In January, the South African Toyota Hilux team entered the Dakar Rally for its second time. The team’s first attempt in 2012 saw it place 3rd and 10th, giving the team a large and loyal fan base overnight.
Our 2012/2013 Hilux Campaign invited hardcore fans to ‘be a part of the team’. The team’s website became a hub where fans could get closer to their favourite rally team. But how do we reward them and create the experience of being a part of the team?
Make fans feel like a Toyota Rally driver, by giving them South Africa’s #1 Rally Co-driver as their GPS. Fans of the Hilux were rewarded with a free download of Rob Howie’s GPS Voice if they interacted with the website. By using him as their GPS, fans get to feel like a Hilux Rally driver and literally feel a part of the team.
Hundreds of GPS phrases were tailored to make fans feel like they were getting their directions from one of the top co-drivers in the world. To heighten the experience, we recorded the original sounds of the Dakar Toyota Hilux and laid them under Rob’s voice, really making the driver feel as if they were in the rally Hilux.
