Guest Post: Passion in the Corporate Brand World

Whoa – stop. Rewind. Not to be worried that we may go down an inappropriate road here… We are not talking passion in the physical sense of love or lust. We are talking passion in the intellectual realm where people, or in this case “consumers” may be driven by their passions more as emotions that compel a desire or enthusiasm for something.

Smart brand strategists and marketers must find ways to tap into these consumer passions, understand and connect with their intricacies and deliver genuine value that will translate into a positive experience between brand and consumer. Ultimately, brands seek consumer advocacy, and this can be attained through a “relationship” where consumers can recognize a sense of shared values.

When considering consumer passions, sports is one area where brands can look to dial into well-crafted opportunities to communicate their message in a relevant way while creating positive experiences for consumers; and at the end of the day build a team of brand advocates to spread the brand message via more credible and influential word-of-mouth marketing.

While working with Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., it was our attention to detail and a genuine connection with trendsetters in the world of endurance sports that produced positive results against objectives. It was Toyota’s desire to make the sport of triathlon a better place to be in the eye of the participants, through experiences they would bring to the sport. It was also Toyota’s goal to educate consumers on Hybrid Synergy Drive® and create differentiation in the marketplace, while fostering a sense of shared values with this highly active, affluent, well-educated and influential target audience.

Too often companies approach sports or event sponsorship with brand exposure, awareness and visibility as their primary objectives. What made Toyota’s approach successful was their intent and commitment to truly make a difference through carefully outlined partnerships, real value delivered pre, during and post events; and recognition of the importance of investment beyond strictly sponsorship with a strategic activation plan.

During my tenure working with Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., their deliberate investment in the sport of triathlon went from local sponsorship of three triathlons in one sales region, to working with key strategic partners and bringing five major big city triathlons under one umbrella to create the “Race to the Toyota Cup.” In turn, this was the first U.S. Open-designated race in the sport, and one of the largest prize purses for professional men and women triathletes.

At the amateur level, through the Toyota “Engines of Change” activation program, Toyota brought professionally-designed training to Toyota-sponsored triathlon participants across the country, opportunities for better participant, family and spectator engagement on-site at the events, and a continued conversation beyond the events to harness the power and voice of the entire triathlete community.

As corporate brands look for ways to engage with their consumers and address corporate objectives, finding the right marketing partner to help identify opportunities for them to connect through their consumers’ passions, and to design relevant partnerships and activation plans; can be the difference between consumers “liking” a brand versus advocating on its behalf.

- Heather Hill
(Guest post from Red Sky strategic partner Heather Hill of H2 BrandWorks. The work done for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. was managed by Heather during her tenure as Associate Director of Brand Integration at Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles)