Toyota Yaris Pays Respect to Hip Hop

Toyota Yaris Pays Respect to Hip Hop

Through DJ Battles and Sneaker Design Competitions the Yaris vs. Yaris Campaign Elevates the Ideals of the Hip Hop Community

TORRANCE, Calif., May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. is showcasing their Yaris with a fully integrated urban campaign encompassing the true spirit of the Hip Hop movement. Named "Yaris vs. Yaris," the campaign gives a playful head-nod to old school battles by pitting the Yaris Liftback against the Yaris Sedan throughout. Debuting this month, "Yaris vs. Yaris" includes TV, print, radio, online and in-store advertisements as well as a series of special events.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070508/AQTU136)

"Yaris vs. Yaris" television ads will include two 30-second spots, "Bomb Da Bass" and "Tag." In "Bomb Da Bass" an animated Yaris Liftback and Sedan go head-to-head in a larger than life speaker box competition and in "Tag" two animated Yaris' race to tag the streets. Print ads will depict the Yaris Liftback and Sedan as a pair of new sneakers in, "Fresh Kicks" while in "Bangin" an animated Yaris Liftback will be shown with super sonic speakers. There will be two radio spots showcasing underground rap artists Dice Raw and Truck North in a lyrical rap battle taking on the personas of the Yaris Liftback and Sedan. Additional campaign elements include a microsite and a four-market live event tour.

"We are excited to bring the integrated Yaris vs. Yaris campaign into an authentic urban subculture," says Kim McCullough, Corporate Manager of Marketing Communications for Toyota. "This campaign embodies the spirit of Yaris and brings it to life with a passion that speaks genuinely to our target audience."

To further immerse consumers in the new Yaris experience, four boutique lounges across the nation will host "Yaris vs. Yaris" events. The kick-off event takes place in Houston on June 7, Atlanta on June 14, Washington, DC on June 21 and Chicago on June 28. Consumers are guaranteed to see talented DJs, MCs, B-boys and B-girls square off in mock battles, each representing either the Yaris Liftback or Sedan.

"Competition has always been a fundamental part of hip hop," says Munier Sharrieff, Creative Director at Burrell. "From DJs having scratch battles, break dancers using moves to go toe-to-toe and emcees flowing to prove who's got the best rhymes, battles have a solid role in the culture." Burrell, Toyota's African-American agency, developed and produced the campaign.

In partnership with Complex Magazine and Radio One, "Yaris vs. Yaris" will pull consumers into the campaign with a "Fresh Kicks" sneaker design competition and a DJ contest that will find the "Bangin" DJ in each market. By logging on to http://www.yarisversusyaris.com/, DJs can submit their best musical mixes and sneaker aficionados can submit original designs of customized kicks that incorporate Yaris design cues. Consumers can log on to the website http://www.yarisversusyaris.com/ and cast votes for the top DJ and sneaker design per market. The local winners will be showcased at the Yaris events in each market with the winning mix performed live and the winning "Fresh Kicks" design on display at each event.

The national winner of the "Fresh Kicks" and "Bangin' DJ" contest will be determined on June 28 at the grand finale in Chicago. The winning DJ will have their mix played nationally on Radio One and the "Fresh Kicks" contest winner receiving a trip to NYC to be the sneaker editor of Complex Magazine for a day.

For more information and to RSVP for the events, visit http://www.yarisversusyaris.com/.

About Toyota

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of 1,427 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers in 49 states. Established in 1957, TMS and its subsidiaries also are involved in distribution logistics, motorsports, and research and development.

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Photo: NewsCom:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070508/AQTU136
AP Archive:

http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN11
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.

CONTACT: Tamika Lee of Burrell, +1-312-297-9713, tlee@burrell.com, for
Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.; or Chad Harp of Toyota, +1-310-468-1704,
Chad_Harp@toyota.com

Web site:

http://www.yarisversusyaris.com/

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