Torrance, CA - Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) and Conill are turning heads and changing perceptions this summer for the launch of the 2009 Toyota Camry with the extension of the award-winning "Camry-ality" integrated marketing campaign breaking this week with two 30-second commercials across several networks.
The underlying theme of the effort, "It's never too late to change your mind," features consumers reversing their perceptions about the power and performance of Toyota's flagship Camry, the number-one vehicle in its class. Print and interactive advertising and a Camry microsite will roll out in September.
"During focus groups with Hispanic consumers, we learned that their impressions of Camry's performance lagged behind those of its stellar design and innovation," said Conill Creative Director Pablo Buffagni. "We felt the best way to show off the newly improved vehicle would be to have people experience it for themselves, in essence, making reality their new perception."
Conill went back to consumer research sessions and identified individuals whose feedback about Camry's power and performance were reflective of others in the groups. These individuals were then approached at their homes, reminded of their comments and asked if they would like go for a test ride in the new vehicle. The passengers were taken for a leisurely ride to a racetrack, where a helmeted professional replaced the driver and pushed the vehicle to its real performance potential.
Hidden and strategically placed cameras inside and outside of the vehicle documented the candid reactions of the passengers, who upon exiting had an entirely new perception of the Camry. In one execution, the passenger admits, "instead of saying 'the Camry is a turtle,' I should have said 'the Toyota Camry is a turbo turtle.'"
"The Camry-ality campaign speaks to Latino social climbers who are constantly evolving and want upscale products to reflect that aspect of their lives," said Dionne Colvin, National Advertising Strategy Planning Manager for Toyota. "Their cars are "social currency" and we wanted to show how Camry's muscular looks and true performance capabilities can fulfill those aspirations."
The print and interactive advertising will feature more consumer "retractions" and highlight Camry's improved power and performance. In addition to detailed product information, the microsite will make all of the campaign creative, three online-only spots and a bloopers video available to consumers. An engaging viral component will give site visitors the ability to send humorous e-mail messages to friends that invite them to retract something they were mistaken about.
Since launching to support the redesigned 2006 Camry, the Camry-ality campaign has won several creative awards and catapulted Camry into segment leadership. It was named "Best Hispanic Campaign" in 2007 by Adweek's Marketing Y Medios.