ToyotaYawn Ad Campaign Highlights Lack of Commitment to Electric Vehicles
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Public Citizen today launched ToyotaYAWN, a five-figure ad campaign highlighting Toyota Motor Corp.’s lack of commitment to convert its full line-up of cars and trucks to zero-emission vehicles.
“ToyotaYAWN is on!” reads an actress in the commercial spot. “With zero commitment to electrify our full fleet and only one EV on the market, it’s the least exciting time of the year.”
The ad lampoons the company’s decades-long end-of-the-year sale. ToyotaYAWN is the latest in a long line of parodies of Toyota’s sale event, including by “The Onion,” and “The Daily Show.”
“The boring, out-of-touch, and gas-guzzling offerings at Toyota’s end-of-year sales event are enough to put anyone to sleep,” said East Peterson-Trujillo, clean vehicles campaigner with Public Citizen. “Consumers want electric vehicles, but Toyota’s refusal to innovate means we won’t find them at ToyotaYAWN this year.”
The ad campaign, which will run online and on streaming platforms and is live through January 2, targets Toyota owners in Texas, Minnesota, Georgia, Idaho and Tennessee.
The Toyota-yawn commercial comes a week after activists from across the country called on Toyota to commit to produce only zero-emission cars by signing petitions, placing phone calls to executives and local dealerships, and through actions on social media.