Enhancing the Toyota brand

More than a branding exercise, this programme was part of a major internal reorientation for the company comprising new behaviour and cultural initiatives, a redefined sales and marketing proposition, product development emphasis and distributor/dealer focus.

Toyota is renowned the world over for cars that have a clear edge on quality and reliability but the brand was being squeezed in Europe between the pricing of newer competitors and the stronger ‘image’ offers from established manufacturers.

Designed to make Toyota the most desirable responsive, multi-cultural car brand in Europe, the programme has been developed to preserve the best of the brand’s current global image for quality and responsiveness, whilst building new values of creativity, individuality and engaging.

Within this, our role was to help research and define Toyota’s new brand platform a pan-European perspective and then reflect that vision, mission, set of values and proposition to both internal and external audiences.

Brought together as part of a company-wide training programme, we developed a strongly managed and simplified identity system and guidelines which clarify the relationship between the Toyota corporate parent and the Toyota and Lexus brands, as well as all Toyota products and services. Secondary graphics, coupled with a comprehensive literature styling and marketing communications system support and reflect the new values and personality.

Critical to the programme’s success was the faithful communication of the brand through the complex distributor and dealer network in major European markets, whose principals needed to be convinced of the benefits.

Enhanced guidelines were key to ensure consistent and accurate presentation of the Toyota brand system, visual language style and a comprehensive literature styling.