Chad Froomkin
February 25, 2000
TCOM 110 – Tercel Campaign
This campaign is for the Toyota car company. In particular it is for the Tercel line of cars for Toyota. The Tercel has become awfully popular over the years going from being a part of the Corolla line to transforming into it’s own line. The Tercel’s new campaign focuses on how well it performs in testing and how safe and dependable the car is. The campaign focuses on three aspects: driving safe, driving smart, and driving happy. When you drive a Tercel you want that feeling of safety and when your safe your happy. The new slogan for the Tercel is: “Toyota Tercel, it’s what quality is all about.” Quality is one of the main selling points used when compared to its competitors, because the Chevrolet Chevette and Ford Escort have a history of recalls. The Toyota Company hasn’t had a major recall in seven years. Driving smart is a big aspect of the campaign too. Even though the Tercel starts off at a higher price than its competitors its resale value is much higher. The Tercel only depreciates about thirty percent in three to five years; while it’s competitor’s cars depreciate about half of their value at the same time. This displays that the Tercel drivers are not only smart, but they are financially smart.
The TV campaign focuses on safety. Black Comedy is used with the explosions and fires, just to show what could happen if you didn’t drive in a safe manner. The commercial also displays that Tercel drivers are very smart and very happy. If gives you the feeling that if you are happy in your Tercel than you are happy with your life.
The Radio campaign focuses more on the informational facts about safety and how dependable the Tercel is. Instead of making telling the audience how good the Tercel is it presents facts from other people, like Consumer Companion, that views the Tercel as “the best subcompact on the market today.” It makes the Tercel look too good to be true. The use of Carmen Carpucci represents that an everyday guy, and not a celebrity, endorses the Tercel. He is used to associate with the average Joe on the street.
Objective: To portray the Tercel as a safe car and to portray the drivers of Tercels as smart people.
Production Note: The commercial takes place in the city. The Tercel driver looks happy yet dumb-founded. Car #2 is a black Ford Escort and the back seat windows are tinted jet black. The announcer speaks with a warm, folksy voice.
Video Audio
LS OF TOYOTA TERCEL :00 MUSIC: “OH WHAT A.
DRIVING DOWN THE STREET. BEAUTIFUL DAY” BY LEN, UNDER AND THROUGHOUT.
MS OF HAPPY GUY DRIVING THE :02 SFX: HORN HONKS TWICE.
TERCEL. HE IS NODDING HIS HEAD
WITH THE MUSIC AND WAVING OUT
THE WINDOW TO PEOPLE ON THE
STREET.
CU OF A TRAFFIC LIGHT THAT IS :04
YELLOW AND THEN TURNS RED.
MS OF THE CAR STOPPING. :05
MS OF THE HAPPY GUY IN HIS CAR :06
FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE
WINDOW.
MS OF A CAR IN THE LEFT LANE :07 MUSIC STOPS
THROUGH THE DRIVER’S SIDE SFX: DRIVER #2 REVS HIS MOTOR.
WINDOW. MAN WITH BLACK
SUNGLASSES VISIBLE IN THE CAR.
CU OF HAPPY GUY’S FACE LOOKIN :10
SURPRISED FROM DRIVER #2’S
PERSPECTIVE.
CU OF TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNING :11
GREEN.
MS IF CAR #2 LEAVING THE PICTURE :12 SFX: TIRES SCREECHING.
WITH SMOKE VISIBLE FROM HIS
TIRES FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE
WINDOW.
LS FROM HAPPY GUY’S WINDSHIELD :14 SFX: SOUND OF MOTOR GETTING
OF CAR #2 SPEEDING DOWN THE FAINT.
STREET.
Video Audio
CONTINUOUS SHOT FROM HAPPY :17 SFX: SCREECHING TIRES.
GUY’S WINDSHIELD OF CAR #2 SFX: CARS HITTING EACH OTHER.
GETTING HIT BY TWO CARS IN THE SFX: EXPLOSION.
NEXT INTERSECTION THAT CAUSES SFX: CAR ALARMS GOING OFF.
A HUGE EXPLOSION AND A FIRE.
CU OF HAPPY GUY’S FACE LOOKING :21
SURPRISED.
CU OF THE TERCEL’S RIGHT :22 SFX: THE BLINKER BLINKS TWICE.
BLINKER BLINKING.
MS OF CAR TURNING RIGHT. :23 MUSIC RESUMES
MS OF HAPPY GUY NODDING HIS :25 ANNCR: Drive Safe. Drive Happy.
HEAD TO THE MUSIC.
CUT TO BLACK SCREEN WITH THE :27 ANNCR: Toyota Tercel, what quality is all
WORDS “TOYOTA TERCEL” ON TOP about.
AND THE WORDS “WHAT QUALITY
IS ALL ABOUT” ON THE BOTTOM.
:30
K.O.D. ADVERTISING
(television division)
CLIENT: Toyota SUBMIT DATE: 2/11/00
JOB 3: V-TY-03 LIVE____FILM____VTR XX
PRODUCT: Tercel SLIDE: ------------------
REVISION #: 1 ISCI #: TOYT-3979 LENGTH: :30
CLIENT APRV DATE: 2/21/00 TITLE: The Happy Guy
AS PRODUCED: 2/25/00
Description: The product is one of Toyota’s most popular models, the Tercel.
Target Audience: Young, single adults between the ages of 21-24.
Purpose: To sell the Toyota Tercel and to employ a central theme along with a new slogan for the Toyota Tercel.
Approach/Appeal: The approach is to portray the Tercel as a safe, fun, and reliable car.
Attraction: That Toyota is a dependable and quality car.
Production Note: Carmen speaks with a Brooklyn accent. The Announcer speaks with a warm, folksy voice.
:00 CARMEN: How you doing? My name is Carmen Carpucci and I love my Toyota Tercel. :03
:03 (SFX: THE SOUND OF AN ENGINE REVVING.) :01
:04 CARMEN: Now I know you have no idea who I am, and just because I love my Tercel doesn’t mean you are going to go to your nearest Toyota Dealership and take one home right from the lot, forget about it. But you could. Come on, you know that Consumer Companion said that the Tercel is the best subcompact car in the market today, no kidding. :12
:16 (SFX: THE SOUND OF A HORN BEEPING TWICE.) :01
:17 CARMEN: And you know that Toyota is highly dependable and hasn’t had a major recall in seven years, don’t you. Doesn’t that make you happy and convinced that you should get a Tercel today. Drivers who pick the Toyota Tercel are good people. :07
:24 (SFX: THE SOUND OF A CAR DRIVING AWAY.) :01
:25 ANNCR: Drive Safe. Drive Smart. Drive Happy. Toyota Tercel, what quality is all about. :05
:30