Toyota Motors USA subsidiary Scion is running a ride-and-drive event for the third straight year. But this year’s events are taking place in smaller cities and at places its Generation Y target are more likely to hang out.
Just three weeks into its Coast2Coast program, consumer interest in Scion’s vehicles is higher than expected. Scion made contact with about 8,000 consumers of which 34% wanted additional information about the cars, said Scion national sales promotion manager Brian Bolain.
“Past tours have shown that 25% to 30% of the consumers that come out are interested in more information,” Bolain said. “A lot of it may be geographical, because we know we have a higher response rate in the Southeast and the Northeast, and we haven’t hit the Northwest yet, where response seems to be less.”
Bolain said that Generation Y consumers targeted in smaller cities may be more interested than those living in big cities, who tend to feel “jaded” by consumer promotions.
He said the tour’s message that Scions are customized at the dealerships could also help drive interest. This year’s tour shows off the different options available and how the cars can be personalized with the consumer’s choice of accessories at P-O-P.
Coast2Coast runs through June and gives consumers an opportunity to get behind the wheel right outside of their favorite local hangouts, including malls, movie theaters, coffeehouses and pizzerias.
Los Angeles-based promotions agency AMCI scouted cities such as Savannah, GA and locales in areas like Orange County, CA, for the past year to find hot spots for Generation Y consumers. The tour is promoted with signage at the tour stops locations, direct mail, and advertisements either in college newspapers or alternative newspapers, depending on the city.
“The majority of people we’re targeting are already coming into that area,” Bolain said. “The beauty is that we’re not spending money trying to get the consumer out to the tour, because they probably will already be there.”
In return for spending time with Scion, consumers receive a gift certificate from the participating venue in their area.
Also, the Scions are not loaded onto car carriers and transported from city to city. The drivers and vehicles create a caravan to generate awareness on the highways. A sign in the back of one of the vehicles directs drivers to turn into a specific radio station for tour information.
Network
