Get ready to see more Priuses at the pump in your neighborhood this summer
2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery
The third generation Toyota Prius is just ramping up its marketing mojo, and one place you'll see plenty of the gold standard hybrid is at the gas pump. Toyota is hooking up with Gas Station TV to present "Prius Neighborhood" television program to the over 1 million unique
Prius Neighborhood is the latest effort to intertwine social media with traditional communication tools. Anyone can submit grassroots and community events via the GSTV website, and select events will actually appear at the pump, sandwiched between ads for the 50 mpg hybrid.
Those interested in following events on Prius Neighborhood can do so on Facebook, as well as Twitter at @GSTVevents. The site contains a calender of charity and community events searchable by zip code, and some of the events will be chosen for airing. GSTV airs in over 1,000 gas stations in the US, hitting 22 of the 25 top markets. Hit the jump to view the official press release after the jump.
Gallery: 2010 Toyota Prius
[Source: IT News Online]
PRESS RELEASE:
New Localized Digital Television Program Encourages Gas Station TV's
One Million Daily Viewers to Post and Broadcast Their Grassroots and
Community-Driven Events
LOS ANGELES, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Gas Station TV and Toyota Motor
Sales, U.S.A., Inc., today announced the launch of "Prius
Neighborhood," a first-of-its-kind TV program on Gas Station TV. The
community relations program broadcasts consumer-generated local events
and cause listings on at-the-pump screens while informing viewers about
the new 2010 third-generation Prius. "Prius Neighborhood" starts airing
today.
It is easy for people to submit their local event details for potential
airing on Gas Station TV. The Prius Neighborhood daily segments direct
people to http://event.gstv.com. Once the local event information is
submitted to the Web site, it is reviewed and built into the local
events listing rotation at the pump and becomes searchable by zip code
on the web site.
Through the campaign's social media community integration, the events
are posted to corresponding regional Twitter pages @GSTVevents, giving
local drivers yet another channel to find out about local events. In
addition, Facebook users can become fans of Prius Neighborhood, post
new events, view posted events, interact with others and link to the
event submission page through a custom-developed Prius Neighborhood
application which can be added as a tab on users' profiles.
"Our Prius customers are very involved in their communities," said Kim
McCullough, corporate manager of marketing communications for Toyota.
"For the launch of the third-generation Prius, we wanted to give them
an innovative tool to help promote the philanthropic and community
events they're passionate about."
The Prius Neighborhood 30-second TV segments and consumer-generated
local event segments will be watched by more than one million unique
drivers a day. Complementing the Prius Neighborhood content segment,
Toyota will run 15-second Prius spots and other Prius content.
"This is one of the first demonstrations of the next generation of
social media marketing campaigns - a TV/social media hybrid," said
David Leider, CEO of Gas Station TV parent company Destination Media.
"Today, social media is limited to reaching you via your PC or your
Smartphone - essentially, 'computer to computer.' GSTV's proprietary
Neighborhood platform is a game changer because it shifts and expands
the flow of dialogue, enabling people to now inform TV content -
'computer to TV.'"
Prius Neighborhood on Gas Station TV is part of Toyota's integrated
marketing campaign for the third-generation Prius, which began last
month. The integrated campaign developed by Saatchi & Saatchi LA
reaches consumers where they live with real-world installations, deep
social networking and digital programs, and traditional media.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Aznauto 6:04PM (6/16/2009)
Not a surprise Toyota knows the Big 3 can't offer anything as good the Prius for a while. So by making it the focus of their marketing campaign they can bring in customers to the showroom and ramp up their sales at the expense of GM/Chrysler which have cut back on their outlets.
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Jason 6:12PM (6/16/2009)
Personally I'd take one of the new Fusion hybrids over a Prius any day.
Or a Jetta Sportwagen TDI for that matter.
Redeemed 7:01PM (6/16/2009)
I would never consider a Prius because it's little more than a status symbol for the eco-elite. If you strip away the "green" hype around it you have a boring, uninspired, econo box that is about as exciting to drive as watching paint dry. It has terrible interior and driving dynamics.
Being fuel efficient doesn't mean you are stuck with boring. There are much better choices including the Jetta TDI, Fusion Hybrid, and Civic Hybrid. All are much better cars. I would even consider the Insight, not that it's really any better, but because it isn't a Prius.
Jei 8:31PM (6/16/2009)
If the Prius saves as much gas as advertised, wouldn't we not see as many Prius' at the gas stations?
Instead, we'd see more of them on the roads.
d4rez 9:15PM (6/16/2009)
Despite protestations to the contrary from commenters here, the Fusion hybrid won't take sales from the Prius. It's just worse at what it does, end of story. You should also drop the spurious claims about the Prius damaging the environment or being more harmful than SUV's. Be honest with yourselves here, Detroit is playing catch up, it doesn't reflect badly on your country and shouldn't harm your patriotic pride. Ford and others chose to adopt a market-led strategy and this is the consequence; they are behind in the green car segment.
