xcel
05-20-2006, 09:49 PM
Automaker hooks up with Brooks & Dunn, NASCAR, and Pro fishing. (http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060520/AUTO01/605200378/1148)
Christine Tierney - The Detroit News - May 20, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/07_Nascar_Camry.jpg
Broken hearts, cheatin' spouses, lost farms, boozy revelations - and Japanese pickups?
Yeah, buddy. Toyota Motor Corp. wants to join the list of country-western staples after signing up star honky-tonk duo Brooks & Dunn to pitch its new Tundra pickup.
The Japanese automaker, bidding to reach hard-core pickup buyers, has become the top sponsor of bass-fishing events, aims to be a major player in NASCAR racing, and this week signed up to sponsor ESPN Monday Night Football.
Toyota isn't scheduled to roll out the first full-size Tundra until early next year, but it is already cranking up the marketing.
For good reason. The big pickup market is tough to crack and American truck owners are more brand-loyal than other vehicle buyers.
Detroit's automakers still dominate this lucrative corner of the market by catering to longtime customers and offering a wider array of body styles and engine options.
Nissan Motor Co. has yet to achieve full-year sales targets for its first full-size pickup, the Titan, introduced in late 2003.
With the current Tundra, Toyota has captured 6 percent of the large pickup segment. But that is less than half its overall 14 percent share of the U.S. vehicle market.
"After 13 years spent in the truck wilderness, going from one strategy to another, they've finally decided the best move for them is to copy Ford's playbook," Ford Motor Co. spokesman Jim Cain said.
"It's not entirely unexpected but we've got a 29-year head start, so they've got their work cut out for them," he said.
Ford, which sells the popular F-Series full-size pickups, has a marketing deal with country music star Toby Keith - who croons about being "a Ford truck man" - and is a major sponsor of rodeos and NASCAR events.
Analysts say Toyota may have a tough time battling Detroit automakers in the segment but will keep making headway.
"Toyota is really relentless when they go after a segment, even if it takes 10 years," said Jeremy Anwyl, president of automotive research site Edmunds.com. "They don't back up."
With the aim of nearly doubling its sales of large pickups, Toyota has designed a larger, bolder-looking truck first introduced at the Chicago auto show in February.
"It's the biggest launch in our history - in terms of budget, number of people dedicated to it, everything," said Jim Farley, vice president of marketing at Toyota Motor Sales USA's Toyota division.
Toyota will build the redesigned truck at a new plant in San Antonio right in the heart of pickup country, allowing dealers to pitch it as an American vehicle - a tactic that rankles Detroit's automakers.
Country singers Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn will reinforce that message.
"If you see your favorite country singer or sports hero driving a Toyota truck, it'll have an influence on you," said car salesman Ryan Albritton at Champion Toyota in Houston.
In marketing the new Tundra, Toyota is drawing on lessons learned from the launches of its youth-oriented Scion and luxury Lexus brands.
"What we learned at Scion is to do one thing well and own a category. That's more effective than being a little bit present in 15 areas," said Farley, who previously managed Scion.
Toyota is zeroing in on a handful of groups who tend to be big buyers of pickups -- home improvement types, such as contractors, anglers, motorcycle enthusiasts, NASCAR fans and country-western music lovers.
"There's a big connection between the geographic popularity of country-western music and where the truck registrations are," Farley said.
Brooks & Dunn, whose hits include "Boot Scootin' Boogie," will drive Tundras, do radio spots and appear in regional TV ads as part of their deal with Toyota.
"Brooks & Dunn is our first big partnership and we'll be doing more on a local and regional basis," Farley said.
Jerry Reynolds, a longtime Ford dealer who recently sold his interest in Prestige Ford in the Dallas suburb of Garland, says Toyota was clearly targeting the South and Texas, in particular, by signing up Brooks & Dunn.
"It plays well with their NASCAR initiatives too because everyone knows Brooks & Dunn are big into NASCAR," Reynolds said.
"When I heard the announcement and still owned a Ford store, I remember very well thinking, this is not good," he said.
Toyota further beefed up its ranks earlier this month by signing up Dale Jarrett, one of the most popular NASCAR drivers, from the Ford team. To paraphrase the country-western classic: "If Toyota has the money, he's got the time."
