Prius

Describe the marketing strategies being followed by Toyota for the Prius. I think that Toyota is taking advantage of quite a few of the marketing strategies that we have learned about in this class for the Prius. I think that Toyota is using differentiation as a strategy to help meet customers’ needs; making the Prius the first mass-produced hybrid put into production and selling it outside of Japan was a major marketing initiative for the Prius. By positioning the Prius as the first mass-produced hybrid; Toyota got a first crack at the consumers looking for a hybrid vehicle and could build a strong, eco-friendly brand. By getting into the hybrid market first and continuously changing and improving the Prius for the consumer, Toyota built a strong competitive advantage over its competitors. Toyota chose to market the Prius toward an environmentally conscience, gas price saving group of customers as its initial target market. Once the Prius gained popularity with consumers, they have been sure to continue meeting customer need via product development. Since the first generation Prius, Toyota has made continual improvements to keep consumers interested. Toyota has introduced the synergy drive system, changed body styles, improved gas mileage, increased interior space and even introduced a bigger more powerful engine to keep up with consumer demands. One of the marketing strategies of the Prius for the American market has been to stress that the car does not need to be plugged in. I hope that this information is of use to anyone who happens to need it, good luck.