social media helps toyota communicate complex attributes of new iq

8/12/2019 Social Media Helps Toyota Communicate Complex Attributes of New iQ

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2009, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction ProhibitedSeptember 9, 2009

2Cas Stuy: Socal Ma Hlps Toyota Communcat Complx Attbuts Of Nw Q

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Hypermiling was a hot topic at the time. Digital agency iCrossing, having spent some timelistening to the current automotive-related conversations online (leveraging its search agency

origins), suggested a strategy based on hypermiling the art o extracting as many miles per

gallon (mpg) rom a vehicle as possible. Tis content seemed to meet all criteria: a topic that

could be used to demonstrate the iQs unusually high mpg, while also being interesting and

engaging or influencers online.2O course, building an entire strategy based on a currently

trendy concept can be dangerous; however, oyotas own experiences and learning suggested

that the topic wasnt going to be a short-lived flash in the pan.

The Implementation: A Blog, Twitter, And Flickr Combined To Get The Message Out

Rather than concentrating on one specific social media channel, oyota and iCrossing realized that

to maximize impact and involvement, a combination o different channels used in concert would be

required.

Te official blog kicked the social media strategy off. Te Tis is iQblog, started in late 2008,and with editorial strategy created and led by iCrossing, served as the center o the social media

activity, hosting not only oyota content but linking to, and aggregating rom, other sources

around the Web, including a Flickr account and Delicious tags. Tis open attitude helped

iCrossing determine hypermiling as an interesting subject, having seen a number o discussions

appear organically on the blog and elsewhere on the topic.

Te hypermiling activity provided a content focus.wo members o iCrossings Content andMedia team attempted a 500-mile drive in an iQ around the UK, encompassing 18 cities, on a

single tank o petrol (see Figure 1). Along the way, they wrote about their progress on Tis is

iQ, posted witter updates every ew minutes, and uploaded several hundred photos to Flickr

(see Figure 2). Followers could also track their progress via a Google Maps mashup, which

plotted their location using a GPS signal rom an iPhone. By combining channels in this way,

oyota would maximize its reach, while providing users with an in-depth, engaging view o the

activities in both pictures and text (see Figure 3).

Tird-party blogs and news outlets gave the story legs. Blogs with authority in theautomotive/environmental space, such as reeHugger.comandAutoblog, were quick to pick

the story up, ofen including not only commentary but pictures rom the Flickr site and direct

encouragement to click through to the official blog.3TeAutopiablog rom Wired.com also

eatured the drive, with the compliment that It doesnt eel like it was scripted by suits.4


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Figure 1Th Toyota Q Blog Sv As Th Hub Fo Th Hypmlng Attmpt

Source: Forrester Research, Inc.55135

Source: Toyota Web site


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Figure 2Frequent Tweets Gave Users A Direct Connection To The Drivers


Source: Twitter Web site


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Figure 3Huns Of Photos On Flck Kpt Follows Upat


Source: flickr Web site

BEST PRACTICE RESULTS: WIDE REACH AND THIRDPARTY TRAFFIC GROWTHTe attempt succeeded, with the iQ recording an average mpg o 71.6. According to oyota, while

the metrics used need evolving, the event met all the strategic requirements and ormed an

invaluable platorm or urther activity.

Goals were met with 60-plus blog reports and 200% traffic increase. Te hypermiling activitywas picked up and commented on by 64 blogs, with a potential reach o more than 100 million


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Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) is an independent research company that provides pragmatic and forward-thinking advice to global leaders in businessand technology. Forrester works with professionals in 20 key roles at major companies providing proprietary research, customer insight, consulting, events, andpeer-to-peer executive programs. For more than 26 years, Forrester has been making IT, marketing, and te chnology industry le aders successful every day. Formore information, visit www.forrester.com.

2009, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. Information is based on best available resources. Opinionsreflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. Forrester, Technographics, Forrester Wave, RoleView, TechRadar, and Total Economic Impact are

trademarks of Forrester Research, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. To purchase reprints of this document, please [email protected] additional information, go to www.forrester.com. 55135

Focus closely on the benefits social media achieves that other media cant. Jumpng ntosocial media strategy shouldnt be the default just because I can or because my competitor

os. H, socal ma fulll spcc goals talkng to consums about complxsubjects and energizing reputable bloggers to spread the word goals that would be hard

to reach in other channels. Always ensure that your social media efforts have a clear goal in

mind, a goal that social media can meet better than any other channel, and think from the

beginning about how you are going to measure your steps toward that goal.

Combine social media channels to increase engagement. By usng Twtt an Flck aswell as a blog, Toyota and iCrossing ensured that visitors had access to multiple types of

information about the drive and several reasons to keep returning to the content such as to

see the latest updates and pictures. The Twitter feed encouraged direct interaction with the

vs, an thos who lv on th out coul cognz lanmaks o vn go say hllo. By

usng vaous channls cafully, ntactv makts can xtact mo valu fom a socal

media campaign and have access to a wider variety of metrics to track success.

ENDNOTES

1 Some o the online advertising or the iQ can be seen at the oyota Web site. Source: oyota (http://www.

toyota.co.uk/iq).

2 More inormation on agency iCrossing can be ound on its Web site. Source: iCrossing (www.icrossing.

co.uk ).

3 See the relevant blog posts at Autoblog Green and reeHugger.com. Source: Jeremy Korzeniewski, oyota

increases its iQ with hypermiling stunt,Autoblog Green, January 29, 2009 (http://www.autobloggreen.

com/2009/01/29/toyota-increases-its-iq-with-hypermiling-stunt/) and Michael Graham Richard, oyota

iQ Hypermiling Challenge: 18 Cities on a ank o Fuel, 59.42 MPG, reeHugger.com, January 29, 2009

(http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/toyota-iq-hypermiling-challenge-uk-59-mpg.php).

4 See the ull post at the Wired.com Web site. Source: Keith Barry, oyota Shows Its Hypermiling iQ,

Autopia, January 29, 2009 (http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/01/toyota-shows-o/).

5 More inormation about the Prius drive can be ound on the oyota blog. Source: Melissa Coulton, Te

uture development o oday / omorrow, oday / omorrow(http://blog.toyota.co.uk) and on the witter

stream oyota_UK_Prius.

6 Marketers are using listening platorms to keep up with the rapidly evolving world o online discussions.

But a crowded and immature marketplace with many conusing messages makes selecting the rightlistening platorm challenging. o help, Forrester has identified five questions that marketers must answer

to narrow the selection process. Marketers must: 1) define listening objectives; 2) evaluate the vendors

source coverage; 3) understand underlying technology; 4) determine financial and human investment; and

5) assess organizational readiness. See the May 5, 2009, How o Chose A Listening Platorm report.
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social media helps toyota communicate complex attributes of new iq

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