Christine Tierney - The Detroit News - May 20, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/07_Nascar_Camry.jpg
Broken hearts, cheatin' spouses, lost farms, boozy revelations - and Japanese pickups?
Yeah, buddy. Toyota Motor Corp. wants to join the list of country-western staples after signing up star honky-tonk duo Brooks & Dunn to pitch its new Tundra pickup.
The Japanese automaker, bidding to reach hard-core pickup buyers, has become the top sponsor of bass-fishing events, aims to be a major player in NASCAR racing, and this week signed up to sponsor ESPN Monday Night Football.
Toyota isn't scheduled to roll out the first full-size Tundra until early next year, but it is already cranking up the marketing.
For good reason. The big pickup market is tough to crack and American truck owners are more brand-loyal than other vehicle buyers.
Detroit's automakers still dominate this lucrative corner of the market by catering to longtime customers and offering a wider array of body styles and engine options.
Nissan Motor Co. has yet to achieve full-year sales targets for its first full-size pickup, the Titan, introduced in late 2003.
With the current Tundra, Toyota has captured 6 percent of the large pickup segment. But that is less than half its overall 14 percent share of the U.S. vehicle market.
"After 13 years spent in the truck wilderness, going from one strategy to another, they've finally decided the best move for them is to copy Ford's playbook," Ford Motor Co. spokesman Jim Cain said.
"It's not entirely unexpected but we've got a 29-year head start, so they've got their work cut out for them," he said.
Ford, which sells the popular F-Series full-size pickups, has a marketing deal with country music star Toby Keith - who croons about being "a Ford truck man" - and is a major sponsor of rodeos and NASCAR events.
Analysts say Toyota may have a tough time battling Detroit automakers in the segment but will keep making headway.
"Toyota is really relentless when they go after a segment, even if it takes 10 years," said Jeremy Anwyl, president of automotive research site Edmunds.com. "They don't back up."
With the aim of nearly doubling its sales of large pickups, Toyota has designed a larger, bolder-looking truck first introduced at the Chicago auto show in February.
"It's the biggest launch in our history - in terms of budget, number of people dedicated to it, everything," said Jim Farley, vice president of marketing at Toyota Motor Sales USA's Toyota division.
Toyota will build the redesigned truck at a new plant in San Antonio right in the heart of pickup country, allowing dealers to pitch it as an American vehicle - a tactic that rankles Detroit's automakers.
Country singers Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn will reinforce that message.
"If you see your favorite country singer or sports hero driving a Toyota truck, it'll have an influence on you," said car salesman Ryan Albritton at Champion Toyota in Houston.
In marketing the new Tundra, Toyota is drawing on lessons learned from the launches of its youth-oriented Scion and luxury Lexus brands.
"What we learned at Scion is to do one thing well and own a category. That's more effective than being a little bit present in 15 areas," said Farley, who previously managed Scion.
Toyota is zeroing in on a handful of groups who tend to be big buyers of pickups -- home improvement types, such as contractors, anglers, motorcycle enthusiasts, NASCAR fans and country-western music lovers.
"There's a big connection between the geographic popularity of country-western music and where the truck registrations are," Farley said.
Brooks & Dunn, whose hits include "Boot Scootin' Boogie," will drive Tundras, do radio spots and appear in regional TV ads as part of their deal with Toyota.
"Brooks & Dunn is our first big partnership and we'll be doing more on a local and regional basis," Farley said.
Jerry Reynolds, a longtime Ford dealer who recently sold his interest in Prestige Ford in the Dallas suburb of Garland, says Toyota was clearly targeting the South and Texas, in particular, by signing up Brooks & Dunn.
"It plays well with their NASCAR initiatives too because everyone knows Brooks & Dunn are big into NASCAR," Reynolds said.
"When I heard the announcement and still owned a Ford store, I remember very well thinking, this is not good," he said.
Toyota further beefed up its ranks earlier this month by signing up Dale Jarrett, one of the most popular NASCAR drivers, from the Ford team. To paraphrase the country-western classic: "If Toyota has the money, he's got the time."