Toyota ad campaign stars Georgetown employees

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By Scott Sloan - ssloan@herald-leader.com

Toyota launched a nationwide advertising campaign this week that stars workers from its Georgetown plant.

The print, TV and online campaign, called "Beyond Cars," is targeted at influential people "who are interested in business and the issues surrounding companies," said Marjorie Schussel, corporate manager for Toyota's corporate marketing.

The TV ad shows scenes of downtown Georgetown accompanied by the text: "What makes us an engine for the economy? Plants across America. Nearly 200,000 jobs created. Partnering with local communities. We see beyond cars."

Courtesy Toyota

Courtesy Toyota - The commercial for Toyota's "Beyond Cars" publicity campaign was filmed in Georgetown using only factory employees. Two seen here hold a cutout of a Camry, which is assembled in Georgetown, along Georgetown's Main Street. Photo courtesy Toyota

The commercial ends on Main Street in Georgetown with two workers holding a cutout of a Camry, which is assembled on two lines in the nearby plant.

Schussel said it's an effort to demonstrate that Toyota is "a visionary company that shares your values" and that its ties run deeper than just producing cars

The campaign kicked off Monday with an ad in The Wall Street Journal and will continue through April 1, the end of Toyota's fiscal year. Ads also will run in magazines like The Economist and The New Yorker, as well as during the Sunday morning news shows and on PBS, Schussel said. The online versions will trend toward sites like Huffington Post and WashingtonPost.com, she said.

Toyota chose Georgetown as the site for filming because it is the automaker's largest North American plant, she said.

The campaign was filmed and shot during the first week of August, said Toyota spokesman Rick Hesterberg.

All people seen in the advertisements — print or video — are employees at the site, he said. Hesterberg said about 100 employees showed up at an initial meeting and then a dozen or so were selected to participate.

In addition to the TV commercial filmed in downtown Georgetown, a print ad was shot in front of the plant and another was shot near the Ohio River in Trimble County.