• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, April 25, 2006

Toyota has launched a multiplatform promotional effort with Fox that links the carmaker's Yaris brand with the network's new drama "Prison Break." As part of the deal, Toyota will sponsor a series of shorts on mobile phones, marking the first time that Fox has signed an advertiser for a scripted "mobisode."

Toyota will air 10-second ads at the beginning of each version in a series of 26 two-minute mobisodes. Toyota agency Saatchi & Saatchi will create ads specifically for the mobile platform. Called "Prison Break: Proof of Innocence," the plot lines complement the drama that airs Mondays on the Fox network. Yaris vehicles will also be integrated into the mobisodes themselves, which will be released to Sprint subscribers up to four times a week.

Like many marketers, Toyota has declared its intention to look for new ways to reach consumers beyond the traditional 30-second spots.

Other aspects of the "Prison Break" initiative include: a Toyota-branded "microsite" on Fox.com with behind-the-scenes video from the series and the opportunity to register for a sweepstakes; auto category exclusivity for Toyota during multiple "Prison Break" telecasts; and sponsorship of a "Prison Break"-themed publicity event April 27 on the 20th Century Fox lot in Los Angeles.

A national print campaign from Fox will seek to drive viewers to both the Toyota/"Prison Break" Web site and the mobisodes.

Zenithmedia is Toyota's media agency, and worked with Fox and parent News Corp. to craft the deal.