Lol Miku Hatsune in a Toyota Commercial.

[Yamamaya]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq0jNcS4BeY&feature=player_embedded

I'm not really sure what to think of this. Maybe there's a Vocaloid fan at Toyota USA or something?

[Midori]

And I thought it was weird when Miku appeared in the Reader's Digest...

[Ally-Ann]

... Was that an actual commercial, or did someone just edit the visual part of a commercial and leave the audio? Sorry if it's a dumb question, but that seemed like it could be on TV.

[Midori]

I'm pretty sure it's an actual commercial. Toyota has a thing about it on their website.
http://www.toyota.com/corollamiku/

[ChristianKitsune]

That doesn't even make sense... O_o regular car-buying Americans (aside form the niche anime fandom) won't even know who she is.

[Rusty Claymore]

That doesn't even make sense... O_o regular car-buying Americans (aside form the niche anime fandom) won't even know who she is.

They'll find out. XD

[Yamamaya]

That doesn't even make sense... O_o regular car-buying Americans (aside form the niche anime fandom) won't even know who she is.

It is rather unusual and it will catch people's attention. "A CGI singer superstar? Who is this? *googles* However it still makes me rage that we have Miku in an American commercial before we get a localized version of the Vocaloid programs.:mutter:

[UniqueAngelStar]

When I first saw this commercial, I was way happy that Miku is introduced in America!:jump: That means she is really getting popular, she should make a appearance in the U.S. I don't see why some people would complain over a commercial. That means they recognized her as something popular. Miku might be the next Hello Kitty in America.

They should improve the commercial by the narration, but otherwise, the commercial wasn't so bad. I don't see the fuss about it. Miku looks fine, they even say her name and song in Japanese.

But reading complaints from comments from Youtube, I kinda imagined how Non-Anime fans who don't understand Otaku culture would react to this. They would think it's Sailor Moon with green hair singing(I know they mention her name in the ad, that was kinda a joke I'll assume, lol)

But the way they market here like that, even if we wouldn't really buy the car, it's kinda odd that they introduce to her in America like that.
But the art on the Toyota site is kinda odd, but I didn't mind because they are varities of Miku's fan artwork, so it's fine for me to see her in a "western" look.

And I thought it was weird when Miku appeared in the Reader's Digest...

See? This proves that Miku is getting popular.

Well, I hope I can see this commercial when the TV airs it. I will be even more exicted!:jump:

Geez I wonder what next, guest star America from Hetalia in a McD ad? Lol, just kidding(Seriously, it wouldn't go that far:sweat:)

[Rusty Claymore]

However it still makes me rage that we have Miku in an American commercial before we get a localized version of the Vocaloid programs.

http://www.zero-g.co.uk/index.cfm?articleid=800 Yeah, it's not Miku, but it is a vocaloid.

[Yamamaya]

http://www.zero-g.co.uk/index.cfm?articleid=800 Yeah, it's not Miku, but it is a vocaloid.

Yes there are a few American made ones, but none of the original Vocaloids.

I like Luka better anyway.

[aliveinHim]

That's funny. I'm a fan of the Kagamine twins though.

[UniqueAngelStar]

Sorry if I get a little off-topic but I knew they were other vocaloids around the time I started to like the Japanese ones. It's kinda sad that the original ones(who are not the japanese type) are underrated than Miku, Luka and the twins.

I may like Miku, but I like Luka better also.

[blkmage]

Oh, so this is why they need Toyota to sponsor them.

[TWWK]

Oh, so this is why they need Toyota to sponsor them.

That would explain a lot. The commercial is obviously meant for a niche audience (note the quality of the narration/sound and what looks to me like stock footage of screaming crowds). The media/advertising group Toyota uses made the commercial look pretty good, but imagine it's costs were relatively low.

[blkmage]

As it turns out,

The ad is targeted at young Asian Americans, according to Toyota, and is part of a comprehensive package with a social media bent. The TV commercial will run on Asian-language programs in the U.S. There are no current plans to expand it beyond the American audience.

I feel like someone's messed up their market research. They have some of the other language versions up and I thought watching it in English was weird, but watching it in Canto took it one step further.

I find it kind of funny that they specifically say that the concert is going to be based on Sega's 2010 39's Giving Day concert and not 5pb's 2011 39's Giving Day concert, as if people here might be worried that it'd suck again.

[Nami]

This is weird.

I like Vocaloid...but she's a 3D character. People, you can never have her autograph XD the car commercial was cool though. Plus, I'm more into the Twins than Miku. And I'm more into real-live bands than 3D ones

[Yamamaya]

As it turns out,

I feel like someone's messed up their market research. They have some of the other language versions up and I thought watching it in English was weird, but watching it in Canto took it one step further.

I find it kind of funny that they specifically say that the concert is going to be based on Sega's 2010 39's Giving Day concert and not 5pb's 2011 39's Giving Day concert, as if people here might be worried that it'd suck again.

Because clearly only young Asian Americans enjoy Vocaloids. I'm unsure of how well this will do. It really depends on how familiar the average Asian American audience is with Vocaloids.

I can understand why they uploaded the commercial in English on Youtube, considering that they can find a different audience on Youtube.

Also I found that article unintentionally hilarious since they referred to Miku as Ms. Miku and they called her "busty." Clearly they have no idea who Megurine Luka is.

[blkmage]

This is weird.

