Toyota has become the first vehicle manufacturer to take its marketing to the HSN television retailer, formerly known as the Home Shopping Network. The network has been running for more than 30 years, and is better known for selling the likes of jewellery, kitchen appliances, home good, etc.
A one-hour ‘Discover Toyota’ showcase aired in three separate blocks on Sunday, 7 October, at 12:00pm, 4:00pm and 9:00pm, highlighting the 2013 Avalon Hybrid. The spot also featured Toyota’s other hybrid models, including the Prius Family, Camry Hybrid and Highlander Hybrid. Auto experts Micah Muzio of KBB.com and Tara Weingarten of Vroomgirls.com joined HSN’s hosts Marlo Smith and Brett Chuckerman to offer viewers an inside look at the eco-friendly models.
While Toyota was unable to directly sell its vehicles on HSN, in part because of state dealer franchise laws, it used the slot to provide an explanation into the technology, which still confuses many buyers. HSN’s audience is overwhelmingly female, at about 90%, a demographic that has traditionally expressed dislike of the traditional dealership visit.
As part of the advert, Toyota extended an exclusive offer to HSN viewers to register, either by calling HSN or visiting a Toyota/HSN custom site, to receive a US$1,000 fuel card or HSN Kash upon purchasing a Toyota hybrid in the next 90 days.
The new marketing venture seems to have successfully sparked customer interest.
“HSN has a really loyal and engaged base of viewers, so it was a natural partner to help us expose our growing line-up of hybrids to people across the country,” said Ed Laukes, Vice President of marketing communications and motorsports at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. “We got such an enthusiastic response from HSN’s viewers and fans, so we’ll continue to push the envelope on how we help people discover Toyota.”
Toyota received more requests for product information within the first hour than they had expected for the entire day, USA Today cites Toyota spokesman Steve Curtis as stating.
Toyota was the first to market with a mass market hybrid when the Prius launched in Japan in 1997. Although it has since been joined by numerous competitors, the company has retained its lead on the segment and the Prius name in particular carries enormous brand clout. The OEM now claims to account for nearly 75% of all hybrids in the US. Toyota recently announced plans to launch 21 new hybrid vehicles models between now and the end of 2015. Toyota expects the global hybrid market to easily exceed 1 million units this year.
Ford is also trying a new, more whimsical approach with its hybrid marketing. The new C-Max Hybrid ad campaign, directly targeted at the Toyota Prius v, features the ‘La Linea’ animated character from the Italian children’s series.
