Auto maker Scion has launched a high school marketing competition that will give young adults in selected U.S. markets the chance to team up, suggest marketing concepts for the Toyota brand, and possibly win supplies for their school.
The contest, to run through April 2009, will not be national but will be open to high school marketing and business classes and business or marketing clubs in schools in nine metro areas, in three regions centered in Kansas City KS, Cincinnati OH and Portland OR—markets targeted by Scion for future growth.
Within the regions eligible for the contest, Scion has specified the metro markets that can enter. In the Kansas City MO region, schools from Wichita KS, Sioux Falls SD and Omaha NE will be allowed to enter. The Cincinnati region will comprise high schools in or near Ann Arbor MI, Frankfort KY and Knoxville TN. In the Portland region, schools in Spokane WA, Bend OR and Idaho Fall ID can compete.
School registrations have already begun at the contest Web site, http://www.scion.com/hsm/, and will continue until Jan. 16, 2009. On Feb. 2, Scion will ask eight schools from each of the regional divisions to create a marketing proposal for a campaign that would appeal specifically to young auto customers in their local area. The groups selected will have until the end of Feb 2009 to complete their proposals.
Three schools per region will then be selected by a combination of Scion executives and appointed outside marketing judges to advance to the next bracket, the regional final, by March 13, 2009. The three winners of those regional finals will then compete in April 2009 for the first, second and third prizes in the overall marketing contest, as again judged by Scion and outside consultants.
First prize in the marketing contest will be an award of $5,000 in merchandise and school supplies for the winning school. Second prize is $1,250 in supplies, and third prize offers $750. Schools chose to compete will receive a $250 stipend to pay for materials with which to present their campaigns.
“Scion has always strived to engage its customers with the brand,” Scion sales promotions manager Jeri Yoshizu said in a statement. “The ‘High School Marketing Competition’ is a unique way for Scion to give back to the community and provide local students an exclusive opportunity to work with a Fortune 500 company.”
Toyota’s Scion brand has in the past shown great interest in building brand identity among young adults who may not even be old enough to drive, with the expectation that they’ll consider a Scion once they reach car-buying age. The company operates within a number of virtual worlds. For example, the company sponsors a series of nightclubs and gathering places in There.com, a virtual world popular with teens. And members of the educational pre-teen world Whyville can spend virtual currency to purchase Scion cars for their avatars, learning about finance and thrift in the process.
Network
