ART INSTITUTE OF NEW YORK CITY PARTNERS WITH TOYOTA

New York, NY (TribecaCollective) May 13, 2006- Toyota is sponsoring a unique opportunity for students to develop and implement a campaign to market the all-new Yaris. Students at the Art Institute of New York City are one of ten groups from select Art Institutes nationwide who are challenged with marketing the Yaris to its target audience – their peers. This unique industry-education partnership is part of a program sponsored by Toyota known as the Yaris Debut Challenge.

The Yaris Debut Challenge presents students with the rare and valuable opportunity to gain real world experience working with a prestigious client. During the spring quarter, these talented students will create a fully functioning marketing agency responsible for developing, implementing and evaluating a marketing campaign for their client, Toyota. The students’ campaign strategies will focus on increasing awareness for the Yaris, using new and creative tactics. Students receive a $2,500 budget to help bring their plans to life.

After organizing their agency and analyzing research about their target market, student teams will spend the initial stage of the semester formulating a marketing strategy and developing campaign ideas. The students will then present their ideas to executives from Toyota and execute their campaign. The program culminates in a formal, agency-style presentation that serves as a unique opportunity for students to present their successes and results from the campaign.

Many of today's college students face challenges when entering the job market because they are lacking critical experience needed to find a job upon graduation. The Yaris Debut Challenge effectively bridges the gap between industry and education, providing students with hands-on, experiential learning that develops their skills and prepares them for the future.

In addition to executing the marketing campaign, students will be competing for a chance to present to Toyota executives at their North American Headquarters in Torrance, CA. The top three marketing campaigns will be selected at the quarter’s end and students from those teams will be invited to present on their school’s behalf. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three schools based on the student presentations at headquarters.

The Yaris Debut Challenge is coordinated by EdVenture Partners, an education-marketing agency that designs unique industry-education partnerships at more than 300 campuses around the United States. EdVenture Partners, in conjunction with industry partners, provides each student agency with on-going resources, guidance and a project budget to implement their marketing campaign. For additional information, visit www.edventurepartners.com.

Watch for more information about the Yaris Debut Challenge at the Arts Institute of New York City throughout this spring. For further inquires regarding the project, please contact Denise Lai at 917-208-2901 or blah.



About the Yaris
On sale: April 2006

Pricing: Yaris Liftback starting at $10,950, Yaris Sedan starting at $11,825

Key product features:
Styling
Styled at Toyota’s European design studio, ED2.
Sedan and Liftback were styled and engineered separately, so they look distinct
Available in 15 colors
Spacious and Practical interior
Roomy and comfortable cabin with versatile seating configurations
Surprising standard features including air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, intermittent windshield wipers. Sedan has standard CD player with MP3
Fun-to-drive Performance and Handling
1.5 liter 4-cyl with VVT-i produces 106 horsepower
EPA estimates: M/T – 34/39, A/T – 33/37
Stiff chassis with responsive handling

Safety
Reinforced cabin with crumple zones
Adjustable headrests
Standard driver and passenger dual-stage airbags
Roll-sensing side curtain airbags available
ABS option
Visit www.toyota.com/yaris for additional information.
About Toyota
Toyota established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates ten manufacturing plants including one under construction. There are more than 1,400 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in the U.S., which sell more than 2 million vehicles a year. Toyota directly employs more than 32,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $13 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Find out more at www.toyota.com.
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