is a small, economy car. In other words, they see it as having to sacrifice (the religious terms just keep coming!) too much money, for too little room, too little power, and too little other personal or social benefit. This commercial does not appeal to tech people, car people, or to guys in general. It does not counter any myths. It may even put off the soccer moms, because of the hippy dippy stuff.

The Yaris commercial is way better. It makes the car seem fun and cute, without bothering to get into the details. The Insight commercial succeeds in an Apple kind of way, by conveying that the car is fun, practical and kind of cool; and oh by the way cheap but still good for the environment - the hybrid for young people and the rest of us poor slobs that can't afford the mythical "hybrid premium".

IMHO, the Prius needs to attack with humorous and/or look what it can do kind of ads. My free suggestions -

1. More room. Great, show people actually stuffing outrageous things into it. We've had some funny and serious threads here about exactly that. You can even whip out the old stuffing the phonebooth with young sexy people routine.

2. More power. Great, show it powering off the line or up a mountain, with a race car driver or man on the street surprise at what it can do (maybe a little whiplash action, if you're trying to be funny). Repeat that stunt by those hotrod guys, where they race the Prius against another car. It shouldn't pretend to be a sports car, but it's possible to show it can now do anything any reasonable person would want it to do.

3. Tech Toys. Show off the gadgets in a way that people immediately get it, and say cool (need I say iphone again? ).

4. Green. Yeah, great, it's green. Try to think of a way to illustrate or state that, so that I can immediately understand the impact of 100 million people driving an 80% less polluting car.

5. Comfort. Man, hit this hard. It is now a no-compromise car with great seats, great stereo, great handling, and everything else you could possibly need or want in a car.

That's it for now, hope that was more helpful and constructive than last night's rant. I've got to go back to my real job now. I'd be happy to move into marketing though, for the right salary!

 

Phew! I got through it! Lots of good stuff in there! (Unfortunately I don't have time to respond in a datailed way)

The "Harmony" spot is only the tip of the iceberg for the campaign. The message is "the 3rd Generation Prius is here". That's it. Yes we threw in a couple product messages, but it was ok if they got lost. The ONLY thing we're really trying to do is convey that the new Prius is here.

Why one simple message? That's all you can convey with a 30 second spot. A LOT of people fast-forward through spots, or generally ignore commercials these days. So, you have to do two things, keep the message simple, and "breakthrough the clutter".

So this was our attempt to "breakthrough the clutter". You may find it tired or sappy. It's a piece of art, and like any art, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We are hopeful others will take note (and after seeing the ad numerous times), say to themselves, hmmmm, maybe I should check it out. (BTW, more ads with the same creative technique, but more specific messages, will come.)

There will be TONS more information out there on all the amazing benefits of the new Prius. You may not have seen the new Experience Site. Loads of info there for the person who is now energized enough to go look for more details. Stuff there is no way to shove into 30 seconds.

And check out more about the campaign itself here. There will be a lot of ways for people to "stumble" onto the new Prius without ever having seen a commercial.

Anyway, great discussion. I LOVE talking about Prius Marketing (and I get paid to do it!)

Doug Coleman
Prius Product Manager
Toyota Motor Sales, USA

 

The Experience Site has some nice content. I like the interactive features such as the aerodynamic drag and the Solar Roof demonstrations, it makes the technology easy to understand for the average consumer.

 

its an intro. too many changes to post in a single commercial anyway... have to establish that this Pri is new...hence the emphasis on the 3rd Gen

 

I think it's also fair to point out that Toyota is not necessarily targeting the Prius Chat main demo (older males...but not too old.)

This first ad is clearly trying to target older females since it first ran in "House" & "Castle," both programs get nice ratings in the W25-54 demo. The pretty colors, girly music, and dancing by the actors in the first ad just wasn't meant for most of us guys.

 

Excuse me, I resemble that remark! For what it's worth I've worked in marketing for a demographic's worth of years and thought it was an interesting intro spot. Definitely artsy, definitely 'green'. (Looking up the definition for Green and it says 'see Prius').

