When Toyota unveiled Scion at auto shows in 2002-03, Jim Farley, who then was a vp at the company, proclaimed, "We're about providing Generation Y with concepts that stand out from the crowd." Indeed, marketing support positioned Scion as being quirky with a hefty dash of individuality, and came with a DJ/hip-hop soundtrack. Art shows, musical performances, a series of CDs with artists outside the boundaries of mainstream and other "culture-vulture" events drove, and built, that connection.

In 2008, as the auto industry has struggled, Scion sales are up 7.1% through July, per Autodata, Woodcliff Lake, N.J. However, critics claim that the brand's hold on the coveted target demo is not as solid as it has been. To establish itself anew, Scion is chasing 18-24-year-olds who are just forming their buying habits. These entertainment efforts have been led and coordinated by Jeri Yoshizu, sales and promotions manager for Scion at Toyota, Torrance, Calif., She spoke with Brandweek about marketing strategies.


Brandweek: How would you describe the demo you now are going after and how do they differ from previous Scion consumers?
Jeri Yoshizu: We did a great job using underground hip-hop music and culture and moved through that. We now need to see what 18-24-year-olds are now getting into. So let's say that one of our starter points when we were marketing five years ago was vertical sites, music sites that concentrated on a specific genre of music and promoting events through e-mail blasts and banners. Now look, there are blogs everywhere. Things change and we have to change with that.
A lot of companies, auto or not, look at whatever they are doing and time just goes by and they age along with their target market. Our strategy is not to age but to refresh. And not to drop whoever is aging.
 
BW: What does broadening Scion's appeal mean?
JY: [As an example] we are doing something with Kitsune, a French boutique with a clothing line and a music label that is very sophisticated in terms of a brand. They will sponsor a CD coming out in the fall. Young people are very sophisticated about branding; they always want to be their own brand.

BW: Is there a typical Scion youth trend that you keep up with or performers with whom you want to align?
JY:  No, not really. Earlier on, we were approached by Def Jam and Blue Torch to do marketing initiatives and we turned both of them down. For example, you would only see Def Jam, you wouldn't even know there was a car company involved. We were letting everyone know at that time that we couldn't afford to be eclipsed . . . because we were trying to launch a brand.
We have the luxury of taking more risks than, say, Hewlett-Packard. We can appeal to a smaller group without having to look at Billboard's top 40  . . . The idea is to find [musicians] who understand the Scion buzz model. If they want to be part of it, great. If not, fine. The benefit for us is that we are making it happen. Every marketer should always remember what is your target and what is your budget. And act that way.


BW: Are you a party planner as well as a marketer?
JY: I am not [ultra-celebrity publicist] Lizzie Grubman. We produce events that are 100% controlled by Scion and we think really hard about what our target market is, what would fit into it and [how] to introduce new things into that. . . We produced the Motorhead show at this year's South by Southwest music festival [in March in Austin, Texas]. Motorhead was cool and easy to work with; we couldn't have asked for better from them.

BW: How supportive are company executives when you have an idea for a performer or an event?
JY: Part of my job is to come up with the best possible situations and if that can't happen then we go on to the next best. I've been lucky in that about 80% of my decisions are well supported. And if they aren't, it's usually for a good reason.