Case Study: Toyota Camry's Marketing Mix, Segmentation & Communication

This case study delves into Toyota's marketing management of the Toyota Camry, focusing on the 4Ps of the marketing mix, specifically within the United States. It highlights the brand's market segmentation strategy, targeting diverse customer segments based on ethnicity and psychographic behavior, including African American, Asian-American, Hispanic, and White demographics. The communication strategies employed are examined, revealing how different advertisements convey specific messages related to style, emotion, rebelliousness, and diversity, tailored to resonate with distinct cultural groups. The analysis emphasizes the crucial relationship between marketing and culture, demonstrating how Toyota leverages cultural understanding to enhance brand awareness and affinity. The study concludes by underscoring the importance of aligning marketing messages with local cultures to influence customer needs, buying behavior, and spending patterns effectively. Desklib provides access to similar case studies and resources for students.

Marketing management
Toyota

Toyota Camry case study 1
Different ads, Different ethnicities, Same car.
Marketing mix components
The marketing mix for this particular case throws light on the 4Ps of the case (Armstrong et. al.,
2015). The product here is Toyota Camry which is a new car by Toyota and signifies luxury,
style and class.
The place in question is United States of America. Various different and diverse customers from
America are targeted.
Most importantly, this case talks about the promotion strategy adopted by Toyota. Television ads
are predominant promotion strategy. These ads are unique as they target customers based on
their ethnicities. Four different ads have been created with assistance from four different
advertising agencies for effective promotions.
Market segmentation
Market segmentation refers to the process of dividing the market into various segments of
customers (Cross et. al., 2015). These segments may be demographic, geographic or
psychographic. The customer segments referred to in the case have been divided on the basis of
geography and psychographic behavior.
African American, Asian-American and Hispanic customers as well as white people are targeted
by the brand. Psychographic segmentation refers to the process of segmenting the market on the
basis of lifestyle. Toyota Camry is positioned as an elegant, stylish, fast, rebellious and
affectionate. Therefore people who fall under the similar psychograph have been targeted.
Communication strategy
The communication strategy refers to the message that the brand wishes to convey to its
customers (Fill & Turnbull, 2016). There are various communication strategies adopted by
Toyota Camry. In the first ad, the brand wishes to convey that the car is stylish and that African-
Americans would be able to relate with this. They have adopted the strategy to positive realism
in order to avoid being stereotypical.

Toyota Camry case study 2
The next ad conveys the message of the importance of expressing emotion and attachment
towards family members. The rebellious ad depicts a person disconnecting his mother’s call in
order to enjoy the drive. The ad communicated the message of being edgy and striking.
The last ad conveys the importance of thrill and an adrenaline rush. The ad also has various
actors from different ethnicities. Some are white and some are non-white in order to target the
transcultural mainstream and communicating the message of diversity in the country.
Marketing and culture
Marketing and culture go hand in hand. Marketing is the art of increasing awareness and
generating appeal towards a particular brand, product or service (Kotler, 2015). Culture on the
other hand helps marketers in understanding ways and strategies to make their product attractive.
Toyota Camry ads are perfect examples of how marketers can use the drawing board of culture
to generate awareness and likeability towards a brand.
In order to develop a successful marketing strategy, it is imperative for an organization to
consider the cultural implications of their actions. The communication message delivered by the
promotion strategies must be in sync with the local culture of the area. The culture that people
belong to largely influences customer needs, buying behavior and spending patterns. Therefore,
considering the same while marketing a product or a service will not only help the brand in
enhancing awareness but also increase affinity towards the brand.

Toyota Camry case study 3
References
Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M. and Brennan, R., 2015. Marketing: an introduction.
Pearson Education. India.
Cross, J.C., Belich, T.J. and Rudelius, W., 2015. How marketing managers use market
segmentation: An exploratory study. In Proceedings of the 1990 Academy of Marketing Science
(AMS) Annual Conference (pp. 531-536). Springer, Cham.
Fill, C. and Turnbull, S.L., 2016. Marketing communications: brands, experiences and
participation. Pearson. India.
Kotler, P., 2015. Framework for marketing management. Pearson Education India.