A friend of mine just bought a fancy new Lexus and was spouting off about all the features it had the other night at a party. I stood there and checked off all the boxes. All those high-end goodies are in the new Prius! When I said that everyone looked at me like I was nuts. To me - that's the news!

This ain't your granny's Prius! :cheer2:

 

Well the cinema guy is an artsy fartsy Japanese director, clearly influenced by anime. I guess this is supposed to be a live action version. Seemed kind of lame to me, but hey, as Doug said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As a communing, meditating hippie in a prior life, and one who took a heck of a lot of art history classes and watches a lot of foreign movies, you'd think I'd be more forgiving! Maybe I'm just jaded. I liked the exploding car on the website better.

The description of the campaign talks about taking their sunflower stations etc. to 6 large cities. I guess that's the only place they expect to sell a Prius, since their BS ad slogan just reeks of big city ad firm and pretentious malarkey. The good news is, the article makes it clear they are aware of the same concepts and ideas we've been espousing here.

One more thought: The Hybrid premium myth and Reliability - It seems to me that at least in the case of the 4 cylinder version hybrids, the hybrid premium myth can and should be exploded by pointing out the greater power (equivalent to buying a larger engine), the fewer mechanical parts, and the now proven greater reliability and resulting consumer satisfaction. I'd love to see Toyota tackle this myth head on. (Hint: think maytag repairmen and energizer bunnies). Heck, even if the myth is true, the premium is worth it, at least to the kool-aid drinking converts! :rockon:

 

Wow, it's interesting to here all these negative opinions about the new prius spot. I disagree with the majority of what people are saying, BTW I don't own a prius, I own a 92 celica (great car).

The prius is an icon, when anybody thinks of a hybrid they think of a prius, that is why the insight looks like a rip off of it (no doubt hyundai will soon make a "porias"). Honda is ripping off Toyota, with a cheaper, less good version just like the way kia and Hyundai copy everything Toyota and Honda do.

The prius is not a "hippy" car, I see a lot of prius' on the road and they are driven by all kinds of people. Besides which, both Toyota and Honda make many different hybrid vehicles, including Camrys, Highlander and civic. The prius was the trailblazer with the Hybrid Synergy Drive (as well as Hondas less well thought out and kind of ugly early version of the insight). But the technology it seems is being adopted across the line (NASCAR is now racing hybrids).

There IS a lot to be said about the Prius and how it is better than the insight, including the fact that the insights electrical engine is amazing in how inferior it is to the Prius.

I see a lot of car commercials and they are all the same, shiny, silvery, car going fast along some faceless road, some guy with a happy look on his face, blah blah.

The only car commercial that has stuck out with me in a while is the Tundra ad (which then got ripped off by Ford and Dodge).

At least the new prius ad is different, like it or hate it I don't see it getting tuned out like the majority of ads.

One more thing seeing as how there are people from Toyota posting here.

Pleeeease bring back the Celica!!

 

Oh yeah I should add, I actually went camping in the spot in Malibu where the insights commercial was (recognised it from the ad), saw dolphins there, nice beach, bit rocky.

 

To reach potential Prius buyers, Toyota is incorporating useful tools to improve their everyday lives. Harmony Installations will bring to life the idea of harmony between man, nature and machine in cities across America:


- Oversized solar flower sculptures will be placed in highly interactive areas such as public parks. These sculptures, which include free Wi-Fi access, will serve as seating environments and charging stations for people to recharge their spirits as well as their mobile phones and laptops.


- Solar ventilation bus shelters will demonstrate how solar panels on Prius’ available Solar Roof are designed to help cool the parked vehicle by providing a comfortable space for bus riders.


The flower sculptures and solar ventilation bus shelters will debut in early July and travel to a half-dozen large cities across the country over the summer and early fall. In addition, with Harmony “Floralscapes,†Prius will be “in full bloom†alongside select California highways, with living billboards made of flowers, a first in the U.S.


Toyota Reveals Third-Generation Prius Marketing Campaign: “Harmony Between Man, Nature And Machineâ€