Toyota
Olympics/Squaw Valley
The Campaign
Toyota’s $2 billion sponsorship of the Olympic Games is a multiyear global branding investment requiring local grounding. Our regional activation (featuring Olympic icons, Jonny Moseley and Squaw Valley, CA) have distinguished Toyota’s Olympic branding efforts in Northern California as their most successful nationwide.
Photos of the Vehicle Display at Squaw Valley
The CAMPAIGN
Toyota drew on the Olympic heritage of Squaw Valley, showing Moseley cruising through the resort in Toyota vehicles as he recalls key moments and trivia from the 1960 games. The H&L Partners created a content microsite that included a web-only 360-degree video of current-day Moseley skiing Squaw Valley. The ad themes diverted from Toyota’s global push and tagline, “Start Your Impossible,” which leaned heavily into broader mobility solutions. The dealers extended their campaign on the ground to local dealerships, using signage. Up at Squaw Valley, vehicles were wrapped in branding that directed people to the website.
The Results
- February market share in Northern California increased 0.6 percentage points to an 18.6 percent share. That marks the highest market share in the country and saw the largest increase in share in that time period.
- Online Toyota mentions in Northern California reached a 12-month peak during the Olympic advertising (growing 45 percent).
- Toyota was the most-recognized auto brand in the Olympics.