Japan
Advertising and Publicity
1946-1955
Rising from the Ashes: The Predawn of Personal Automobiles
The Toyota Crown arrived on the scene in 1955 as the first passenger car built purely from Japanese technologies. It was developed through a trial-and-error process that improved and adapted technologies from the SB small truck and SA compact passenger car, both announced in 1947.
SA compact passenger car
Up until the Crown's arrival, Toyota took every opportunity to make itself broadly known. As in prewar times, it used business tie-ups, prizes, and other strategies to continually redefine the identity and value of itself and its products in the public mind.
As soon as the war ended and the political climate in Japan calmed, Toyota launched a series of new campaigns and new media advertisements in an effort to promote interest in passenger cars.
Year |
Month |
Events |
|---|---|---|
1946 |
September |
Public contest announced to decide nickname for Toyota compact cars; Yaso Saijo, Hachiro Sato, and Keizo Horiuchi serve as judges; Winner goes to 'Toyopet' in October 1947 |
1948 |
January |
SA compact passenger car donated to Toho Co., Ltd.'s 'Jigoku no Kifujin' ('Lady from Hell'), a movie written by Akira Kurosawa and starring Michiyo Kogure; Released the following year |
1949 |
March |
Toyota pavilion erected at the Yokohama Trade Exhibition, Japan's first fair after World War II |
1951 |
August |
BX large truck launched; Major moving exhibition held for two days each in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka |
1952 |
January |
Use of radio media commenced; Commercial song, 'Travel the World, Toyopet!', broadcasted on the 'Akireta Sekai Ryoko' show produced by Radio Tokyo |
1954 |
April |
|
May |
Toyopet Super donated to 'Central Japan Tour' hosted by Asahi Shimbun Company for elementary school children |
|
1955 |
January |
first shown at the Tokyo Toyopet showroom and at nationwide locations thereafter |
July |
First direct mail printed; publicity activities launched; advertising activities also grow |
|
December |
Large neon tower with clock erected at Sukiyabashi intersection in Tokyo |
