Toyota asked Reddit a question and didn’t immediately get ripped to shreds
To promote the new RAV4, Toyota hired actor James Marsden to show off the SUV’s durability in a new commercial. In it, he rescues astronauts stranded at a Mars simulation facility by repairing their broken rover and bringing them water.
In addition to airing on television, Toyota purchased a promoted thread on Reddit asking users “If you had to live in a Mars simulation colony for a year, which three people would you want to live with and why?”
Surprisingly, Reddit users answered it earnestly. Rather than trolling the brand, Redditors, who have been notoriously advertising-averse in the past, responded with honest (and goofy) answers, racking up more than 300 comments.
“I would gladly make the sacrifice of spending a year trapped in an isolated experimental environment with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, to prevent them from becoming the next President. I have to admit, that would make the third person pretty difficult to recruit,” the top answer reads, before it took a tail spin with answers of who the third person would be (Ted Nugent and Kanye West, were among the top answers).
Another answer was Matt Damon, mostly because he’s known for roles in space thrillers such as The Martian and Interstellar. “Jason Bourne would plant a mean potato,” one mused.
There were practical answers, too. “If I’m looking to survive? A doctor, a botanist, and an architect from NASA. Health, food, and building integrity are important,” a person commented. Another added: “Elon Musk for his Engineering skills and insight. Howard Stern for his humor to make us laugh and Minka Kelly for obvious reasons…”
Toyota wasn’t completely immune from clowning, with one person simply answering “Toyota is garbage.”
More in Marketing
Pitch deck: Here’s how Amazon has been selling its DSP so far this year
The 24-page pitch deck for Amazon’s demand-side platform is telling: it puts its off-Amazon’s ambitions in black and white.
Amid sports marketing’s gold rush, some brands are targeting niche fan communities
As the ceiling on sport sponsorship investment rises, room for non-standard approaches is also growing for a variety of brands.
Startups try to make smart bets with marketing budgets ahead of a potentially volatile summer
While summer might be a slower season, it’s an important time for brands and retailers to ensure they’ve still got customers’ attention.