I like Vocaloid...but she's a 3D character. People, you can never have her autograph XD the car commercial was cool though. Plus, I'm more into the Twins than Miku. And I'm more into real-live bands than 3D ones

It is strange because, iirc, I don't think Miku has actually been used to endorse anything like this in Japan.

I get the feeling that a huge number of foreign Vocaloid fans are fans of just the Vocaloids themselves and it may have to do with the extra degree of separation from producers by not being on Nico Nico Douga.

The Vocaloid community in Japan is a lot more complex, in that people aren't singularly focused on the Vocaloids themselves, but are also fans of the producers of all of that Vocaloid content. Almost anyone having to do with Vocaloid PV production can have fans, like composers, instrumentalists who provide backing, illustrators and animators who draw the PV, singers who cover Vocaloid songs, etc.

Like, when people buy Vocaloid albums, they're not buying them because of Miku or Luka or Rin and Len. People know that they're just synthesized voices. People buy albums because they like the music that supercell or DECO*27 or wowaka or sasakure.UK makes.

[blkmage]

Toyota USA continues its production of baffling videos with one of an alleged flash mob and another one about MIKU-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN.

And for the aforementioned Asian-language CMs, here's Korean, Viet, Canto, and Mando.

[Yamamaya]

Toyota USA continues its production of baffling videos with one of an alleged flash mob and another one about MIKU-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN.

And for the aforementioned Asian-language CMs, here's Korean, Viet, Canto, and Mando.

The flash mob one was okay.
I heard about the second one on THAT board. It was bad to say the least. The way that guy said, "MIKU-CHANNNNNN" made me want to tear my eardrums out. I guess they're trying to get it catch on by producing as many ads as possible

[Princess Kairi]

Oh my gosh this is crazy! I knew Miku was popular, but I didn't know she was this popular! This made my day! They should use the other Vocaloid character too!

[blkmage]

Toyota is the gift that keeps awkwardly giving: [1], [2]

[Yamamaya]

Toyota is the gift that keeps awkwardly giving: [1], [2]

First commercial: Asian man sips zombie juice then uses some undefined program to put a mustache on Miku. Miku shows up from behind and slaps him with a leek.

Okay. There really isn't much to say about this commercial. My initial reaction was, "Well this is kind of sterotypical." Then when it was over I could only say okay.

The second commercial. Wut.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Someone in the marketing department is a total weaboo...

Overall I don't think it's a very successful marketing campaign... cause virtually nobody knows who that character is. Even Asian-Americans... who usually don't watch Asian-American television programming anyway.

[ich1990]

These ads make no sense.

I don't even know who Miku Hatsune is and I have been part of the anime/manga subculture for half a decade.

How in the world is this going to sell cars?

These ads make no sense.

[Wallachia]

The second commercial. Wut.

That particular commercial is upsetting. There's just something off about her 3D model... and... Bacon wrapped hotdogs + Miku. Seriously?
It makes me cringe, and I feel bad for anyone who is introduced to Hatsune Miku thanks to that commercial.

If someone took an English speaking character like Optimus Prime, made him play out an unfunny comedy skit with subtitles, then air it in a non-English country that knows nothing of the character, you'd only be making the fans upset.

Actually, now the Miku commercial doesn't look so bad...

[Yamamaya]

These ads make no sense.

I don't even know who Miku Hatsune is and I have been part of the anime/manga subculture for half a decade.

How in the world is this going to sell cars?

These ads make no sense.

That's because Miku is rather separate from the rest of the anime/manga subculture. She's a Vocaloid, basically a synthesized music program. And on that note.

Someone in the marketing department is a total weaboo...

Overall I don't think it's a very successful marketing campaign... cause virtually nobody knows who that character is. Even Asian-Americans... who usually don't watch Asian-American television programming anyway.

This is probably my biggest problem with this commercial. Do Asian-Americans really love Vocaloids that much that they'll buy a Toyata due to this ad? I suppose Asian-Americans whose English may not be very good or nonexistant might watch Asian-American programming, which I guess is the audience they're targeting. It's still ludicrous.

The weeaboo explanation makes the most sense. Especially after that horrific..MIKU-CHANNNNNNNNNNN commercial.

That particular commercial is upsetting. There's just something off about her 3D model... and... Bacon wrapped hotdogs + Miku. Seriously?
It makes me cringe, and I feel bad for anyone who is introduced to Hatsune Miku thanks to that commercial.

Maybe I just have a dirty mind, but I also found the commercial was bound to receive gutter jokes. It wasn't funny, it wasn't clever, it was just....wut. Why does Miku like bacon wrapped hotdogs so much? Just because something doesn't make sense doesn't make it funny and LOLRANDOM.

I

f someone took an English speaking character like Optimus Prime, made him play out an unfunny comedy skit with subtitles, then air it in a non-English country that knows nothing of the character, you'd only be making the fans upset.

Actually, now the Miku commercial doesn't look so bad...

That would probably be much better because well it's Optimus Prime. It would be funny just because of how bad it was. Miku is just...uhhh.

There was that one Korean Robo cop commercial from the 80s. Except it was hilarious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pOoSe2K5DU

[SincerelyAnomymous]

Commercials are suppose to be smart and clever. What is wrong with Toyota? I don't know the singer well, but I can tell they're probably making her look bad in America.

[blkmage]

The saga continues.

[battletech]

Maybe the owner of Miku is looking to enter new markets. This could be their way of testing the water. This is how companies work . They have something new and the put it out in a limited market. If it meets all their criteria they expand. I could see them making a deal with Toyota to do that. This is all speculation on my part. Just my mind thinking stuff up.