Toyota, Yahoo partner for AR-powered car shopping experience

Dive Brief:

• Yahoo and Toyota have teamed together to create a multi-channel campaign, called “Says So Much,” meant to promote the 2023 Toyota Crown, according to a press release. 
• Key to the effort is an augmented reality (AR) experience that allows users to scan a QR code to take a 360-degree virtual tour of the sedan’s interior and exterior, pausing at “educational hotspots” to gain deeper insights, per the release.
• The campaign also includes digital out-of-home, banner display and connected TV activations. The effort is the latest AR campaign by Yahoo and follows growing interest by brands in the space.

Dive Insight:

According to Yahoo, 80% of car shoppers are open to purchasing a vehicle online, meaning the category is ripe for an experience that caters to mobile shopping. The new AR experience sees Toyota adapting to the times with a detailed experience that consumers can take advantage of from the comfort of their garage or driveway.

Using the AR lens, consumers can fully tour the car with perspectives that include walking around it, sitting in the driver’s seat and even going on a virtual drive. Through the effort, Yahoo is able to provide Toyota with key consumer insights, including popularity of specific color choices and features, to help the carmaker with planning and guidance for the future, per the release.

The Toyota partnership is the latest in a string of AR-related promos for Yahoo. A 2021 holiday effort for Walmart included an AR version of an arcade claw game that encouraged consumers to collect virtual prizes. Yahoo also worked with Saks Fifth Avenue to develop an interactive AR selfie filter on Instagram that transports users to a Saks-inspired virtual world.

Others have also capitalized on the hype surrounding augmented reality, namely Snapchat. The social media platform has partnered with a growing list of brands including Amazon, Disney and American Eagle, with the latter partnership resulting in AR American Eagle virtual storefronts that users can shop.