• November 8, 2010

Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. on Monday launched "Ideas for Good," a corporate campaign that talks about how the automaker repurposes the automotive technology it has developed to benefit society. The campaign encourages consumers to share ideas on how to repurpose Toyota technology in non-automotive applications with a microsite at Toyota.com acting as a central hub for explaining the five technologies Toyota is spotlighting and getting consumer input.

Toyota says ideas will be taken through February, then evaluated by a panel of independent judges. The winners will participate in a design session.

Supporting the effort is an integrated campaign via Toyota's AOR Saatchi & Saatchi LA. It includes three TV spots, print and online elements showcasing the five Toyota technologies: Total HUman Model for Safety (THUMS), Hybrid Synergy Drive, Solar Powered Ventilation System, Touch Tracer Display, and Advanced Parking Guidance System.

The campaign will direct people to www.Toyota.com/IdeasForGood.com. The site also has background info on the panel of experts: Joel Stitzel of Wake Forest University; Keith Grossman of Wired; Grace Hawthorne of Stanford University Design School; Jake Ward of Popular Science and Josh Morenstein of fuseproject.

The site also has content including videos about how several organizations are using Toyota tech in non-auto apps.

The TV ads also showcase how the organizations are using the applications. The first shows THUMS technology, which comprises injury simulation softward, used for head injury prevention at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. The two future commercials will showcase Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive and Solar Powered Ventilation System technologies