No Toyota Prius Commercials

[thecaretaker]

Apart from a US superbowl commercial, I've not seen a single advert for the Gen4 Prius and was wondering what Toyota's reasoning for this might be.

There were some fantastic TV ads for previous Prius models sporting its green credentials, but nothing at all for the new Prius.

I'm sure some of you will say the car sells itself. However, if you look at the Auris Hybrid, every opportunity to sponsor an ITV movie has been taken. Then there is the ad for the C-HR Hybrid (the one I thought was an advert for sun glasses until we get a glimpse of the car at the end of the ad lol).

Maybe they don't want to affect sales of the British built Hybrids by advertising the Prius. Yet I've not seen any non-UK ads either.

Or maybe Toyota just hasn't set aside any advertising budget for the Prius.

Just an observation!

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

The only adverts Toyota seem to have running in our TV region are for the C-HR (Turkish built) and the Yaris hybrid (French built). The Auris (the only UK built hybrid) sponsors films on one TV channel.

Then again the Yaris is the best seller for Toyota in the UK and Europe.

[johalareewi]

Not only that but all the recent Toyota Hybrid adverts I have seen proclaim that "you don't plug it in".

It seems to be a major selling point for Toyota UK.

Maybe that is why Toyota UK don't advertise the Prius because they make one that you can plug in?

[Heidfirst]

tbh I suspect that Toyota GB are happy with the availability & margins that they can get on the Prius in the UK plus the Auris (& now C-HR) hybrids being produced in Europe make more business sense for a volume product here.

[YarisHybrid2016]

On 8/24/2017 at 9:35 AM, johalareewi said:

Not only that but all the recent Toyota Hybrid adverts I have seen proclaim that "you don't plug it in".

It seems to be a major selling point for Toyota UK.

Maybe that is why Toyota UK don't advertise the Prius because they make one that you can plug in?

I noticed this! I think it is because many people think you have to charge them [Hybrids]. I have a hard time explaining to my friend that you don't plug them into the wall. He still doesn't get it...

It is also interesting, in that Toyota must consider it a sufficiently *negative* perception to even mention it.

[johalareewi]

Even the radio ads are saying you don't plug it in, it charges itself.

And the MrT website.

https://www.toyota.co.uk/hybrid/hybrid-test-drive.json

 

Wonder what people make of me plugging in my Toyota hybrid.

[PeteB]

It is surprising, 20 years after the original Prius was launched, the number of people who still ask how I charge it - 2 in the last couple of weeks.

I did laugh once when I was driving away from a pump on a petrol station forecourt, window open and in EV mode, and someone asked me if it was an electric car!  Not sure what he thought I'd been doing at the pump!  

[PeteB]

and a question for PiP owners - does the SatNav come with POIs for charging stations?

[johalareewi]

If you mean the touch and go satnav mine doesn't but many satnavs do and there are EV charging apps.  It helps if the satnav can also tell you a bit about the charging point (which network, charge point type, connector type, exact location, etc.).

 Tesla's satnavs do and they will work out a route for you including charging stops.

 

[HughL]

Advertising is often driven by new competing products in the sector, so if the Ioniq or the Niro begin to get some traction in the UK market  we may see more.

That said, Toyota (like a lot of brands with high brand value) is not one of the highest global spenders anyway and is regularly outspent by Ford and GM. Indeed, the last figures I saw suggest that they spend much the same on Lexus as they do on the main Toyota brand. I have a vague feeling that late last year they changed agency for the whole of Europe as well and remember being surprised at how low the total account value was but can't remember exactly what it was. The one to compare it with would be VAG but no idea how much they spend. I get the impression it's a lot more, and these days they've got some brand value to make up...

[barrycoll]

Then there is indirect advertising.....BBC1 Panorama prog on Millionaire people smugglers showed and impounded field of Toyota Pickup trucks , all proudly showing their rear end identities.

If the brand is good enough for cross-Sahara people smugglers, or 12 bearded AK47 wielding mujahadeen, then it  must be good enough for a Nth LOndon school run

[Duffryn]

I see far more Prius in outside broadcasts/news reports in the streets of London than I ever do in advertisements. That might change if Uber have their wings clipped a bit mind....

[johalareewi]

Recently there were some pics of rich peoples' super cars parked out and about in London.  Pretty much all of them had a Prius in the background.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

On 9/25/2017 at 10:20 PM, PeteB said:

and a question for PiP owners - does the SatNav come with POIs for charging stations?

My Gen3 PiP doesn't, not sure if the Gen4 does.

Not much use in my opinion however, as it won't tell you if they're in use etc. I use ZapMap instead personally.

[aCactus]

I saw a Toyota advert tonight than included the Prius, but it also showed the other hybrids with a tag line that I've forgotten already.

[FROSTYBALLS]

"We choose hybrid"