Luis 11:13PM (6/16/2009)
redeemed: yes, 50mpg on regular gas is just a status symbol. the most tech you can get in a sub-$30k car is just for status.
But a 300hp + muscle car isn't about status.
A huge SUV with leather and a soft ride and lots of "bling" isn't about status.
A Ford Fusion with huge chrome "look at me" grilles aren't status symbols.
You don't know what you're talking about.
tuxchown 12:34AM (6/17/2009)
I'm just glad for the warning about the Medusan cars. I'll need to get a pair of these to be safe:
http://www.thepostcard.com/walt/show/sta492.gif
Redeemed 12:03PM (6/17/2009)
"But a 300hp + muscle car isn't about status.
A huge SUV with leather and a soft ride and lots of "bling" isn't about status.
A Ford Fusion with huge chrome "look at me" grilles aren't status symbols."
You point the finger at me and yet your comments do not even address what I'm saying. Where do I say not to buy a Prius and get a Camaro instead? What does a vehicles grill have to do with the comments I make about uninspired, boring driving?
You are just throwing out random statements that don't go anywhere, let alone address the points I make.
ed 6:07PM (6/16/2009)
Just saw one today, it's not as ugly as it seems in pictures it's actually ok, but I would rather have a Fusion Hybrid.
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Jared 6:20PM (6/16/2009)
pft....i think the new fusion will sell a helluva lot better. plus it looks better.
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Gator 7:10PM (6/16/2009)
It definitely looks better, and it might even be better, but I doubt it'll sell better
Jared 7:16PM (6/16/2009)
@ gator: well time will tell i guess. =)
fixitfixitstop 9:52PM (6/16/2009)
The Fusion is priced way too high to sell better than the Prius.
a 6:28PM (6/16/2009)
saw a new one almost two weeks ago.
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gerrrg 6:43PM (6/16/2009)
The 2010 Prius gets 22% better fuel efficiency over the Fusion Hybrid.
At $28,000, the Fusion Hybrid is also 27% more expensive than the 2010 Prius.
You can have your Fusion.
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Bill E 7:01PM (6/16/2009)
Exactly, they are different vehicles. I would prefer a Prius any day over a Fusion.
Dan 7:26PM (6/16/2009)
To get the same amount of equipment on a Prius then you would a Fusion, you would be paying around the some amount. It might get a bit more on MPG. BUT you will #1 be driving a Prius #2 have a smaller car. #3 have a much less powerful car, #4 not be supporting a great American Company that was honest with most of their business practices. #4 will fall for all Toyota marketing scams on the "green" prius #5 Most likely end up paying more for the Prius anyway due to demand.
6 months ago I financed a prius for one of my Members. (I work at a Credit Union) and He financed 32K for the damn ugly eco box. He came back to me a couple months later raving about how much he is saving on gas. I kinda got irritated and proceeded to tell him that my 15000.00 dollar car that I put 5K down on and gets 17-19 MPG on Premium fuel saves me much more money then his beloved Prius. Plus I look good in mine and it is actually fun to drive. I wasnt mean about it. I wanted him to think about what he was saying. He didnt buy a Lexus. He bought a small ECO box with Leather Nav and HID headlights for a little over 32K
gerrrg 8:03PM (6/16/2009)
@Dan
-The Ford Fusion Hybrid's interior dimensions including head room are nearly the same except for width of seating, so I guess if you're W I D E, the Fusion is a better choice.
-But the Prius has double the luggage capacity, a 3' shorter turning radius, and is categorized as a mid-sized vehicle, albeit 15" shorter than the Fusion but with a similar wheel base.
-The base Fusion Hybrid does not come with leather or navigation standard. So you're still not comparing apples to apples in price (Prius is still cheaper).
-With the Fusion, you trade power for economy in fuel. I dunno, but I thought the point of buying a hybrid, as you pointed out, is to save money. Getting the Fusion seems even MORE counter-intuitive to your point of how much money you'd save.
-The 0-60 10.5 seconds for the Prius won't win any awards, but most of the people buying the Prius aren't looking to burn rubber, either. That's why there's the White Zombie, all-electric Datsun.
-Oh, the Prius' top model does have something unavailable on the Fusion Hybrid: LED headlights.
Dan 8:44PM (6/16/2009)
@gerrrg
Regardless. the Fusion is still more roomy and still seems to be the better deal imo. Now I doubt that the MSRPs on the Prius will be what people pay for them. They will probably be inflated a bit more.
It is beyond Me why anyone would pay this much for a car that gets good gas milage. Buy a Yarus that is a lot cheaper and still gets great MPG. To me the Prius does not make economical sense.
Also, If you get the Cheaper Prius you are paying 22k for a small eco box with not very much options. Why? Again, buy a Yarus.
Trent 7:25PM (6/16/2009)
I too would take a Fusion.
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