• by Tanya Gazdik , July 17, 2022

Toyota is laying claim to being the first automotive brand to host a vehicle giveaway contest on TikTok in the U.S.

The duet dance challenge, called the #CorollaCrossStep, challenged the TikTok community to promote Toyota’s Corolla Cross. As part of the contest, three dancers were awarded their very own 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross in June. 

The dance challenge, launched on March 1 and lasting 30 days, featured TikTok star Aubrey Fisher, who also appears in Toyota TV ads for the new vehicle.

The dance challenge video can be seen here. The winning CrossSteppers were judged on dance skill, creativity and entertainment value. 

The first-place winner, and her new Corolla Cross, joined forces with Fisher for a special “live” video to announce the win. 

The video helped launch Toyota’s TikTok brand channel on July 15. The channel already has more than 128,500 followers. 

The giveaway allowed Toyota not only to launch its TikTok brand channel, but to turn TikTokers into brand ambassadors, says Lisa Materazzo, group vice president, marketing, Toyota Motor North America.

"The main reason why TikTok is so powerful as a discovery engine is the realness of content seen in the For You feed; you see people like me and you every day,” said Jodi Porter, vertical director of automotive and dining, TikTok. “Brands like Toyota are looking to find platforms that enable relatability and drive connection, which is what ultimately re-engages newer audiences with heritage brands.”  

The giveaway drove awareness and user participation, with the hashtag garnering over 8 billion global, real-time video views, while 1.4 million videos were created using the #CorollaCrossStep. 

The campaign was a collaboration among agency partners Saatchi & Saatchi, Burrell and Conill in partnership with Toyota, TikTok and US Sweeps.