Toyota Motors is bowing a new online marketing campaign that's been created in conjunction with Google's YouTube. The move is gamble for both the automaker and the video-sharing giant.
YouTube worked closely with Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi LA to customize the comedy-themed marketing initiative from Toyota, which promotes the company's new Corolla sedan. The
ad shop provided the creative, while the YouTube folks focused on the technology side. The result is a $4 million comedy site called "Best in Jest," hosting the best comedy routines found on YouTube.
Each week, Google culls its video database for new routines and uploads them to the Corolla-sponsored "Best in Jest" site. Toyota is also sponsoring a sketch-comedy contest called "the Sketchies",
with prizes reaching $25,000.
Online marketing continues to grow at a fast clip, but revenues at big social media sites like YouTube and Facebook have been disappointing.
Marketing efforts on these sites often provide a more interactive and effective user experience, but they tend to reach small audiences, especially when you weigh the cost and labor involved in those
efforts. That reality has led many marketers to either create-or at least become a part of-the content creation process. Some analysts disagree with Toyota's approach, saying the automaker would be
better off buying a basket of customized interactive marketing options.
Read the whole story at The Wall Street Journal »