Content Champions: Toyota Indonesia

Toyota is a multinational automotive manufacturer known for producing a wide range of vehicles, including cars, trucks, and hybrids. Toyota is also involved in other sectors such as robotics, financial services, and the production of engines and industrial equipment. The company operates manufacturing plants and research and development centers around the world, making it a prominent player in the global automotive industry.

Content Champions is a segment during MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's Content360 conference in Singapore in which we highlight brands who have made significant impact in the content marketing space through their campaigns. This campaign was first shortlisted for Marketing Excellence Awards 2023 and was further evaluated by the editorial team at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE to make the shortlist. 

Campaign: TOYOTA LOFI DRIVE BEATS – Sounds & Rhythms of a powerful insight
Brand: Toyota Indonesia

Challenge

Toyota Indonesia has established itself as the leader in the Indonesian automotive industry. However, Toyota faces a challenge in capturing the attention and loyalty of the younger generation of car buyers. The transactional features alone no longer fully resonate with their brand consideration process, particularly as the Toyota brand is often associated with "predictable middle-aged males who prefer stability". To stay ahead of the competition and win over this younger demographic, Toyota recognised the need for a fresh approach.

Strategy

In an industry where traditional mediums such as TV commercials, billboards, and brochures are filled with functional and feature-oriented product highlights, Toyota sought to break the mold and forge a new connection with the next generation of car buyers.

Rather than relying on the conventional path of celebrity endorsements, Toyota aimed to experiment with original creative content that resonate with the younger target audience on a deeper level. They understand that simply following the crowd will not set them apart from their competitors.

By departing from the norm and exploring innovative avenues, Toyota Indonesia sought to craft advertisements that capture the attention and imagination of the younger generation.  They understand that this demographic craves fresh, authentic, and original content that goes beyond the predictable.

Pandemic or not, music is one of the most universal languages for young Indonesians. When work-from-office became work-from-home, Indonesians spent more and more time listening to music to uplift their mood while being confined to the four walls of their homes. A new behavior emerged. Instead of streaming from music platforms, many young Indonesians were getting their daily dose of music from video platforms thanks to “Lofi Playlists”.

Lofi stands for low-fidelity, a genre of electronic music that is characterised by mixed elements of house jazz and easy-listening beats, often set in looping scenes with anime (Japanese animation) aesthetic. Indonesian social media was laced with comments claiming that the dreamy audio and relaxed retro sounds of Lofi have helped them soldier through the pandemic.

They tune in to videos of music playlists playing to accompany their activities such as studying, working, making morning coffee, and other day-to-day activities.

Execution

Toyota leveraged on that behavior and created Toyota Lofi Drive Beats playlist videos – bringing out a unique experience, pairing the rhythms of smooth, laidback Lofi music with the ultimate enjoyment of GR Yaris and GR Supra, giving audio pleasures to drive brand relevance to younger target audiences for Toyota.

Two originally composed soothing Lofi playlists were created to accompany consumers study, work, do chores and relax, literally making Toyota part of its audiences’ everyday lives and deliver a fresh approach in driving brand relevance.

A total of 40 original songs were composed to match the vibes from its visual imageries, portraying atypical Indonesian moments and settings in the hustle and bustles of Jakarta and the calmness that is Bali.

Check out the other winners here.