Here's viral advertising, social media and a public mural all rolled into one on behalf of the Toyota FT-86 (and Scion FR-S). The production FT-86 will finally debut November 30 at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Show. To build hype for that momentous occasion, Toyota dispatched dozens of painters to the city's busiest train station, Shinjuku, over the weekend where they created the art for a new FT-86 website -- http://fpw.toyota-digital.com/.
The fpw in the URL stands for Fastest Painted Website. It took the painters 8 hours and 6 minutes (get it, 8 and 6, like eighty-six, like FT-86? Clever..) to complete the job and if you were up and online at weird hours over the weekend, liking or tweeting the under-construction website would result in your screen name being briefly displayed on a digital ticker above the mural.
Actually, you can still have your second of fame, as the URL will be live through November 26. It's kind of neat because the website is basically a webcam of the mural and you can hear all the street sounds outside bustling Shinjuku.
Making-of video after the jump. Is this an example of clever, off-beat advertising, in your distinguished/humble opinion, or is Toyota's confused ad team just throwing fragments of youth culture at the wall to see if they stick?
(FT-86 Fastest Painted Website via FT86club)
carlisimo says:
10:50 AM, 11/21/11
I don't know if this applies to the new one, but the AE86 was known as the "eight-six," rather than "eighty-six."
ergsum says:
03:04 PM, 11/21/11
I guess this is the first alternative fuel vehicle that runs purely on "hype".
inlinesix says:
07:03 PM, 11/21/11
Hey Ive been there--its a busy place.
stovt001 says:
06:52 AM, 11/22/11
Those painters probably work in the factory's paint shop and have nothing else to do since there is no actual car to paint.