In 2006 Toyota began a virtual promotion through product placement for its Scion in Whyville.net; an online interactive community that targets 8-15 year olds.
According to the article, Toyota is trying to do two things: influence their parents’ car purchases and maybe grow up with some Toyota brand loyalty. According to Toyota the promotion was working:
- ten days into the campaign visitors to the site had used the word “Scion” in online chats more than 78,000 times
- hundreds of virtual Scions were purchased, using “clams,” the currency of Whyville
- the community meeting place “Club Scion” was visited 33,741 times
Scion owners customized their cars, drove around the virtual Whyville and picked up their friends for a ride.
This is a great example on how online communities are used for marketers to advertise their products.
Article URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/14/busine…
Whyville URL: http://whyville.net/smmk/nice
Image from article:
I made my own character:
