Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Toyota changes slogan, targets ethnic groups

By Ed Garsten / The Detroit News


Toyota is reforging its longtime T logo to resemble a bolt. It hopes to increase sales in growing product segments, such as pickups.


DEARBORN - Toyota Motor Co., already on a roll in the United States, hopes to connect with a wider swath of consumers with a new ad campaign that begins today.

The Japanese automaker's 3-year-old catchphrase "Get the Feeling" has been replaced with "Moving Forward." And to beef up its truck marketing, it's reforging its longtime T logo to resemble a bolt.

Toyota hopes to grab 15 percent of the global auto market by 2010, up from 10 percent now.

To reach the goal, it needs to boost sales 50 percent and improve customer satisfaction with dealers in the United States, its biggest market.

The new ad campaign also will target ethnic groups with commercials broadcast in Spanish and Chinese in several markets. Other commercials will be aimed at African-American consumers.

For the Hispanic market, the ads will incorporate "Avanza Confiado," which means "Moving forward with confidence." The Chinese ads will use a phrase that translates to "Moving forward and pursuing your dreams."

Jim Lentz, group vice president for Toyota's marketing arm, said the change comes on orders from Toyota President Fujio Cho, who said last month in Traverse City that the automaker must continually re-invent itself to stay competitive.

"The best way we know to achieve that is to look at what our customers need and make changes that meet their goals," Lentz said.

The change in advertising comes as Toyota strives to attract younger consumers and increase sales in growing product segments, such as sport utility vehicles and pickups.

The new commercials make their debut tonight during network television programming.

Toyota sales are up 8.8 percent this year.

"There's no question there are a lot more folks they can tap," said Mike Wall, analyst with CSM Worldwide in Farmington Hills.

Lentz refused to say how much the company is spending on the new campaign.

Past slogans have included "Oh, What a Feeling!" which debuted in 1980, and "I love what you do for me," which was used in the 1990s.



source HERE

 

Don't know...I kinda like the current one more.

 

Is this new "bolt" logo for the entire line or just the truck side? This seems a bit odd that they would change their longtime symbol. It's not like it requires an update.

 

Toyota Introduces Its New Brand Message -- "Moving Forward" to Meet Customers' Goals



09/28/2004 Torrance, CA




Toyota shares an important goal with customers - the desire to continuously work to get more out of life. The spirit of "there's no best...only better" is captured in Toyota's new brand message, "Moving Forward." "Moving Forward" will debut to the public on Tuesday, September 28 with commercials during evening network television programming and will be rolled out as a motivational theme for dealers and Toyota employees.

"This is an important step for our brand," said Jim Lentz, group vice president of Toyota marketing. "'Moving Forward' means that we have a passion for innovation and discovery and that we're never standing still. As a result, we're designing and building cars and trucks that help our customers achieve their goals."

The new brand will be showcased in a dedicated television commercial and will be used for model-specific spots, as well. In various spots, the theme will reflect a Camry buyer moving across the country, a Tundra Double-Cab buyer motivated to imagine the possibilities with more horsepower, or a Tacoma buyer looking for an even bigger and unbreakable truck for great adventures with buddies.

The strategy of "Moving Forward" was developed through a year-long research process with Toyota's advertising agency partners, with Saatchi & Saatchi (General Market) taking the lead in partnership with Conill (Hispanic), Burrell (African American) and interTrend (Asian).

"Moving Forward" is a new communication strategy that allows for inspirational advertising that taps into fundamental human values. This spirit will be integrated into all the agencies' advertising, but the phrase will be modified to reflect the individual cultural values of the Hispanic and Chinese markets. For the Hispanic market, Toyota's ads will incorporate "Avanza Confiado," which means "Moving Forward with confidence." The Chinese ads will use a phrase that translates to "Moving Forward and pursuing your dreams."

Additionally, to emphasize the heritage and capability of Toyota's family of trucks, the Tundra and Tacoma pick-up trucks and the 4Runner sport utility vehicle, will receive a new family signature. While truck commercials also will fall under the "Moving Forward" banner, a different ending has been developed using metallic graphics and distinct sounds. The new audio tone and visual attitude signal the nature of Toyota trucks - rugged and capable.

The truck commercials will be narrated by actor John Lurie while Toyota's car commercials will feature actor Rob Morrow, best known for his role as the doctor in the television show Northern Exposure. Lurie's voice has the bold, tough, rugged and confident qualities Toyota wants associated with its trucks while Morrow's voice seems to resonate with many people for its energy, honesty and humility.

