Toyota has edited a Prius ad that insults Fresno, taking out any references to our favorite city. That came after Mayor Alan Autry contacted Sen. Dianne Feinstein about the ad, and she fired off a letter to Shige Hayakawa, president of Toyota North America. On Friday, Toyota apologized to "the great city of Fresno for this commercial."
Over the years, Fresno has been made fun of in various ways, and it's tricky responding to such slights. You risk sounding defensive, further ingraining a perceived inferiority complex. I think the mayor handled it just right. These shots at Fresno are unfair, and the city should respond. But now let's take this publicity hit and turn it to our advantage.
Prius, Toyota's fuel-efficient hybrid, trades on its environmental credentials. So let's point out to Toyota our environmental credentials, and ask the automaker to include them in their ads. For example, we are "Solar Valley," having some of the most advanced solar projects in the nation. Fresno State has just opened one of the largest solar panel projects on an U.S. campus. Fresno Yosemite International Airport is working on installation of a 2-megawatt system early next year that will provide 40% of the airport's annual power. The city has several other solar projects, and there are others around the Valley.
Let's tell Prius that we will partner with them to tell the renewable energy story. "Fresno and Prius: A green team worth checking out." That could help sell more cars for Toyota and sell the real Fresno story for this region.
it's Fresno, Montana, you guys!
>> You risk sounding defensive, further ingraining a perceived inferiority complex.
The inferiority complex is evedent by the airport/city insisting on the false illusion that our airport is FYI instead of FAT. Look at the official airport web site and you'll see. It screams "we are ashamed of ourselves!" PLEASE be honest, the identifier is FAT NOT FYI.
Stupid idea!-If you have to stop in Fresno-check out our solar panels?
Now that you made a big stink about a big stink, people in the middle of nowhere are agreeing with Toyota's entertaining ad.
Life is like a sandbox: it isn't fair and people throw things.
These are great ideas. We need to remind the world of our technological and business successes.
If that doesn’t work we could bring back the old marketing slogan from the 80s: "At least we're not Bakersfield."
What's the point of all these local politicians bristling and demanding apologies? They just make Fresno look humorless and defensive.
One wonders how Dan Whitehurst would have responded to this ad if he had been elected mayor instead of Autry. My guess is that he would have responded with humor and made something positive come out of it.
If we can laugh at ourselves, others will be laughing with us instead of at us.
Out of spite, I am going to fill-up my gas tank to Full in protest toward Prius, although I have a Toyota minivan:(
I think I'll just buy another competitor's hybrid. ;-) Sorry, Prius! You need to brush up on your sales etiquette and get some tact for your tactics. And you know this customer's right!
Even if they are talking about Fresno Ca who cares you can't be bothered by put downs unless you feel like they are true. I think I am going to buy a Prius anyway.
Just found the following on a Wired magazine blog site concerning Fresno's protest of this ad. Looks like we're still a dump!
Toyota recently put out an amusing television advertisement wherein a cheerful eco-friendly future is depicted. In passing, the deadpan voice-over declares that "gas stations will become nothing more than low-budget tourist stops, like ghost-towns, or Fresno." It is a half-second comment in a minute-long ad packed with dry observational humor. And it is funny.
Responding to a victimhood-clutching hissy fit from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, however, