Toyota to sit out Super Bowl 51 - (VIDEO)

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This year, Toyota aired a Prius ad titled "The Longest Chase" during the Super Bowl. Next year, the brand won't have a Super Bowl spot, saying the game doesn't line up with key launches.

 

The Toyota brand is sitting out the Super Bowl for the first time since 2011.

The automaker said the game doesn’t line up with the launch schedules of the new Camry sedan and C-HR compact crossover. Launch activities for these vehicles likely won’t begin until late spring and summer, said Jack Hollis, group vice president of Toyota marketing at Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.

The C-HR is slated for a second-quarter release, while the new Camry should hit stores in the third quarter.

Hollis said the Super Bowl decision was made over the summer, so it had nothing to do with the NFL’s declining ratings this season. Lexus, meanwhile, hasn’t announced its Super Bowl plans.

“The last five years, we have used the Super Bowl as a launch point for each of our new vehicle launches that are right at that time frame,” Hollis told Automotive News. “… The timing to be able to maximize the value of Super Bowl wasn’t there for us.”

During Super Bowl 50, Toyota highlighted the redesigned Prius’ fun-to-drive factor in “The Longest Chase,” a 90-second spot in the second quarter. Toyota also ran a 60-second spot, “Hunters,” during the game’s post-game show that it sponsored.
 

Hollis said the Toyota’s decision not to run a Super Bowl ad in 2017 doesn’t mean the brand is drawing back from the NFL, or sports marketing in general. The company will continue to advertise during high-visibility NFL broadcasts such as “Sunday Night Football” and “Monday Night Football” going forward.

The brand is a sponsor of the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks.

“We still believe in the Super Bowl. We think it’s a great property. We’re spending equal to, or greater on sports properties overall. Our commitment to sports and sports marketing has never been higher,” Hollis said. “Starting in January, we become the official top sponsor of the Olympics also. We continue to grow that footprint in sports.”

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