Toyota Africa took online interactivity to the offline world to promote Toyota RAV4. Since the vehicle is designed to appeal to people who spend most of their time away from computer screens, the car manufacturer wanted to reach the target audience through the media that would resonate with their active, offline lifestyle. The brand teamed up with DraftFCB Johannesburg and the digital agency Hellocomputer to build an outdoor bike trail that imitated a traditional website.
The project was brought to life at the Bryanston Cycle Park in Johannesburg. The production team installed sensors, a number of custom-built mechanisms and WiFi across the 1.8-km cycling track. Along the way, cyclists could physically open web-pages of the site including Models, Design, Safety, Interior, and Book a Test Drive. Instead of clicking on hyperlinks on the screen, they slapped on the signs on their way through the trail. Based on their choice, they saw different pieces of information that emerged in their surrounds along the trail.
Created with a “natural” twist, most of the “website installation” was made of wood. For the ultimate interactive feel, the trail also allowed cyclists to send Tweets by tapping on wooden “blue bird” button signs along the road as they moved through. Information about the new model popped up at the appropriate time in line with the online narration as the riders navigated the offline site. At the end of the track, that functioned just like a traditional website, cyclists could book a test drive. Once they received a test drive booking slip, printed out by a “tree stump,” they automatically entered a competition for a chance to win a prize.
“In 1996 the RAV4 created a niche for people looking for a compact urban SUV that did not shy away from a weekend adventure. To further reaffirm this we have taken some of the digital content created for the RAV4 and brought it to life in a real life website that you cycle through and interact with—a real weekend adventure, thanks to the RAV4,” says Calvyn Hamman, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Toyota SA Motors.
For a deeper insight into the project, watch the video below.