Monday, October 13, 2008

Toyota Line of Scrimmage Commercial Proves Silence is Golden

Last night, I had the NBC Sunday Night Football game on my living room TV, while I was browsing with my laptop on the coffee table.One of the teams called a timeout, and I figured  a short commercial break was imminent, so I kept my eyes on my computer.

Then something caught my attention- silence. For the first time in my life, a car commercial got my full attention without making a sound. That's right, there was no screaming, no sirens, no cheesy graphics or corny jokes.

Instead, Toyota used silence to make a statement. I looked up and saw  a short ad about the football team at the Maryland School for the Deaf, in Frederick, MD. I read the subtitles as the Orioles' coach signed his story about the special bond he had with his team, which was followed by game footage with the team signing to call the next play and to celebrate after a touchdown. It concluded with a quick graphic that read: Toyota Line of Scrimmage.

Immediately, I Googled the phrase Toyota Line of Scrimmage and found the series' site, which contained links to its Myspace and Youtube profiles, and the premise behind the series:

This year, during NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast, Toyota will feature the gutsiest high school football teams in America. Over the course of the season the Line of Scrimmage program will use a Toyota Tundra to visit eight different schools from around the country that exemplify true devotion to the game of football and the gridiron culture.Tune in to the NBC Sunday Night Football Halftime Show to see what high schools make the cut.

In addition Frederick, other featured high schools that have overcome adversity include Parkersburg, Iowa, where an F-5 tornado destroyed the Parkersburg-Applington Falcons' weight room, but local resident John Tuve, donated a building on his property as a temporary home for the team's  facility. Other schools in the series include Brophy Prep Cathedral, Fighting Irish from Phoenix Az, the E.E. Smith Golden Bulls from Fayetville, NC, the Sunshine Tigers of Newbern, AL, the Rough Riders in Boys Ranch, TX,and the Big Piney Punchers from Big Piney, WY.

Anyway, my main point about Toyota's ad is that it's a perfect example of how one auto company recognized the reverse affect that resulted from the traditional, in- your face approach that dealers have for decades. Toyota countered  with a subtle yet dramatic anecdote that leaves the viewer with a positive impression about the company's character. Now that's a great example of smart branding.

Posted By Matt O'Hern at 09:13 AM
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