Client: Toyota
Creative Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi LA / Bad Assembly
Technology Vendor: Eyeblaster

Toyota agency of record Saatchi & Saatchi LA and creative agency Bad Assembly worked together in order to promote Toyota's new subcompact car, the Yaris. The campaign's goals were to reach a young, pop culture-savvy customer in real time, around-the-clock, through an innovative online campaign. It was important for Toyota that the ads be part of a smart, engaging and creative digital campaign that could break through the usual online clutter.

The two companies created the first-ever advertisement featuring a dual-player game embedded in online banner ads: the Yaris vs. Yaris game. The game highlights features of the car -- storage space, built-in MP3 player, fuel efficiency and low cost -- without hard-sell messaging. Players drive through five major American cities, thwarting each other with soap slicks, safety cones and blockades while collecting points in a race to the finish. Eyeblaster, the global leader in integrated marketing services and technology, enabled this innovative advertisement to run within banner ads-- allowing users to play the game without ever having to leave their intended destination page.

"Moving Forward" is a major initiative for Toyota, and we are challenged as an agency to take them to the bleeding edge of innovation. We are always looking for technologies that enable this goal and allow us to extend our creative reach. The aim isn't to shotgun ads to the masses, but to provide something of relevance to micro-markets with laser accuracy. Be it informative or entertaining, the underlying question is, "Can we provide value?"
-- Matthew Pollock, interactive media producer, Saatchi & Saatchi LA

 

This is the type of game I find myself thinking I can master quickly, then look up and a few hours have passed! It's a very cleverly designed ad unit, the kind that we're seeing more and more of, which completely breaks the traditional rich media boundaries and approaches (or bests) the functionality, interactivity and sheer fun of many website features.

Key to the success of this unit is the option of single player or multi-player matches. The internet was not only made for interactivity, it was made for community, where it has always had the hugest impact. Very savvy stuff. I'm also loving the various "cities" to drive in.
 
If there's any room to improve, it might only be in extending the experience. How about updating on a regular basis with fresh city maps, new music and color changes? This is an engine that can keep on giving.
-- Mark Netter, director of business development, Deadline Advertising

There's a lot to like about this banner: it is clearly and unmistakenly branded, but the Toyota-ness of the banner is subordinate to the game. Similarly, although the little car icons look somewhat Yaris-like, the game play again comes first. I'm no gamer, but the play is speedy and engaging, and the option to play with another person was well-communicated and would probably have been more attractive to me personally if I had any hope of winning. The flash of the Yaris as sponsor between rounds was clear but subtle. Overall, this is a very good example of how advertising and content can fuse in ways that are good for advertisers and users alike. One negative note: at least on my Windows XP machine, the game was not Firefox compatible.
-- Brad Berens, executive editor, iMedia Communications, Inc.