Interactive Agency Noise Media Connects with Toyota to Launch Online Youth Campaign

TORRANCE, CA and VANCOUVER, BC, March 10 -- Noise Media, a leading interactive agency, connects with Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc., (TMS) to launch an online entertainment campaign aimed at the youth market.

Noise Media was asked to create a compelling interactive campaign that would forge new brand awareness among a younger Toyota target audience - some of whom will not even have a driver's license for a few years. The goal was to reposition the Toyota brand and selected vehicles with an engaging and entertaining platform that would create and foster one-to-one client relationships.

In addition, Noise Media needed to design a performance-based media strategy with a measured consumer data collection component, which would enable Toyota to build a direct marketing database.

In response, Noise Media created the first annual Toyota Rally Race; an interactive, animated sweepstakes where the contestant becomes an active participant in the wildest road race since the "Cannonball Run"! Leveraging co- branding partners Microsoft Xbox, Universal Music, Def Jam Recordings, and Moonshine Music, Noise Media produced a campaign that taps into the youth culture of music and video games in order to 'connect' with this difficult to reach market segment.

Featuring the Toyota Matrix, Tacoma, MR2, and Celica, the Rally Race has 4 fearless drivers - Bonita "Bo Lo" Lopez, the hot Latina from New York, Myron Gilbert, the brainy computer geek from Chicago, "Gearshift" Granny Jones, the spunky biker from Sturgis, North Dakota, and Ken Chiang, the skate punk from Southern California - in a cross country 'battle royale' from New York to LA.

"Coordinating with leading edge media partners like Shockwave.com to create an integrated media campaign is a key to our online strategy," comments Laura Lee, coordinator of Toyota's program. "Noise Media helped us maximize our targeted reach with innovative initiatives such as a branded CD, targeted email, and performance based rich media placement."

"We are becoming recognized as an interactive agency for global brands looking to find new ways to reach media-savvy youth markets, says Noise Media President/CEO, Trevor Carr. "We are a young company with talented designers and animators from around the world who make up this demographic". Carr continues, "Our creative team was extremely excited to work with a world class company such as Toyota, and approached this project with fresh ideas and unconventional concepts that pushed the boundaries of mainstream marketing".

About Noise Media

Noise Media is an interactive agency specializing in cross-platform entertainment marketing solutions. As a leading developer of rich media enhanced e-business applications and convergence marketing solutions, Noise Media provides a full range of marketing strategies, animation and original branded content for businesses worldwide. Noise Media's clients include: Molson, Michelin, Def Jam/Universal, Moonshine Music, Eidos Interactive, and Toyota Motor Sales, Inc.

About Toyota

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., is the sales, marketing, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota in the United States and is a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp. Through a network of over 1,400 Toyota and Lexus dealers, it has achieved sales of more than 1 million vehicles annually over the past 13 years. TMS' goal is to become the "most successful and respected car company in America." Toyota Motor Corp. and its manufacturing subsidiaries produced more than 6.17 million vehicles worldwide in calendar year 2002. Toyota vehicles are manufactured in 27 countries and are renowned for their quality, reliability and value. Toyota is the third-largest vehicle manufacturer in the world and the fourth-largest automaker in North America.