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Toyota RAV4 taps into the spirit of adventure with National Geographic partnership

Toyota RAV4 taps into the spirit of adventure with National Geographic partnership

The Challenge

Toyota’s RAV model is designed specifically for the adventurous driver. The 125th anniversary of National Geographic, a title synonymous with exploration and adventure, provided a great opportunity to tap into this audience.

The Idea

To inspire ordinary families to undertake their own voyage of discovery, Toyota and National Geographic created ‘Route 125 with RAV4’, an online mini-series and road map that saw explorer Daniel Raven Ellison and his 10-year-old son Seb travel around the UK. 

Running across multiple platforms, the Route 125 campaign took the form of an evolving, interactive road map, as father and son undertook 125 mini adventures in their RAV4, with videos posted on YouTube and an ongoing blog tracking the pair’s travels.

Four double page spread advertorial features highlighted the adventures in National Geographic.

Supported by digital display advertising and a paid-for Twitter campaign, Toyota amplified the Route 125 story online with a blogger outreach programme during the school summer holidays, challenging mums and dads to complete an adventure of their choice in a RAV4.

On Mumsnet.co.uk, the UK’s largest parenting site, Toyota created further dialogue via forums with a push towards test driving the RAV4. 

The Results

  • Toyota created a campaign that tapped into parents’ interest in outdoor activities with their kids, thereby increasing exposure of its RAV4 model
  • The activity achieved double the targeted social media engagements, generating more than 11,000 site visits and a hugely positive long-term legacy for the brand
  • The campaign reduced Toyota’s targeted cost per engagement (CPE) by almost 75%