AdSpotting: Toyota ready to kick off Camry campaign, are you?

Company: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.

Brand: Toyota

Medium: TV

Ad Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, LA

Product: Toyota Camry

Campaign: It's Ready. Are You?

What We Like: What makes the Camry the right car for so many families is its overall competence in all aspects of everyday driving, and this advertisement does a good job of reminding consumers that the 2012 Camry has all the bells and whistles you could want while also managing to be safe (10 airbags) and efficient (43 miles per gallon for the hybrid).

There's a techy side to the ad, but it's not full of techno-babble and it comes across in an easy manner. Plus, the pooch at the end adds just the right amount of levity.

What We Don't Like: Not much. The ad hits all the major points Toyota wants to put into the minds of consumers, and does so in a clever way. As enthusiasts, we always love to see great driving footage and ad copy that focuses on the actual act of piloting a car, but that's really not what the Camry – and indeed most of this entire automotive segment – is all about.

Strategy: There isn't a single model that Toyota sells in the United States that's more crucial to its success than the mid-size Camry sedan. This car, along with the Corolla, is the machine that Toyota's stellar reputation for quality and reliability was built on.

Toyota needs to get the message out that the Camry is all new while also reminding everyone how great past Camry models have been for the car's intended segment, and it's hoping to do that with a campaign that stretches from radio and television to billboards and print media and straight on through to social networking. The company will also be putting on 125 events all around the country to put drivers in the seat of its latest Camry.

None of that even touches on all the bad press Toyota has gotten in the past few years for recalls and supposed safety concerns, and Toyota certainly wants to forget all about the dark days of its past. This campaign will look to put Toyota in a positive light again and the 2012 Camry is the car that will lead Toyota's hoped-for sales resurgence. For more on its overall strategy, hit the jump for a complete press release... but feel free to watch the video first.

Grade: A

Watch the ad after the jump and give it your own grade below.





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Toyota Announces Marketing Campaign for the Reinvented 2012 Camry

'It's Ready. Are You?' Touts Vehicle Innovation and Performance


TORRANCE, Calif. (October 17, 2011) – Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. today announced the official launch of its marketing campaign for the all-new 2012 Camry: "It's Ready. Are You?" The campaign demonstrates how the seventh-generation model addresses changes in consumers' vehicle needs, expectations and driving habits through the combination of new innovations and improvements to interior and exterior styling.

Camry has built a legacy of success, establishing itself as America's best-selling car for nine years running and 13 of the past 14 years. Leveraging nearly 30 years of Camry innovation and know-how, Toyota has created its most technologically advanced Camry ever-a car that keeps up with American drivers' 21st century lifestyle. The 2012 Camry debuts a bold, sophisticated new design with a more spacious and refined interior, improved driving dynamics, class-leading fuel economy and a level of safety features unmatched in the segment. The 2012 Camry is among the first Toyota vehicles to offer the award-winning in-car experience, Entune™. Owners will be able to download a collection of popular mobile applications and data services via touch screen or voice command. Applications include Bing™, IHeartRadio, MovieTickets.com, OpenTable® and Pandora®.

"When building the best-selling car in America-a car with nearly seven million vehicles on the road today-you learn about what people want and expect from their cars," said Bill Fay, group vice president of marketing for Toyota. "We recognized the need to give Americans a smart, safe and worry-free vehicle they can rely on, and our marketing campaign communicates this message."

Understanding that today's drivers want the complete package, the "It's Ready. Are You?" campaign, created by Toyota's advertising agency of record, Saatchi & Saatchi LA, touts the reinvented Camry's class-leading innovations in safety, efficiency and intuitive mobile media technology. Campaign messaging focuses on performance, innovation, safety and MPG, showcasing key product features and packaging.

Broadcast
The fully integrated campaign includes six TV spots, launching with "Built" during NBC Sunday Night Football. The spots will air during several top-rated and high-profile programs such as Two and a Half Men, AFC/NFC Football and the World Series. Broadcast momentum continues into next year with two spots in the Super Bowl and the Toyota Halftime Report.

Print & Digital
Camry will have a significant presence in print outlets, appearing in publications such as TIME, Oprah, People and Business Week. Toyota will continue its ongoing partnership with TIME Person of the Year through print, digital and tablet placements. Camry will also be part of Toyota's Sporting News tablet integration, exclusively appearing in the NFL, NASCAR and MLB sections. The 2012 model will also be supported by digital media, including banner ads, rich media units, homepage takeovers and gaming integrations.
In a nod to Camry's racing heritage, sporty performance videos starring NASCAR driver of the #18 Toyota Camry, Kyle Busch, will be available on the Toyota USA YouTube channel and Toyota.com.

Social Media
In September, Toyota introduced the "Camry Effect" (http://www.toyota.com/camryeffect), an initiative to connect the nearly seven million Camry drivers in the United States through an intuitive, interactive, online experience. For nearly 30 years, Camry has been a part of many Americans' best memories-first dates, road trips, soccer games, interviews and college days. The Camry Effect provides past and present Camry owners a platform where they can share these stories, moments, memories and milestones while witnessing the collective "Effect" they have.

Fully social, the site connects people with other Camry comrades and allows them to invite friends, tweet their Effect or post their progress on Facebook. As each Effect grows and becomes more personal, visitors can see the true power in numbers behind the Camry Effect and gain a better understanding of how one car connects millions of people. An experience that continues to grow with each new Camry moment detailed, this dynamic, interactive initiative is a fresh way to tell a 30-year heritage story through the people who've lived it.

Out of Home
Outdoor boards will drive awareness of specific vehicle attributes such as fuel efficiency and blind spot monitoring. Additionally, digital billboards featuring Camry imagery will run atop the Walgreens building in Times Square to spark the public's interest and build intrigue for the 2012 model.

Consumer Experiences
Beginning in November, consumers will have the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the 2012 Camry at over 125 events through March 2012. The Toyota Drive Center national ride and drive tour, along with activations at select Life Time Fitness locations across the country, will give the public a chance to experience the vehicle firsthand.

Diversity Marketing
Diversity marketing will continue to be an important component of the product launch and sustainment for Toyota, the top-selling automotive brand for African American, Hispanic and Asian consumers. To maintain that leadership, Toyota has developed tailored campaigns with its multicultural agencies of record, Burrell, Conill and interTrend to highlight the key attributes of the Camry for the African American, Hispanic and Asian American markets, respectively.

For more information on the reinvented 2012 Camry, visit www.toyota.com/camry.

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