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clude a greater appreciation for nature. People are starting to realise that nature is finite and fragile. They are beginning to seek out more environmentally-friendly products, one of these being fuel-efficient cars. Toyota has responded to this by introducing the Toyota Prius onto the market. Even in Hollywood it seems that it is now cool to be environmentally responsible as a range of A-listers are now owners this hybrid car.

Question 3:

Toyota has ran a masterful marketing campaign so far. It has become the 'environmentally concerned' car manufacturer and the technology leader in the hybrid car market. It has targeted 'techies' and early adopters by educating consumers about the new car.

Toyota have used the power of the internet to promote the Prius. The first thing they did was educate consumers about the prius. They launched a website to distribute the information and sent 40000 e-brochures to likely buyers. It worked. The Prius 'flew out of dealer's showrooms' and they even had difficulty 'keeping up with demand'. They also ran print ads with tag lines such as 'when it sees red it charges', an emotional reference, and they ran television ads as well. By using these marketing tools to great effect the company was firmly established as a caring brand in the consumer's mind. The new 'environmentally concerned' Toyota is clearly a hit with customers as it sold 400000 hybrids in 2006 alone. It has even succeeded in making being green cool as a host of Hollywood celebrities like Cameron Diaz and even Arnold Schwarzenegger has one to park, ironically, beside his giant hummer.

Another effective strategy was to become the market leader in a new technology. It was risky to jump into the market that soon as it could have cost the company a lot of money if it didn't work out. Toyota always subtly stresses the technology aspect of the car in its advertising. Surprisingly hybrids aren't all that efficient. The citroen CZ, C1 and C3 all have better fuel consumption than the Prius, but it doesn't matter as Toyota 'have captured people's minds'. It's marketing campaigns have won over the environmentally conscious companies like IKEA, who are switching their car fleet to hybrids. Toyota's efforts have left other car makers 'racing to catch up'.

Marketing segmentation was used to great effect by Toyota. It set out very early on to target the 'techies' and the 'early adapters' through emails and the online website. 'Many Prius owners are immersed in technology', they even have their own website called 'Priusenvy.com'. It really has taken off with the 'techies'. They were able to make changes such as 'cruise control' and a 'sniffer' to the car without the help of a qualified mechanic or engineer. This success can be attributed to the narrow targeting of the cars.

Toyota could improve its strategy by appealing more to the general market for cars. Today the cost of a Prius is significantly lower than it was when it first came out. Perhaps it's time to focus on what a great small family car it would make or how it might suit a professional, like a teacher for example. There are many environmentally conscious people among the ranks of the middle class families of Ireland. By honing in on the small family market Toyota could bring an alternative to the Ford Mondeo and the Volkswagon Passet.

Overall Toyota has done almost everything right with the Prius. When