2015 Winners & Shortlists

@SOCIALYARIS

BrandTOYOTA
Product/ServiceYARIS
EntrantGMASCO Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryUse of social in a promotional campaign
Entrant Company GMASCO Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Advertising Agency GMASCO Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production Company PIXEL PLUS MEDIA Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The Brief

We were tasked with the launch of the all-new 2014 Toyota Yaris with its big and bold features. Our challenge was far from easy: breaking new ground with a fresh new target: the socially driven millennials on the move. We had to change the car’s perception from being seen as the ‘basic’ entry level Toyota to the coolest ‘talk of the town’, with its all-new stylish look. It meant igniting a social conversation would connect with our target emotionally and personally. So we found a unique activation platform to enable the Yaris to ‘talk’ with our prospects directly.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

The most important expected outcome of our social experiment for the Yaris was to not only create awareness of its big and bold features, but to start a social dialogue. Our activation demanded that we position the car with a bold human like personality. By fitting hidden cameras and sensors around it, we got the Yaris to speak and tweet, bringing it to life and giving it a voice in the real world. To gain relevant traction, we took the Yaris outside the showroom and into the midst of where our target hung out frequently: universities and malls.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

The Social Yaris experiment attracted 15,427 new fans on Toyota UAE’s Facebook Page (with a 2.12% Facebook CTR). There were 2.4 million impressions across Facebook and Twitter. 13,202 interactions recorded across all social media channels (likes/shares/posts in total). But the best result? 2,272 test-drives were requested, proving that our social conversation had clearly gathered momentum!

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

A large part of this activation was focused around creating a social media identity for the @SocialYaris. The one way to connect the ‘coolness’ of the Yaris to our vibrant target was to speak their language. Fitted with hidden cameras and sensors throughout, we were able to bring it to life: whenever a person passed by or interacted with the Yaris, it spoke to them directly while capturing their reaction in the process. Simultaneously, the photo and conversation were shared back through social media channels: even on the Yaris’ own Twitter page!

Credits

Name Company Role
Anish Pandit Gmasco General Manager E/Business
Shaun Dean Thomas GMASCO Creative Director
Kate Hunton Gmasco Account Manager
Jayne Marar/Cherry Koshy Gmasco Copywriter
Abdul Basit Gmasco Account Director
Jan Stoop GMASCO Art Director
Chandan Nandrajog Gmasco Digital Art Director
Lyda Camargo GMASCO Account Manager
Niket Fernandez Gmasco Acount Executive
Jose Garcellano Pixel Plus Production Company