Toyota generates more than 2 million leads each year from Handraisers, yet it wasn’t engaging these prospective Toyota owners. Sending the same emails to everyone wasn’t working. Industry-wide, click rates were tumbling more than 10% each year. We needed to analyze and understand this steady feed of potential-customer data to help Toyota establish a relevant dialogue with this audience and, ultimately, drive sales.

Our challenge: Make sense of this diverse pool of people who opted in through widely ranging contact points—from music fests to NASCAR races—and create a program capable of addressing each person’s needs, interests and expectations.

Through the intelligent use of data and technology, we created a huge collection of dynamic content that promoted Toyota as an innovator and curated it for each Handraiser. The program came to life with a series of email pieces that addressed the appropriate stage of that customer’s journey, from awareness and exploration to purchase.

Each Handraiser received a micro-targeted magazine, a mosaic of relevant stories (think Flipboard) that connected with the individual culturally and as a potential car buyer. We observed how Handraisers interacted with this content and used the data to better understand and converse with each customer.

In the awareness stage, we presented diverse content, such as how Toyota’s innovations are improving safety in bike helmets or solar-panel efficiency. During exploration, we brought customers closer to the Avalon, Corolla and RAV4 design teams. And for the purchase phase, we used geo-fencing to connect shoppers to local dealerships.

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