In addition to using "Moving Forward" for customers, Toyota will engage dealers and associates, as well. The new brand message is consistent with Toyota's dedication to kaizen, or continuous improvement. Dealers and employees will be encouraged to continuously look at how they can be "Moving Forward" to help offer more to Toyota customers.

"'Moving Forward' is much more than a tag line to us," said Lentz. "It's an opportunity to inspire everyone within the company, as well as appeal to our customers, to celebrate their next stage in life. Choose any direction, as long as it's forward."

 

i say change all you want, but leave the logo the same... remember the fiasco with "New Coke"???? leave well enough alone... dont go F'in up a good thing.

 

I agree with you. But we find that sometimes this sort of arbitrary marketing maneuver actually works.

"Make 7-UP yours" - for instance. The product didn't really change ... but people went buck wild on 7-up for a little while at least.

M.

 

If Toyota is smart, they'll keep the current "T" on the trucks & SUVs grilles & tailgates, but incorporate the new "T" with the model name. Or maybe have the new "T" on the sides of the trucks & SUVs (front quarter panel or on the C-pillar). Sounds like a good idea!

PS - Sort of like how Jeep is doing w/ the trail rated logo??

 

Toyota Introduces New US Advertising Tag Line

The Toyota brand is changing its U.S. advertising tag line to "Let's Go Places," replacing "Moving Forward," its slogan since 2004.

At Toyota's national dealer meeting today in Las Vegas, Toyota Motor President Akio Toyoda said the new tag line reflects the company's commitment to more exciting products, and a promise to invite customers to take part in shaping Toyota's future.

The announcement follows the division's 31 percent U.S. sales gain through August and three years of battling recession, recalls and natural disasters.

The tag line will be introduced into Toyota advertising on Dec. 31, as part of the launch for the redesigned 2013 Avalon full-sized sedan.

"It is energetic, aspirational, inclusive and very versatile," Bill Fay, Toyota Division general manager, said in a statement. "The phrase conveys a dual meaning of physically going places and taking off on an adventure, while also expressing optimism and the promise of exciting innovation that enriches people's lives."

Toyota worked with advertising partners Saatchi & Saatchi, Dentsu America, Conill, Burrell, Intertrend and Grieco Research to create the tag line.

Other past Toyota tag lines include: "You asked for it. You got it" from 1975 to 1979; "Who could ask for anything more?" from 1986 to 1990; and "Toyota. Everyday," which used the Sly and the Family Stone song "Everyday People," from 1997 to 2001. Still, people mostly recall the 1980-86 slogan, "Oh, What A Feeling," showing owners jumping for joy about their purchases.

Beginning in 2013, "Let's Go Places" will be used in Toyota's national and regional advertising, engagement, communications and digital marketing. Toyota Division and its Scion youth brand will introduce 7 new or redesigned vehicles in 2013.

 

I remember the slogan "I love what you do for me, Toyota!" That one must have ran from 1990 to 1997, as after that I remember the Everyday People ad.

 

My dad hated the "I love what you do for me" slogan.

He said it sounded racy and vulgar.

 

Not a good analogy. Here we're talking about the graphic identity - the logo. Logos evolve all the time. There are precious few that truly stand the test of time. Really, Toyota's logo is not all that iconic to begin with. New Coke was an actual product and it changed the taste of what customers have long held as sacred. But the coke logo has changed many times over the years.

But Toyota is very smart to realize that ethnic groups (no longer minorities but a growing majority) represent specific markets which should be targeted with individual messages.

 

Hope you realize the posts about ethnic groups and logos is 8 years old. Probably shouldn't have dug up this old thread for the new post....

 

ZOWIE! Anyway, the points are still valid... probably even more so 8 years on.

 

That "Oh, What a Feeling" slogan from the early 1980s, showing people jumping up and down and dancing, which was often featured in TV ads (I can remember them), was not necessarily just ad-hype. Back then, when you looked at the way domestic vehicles (and some cleaper Euro-brands as well) were assembled and engineered, with the designers and the UAW people at the plants only doing half of their jobs, and then compared that to the tight and generally high-quality that the average Japanese-designed car came with, when you bought a brand-new Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Nissan/Datsun, etc......, you often did have a nice feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment. Now, that's not to say that Japanese cars, back then, did not have at least some problems (rust, low power, carburator-related starting/drivability problems, etc...). But, in general, you got a vehicle that showed more reliability and a lot more care in assembly than you did from Detroit and/or some European makes....VWs, in particular, also had problems.

 

Moving Forward should have been dropped immediately following the recall bullcrap. Can't believe they held it that long.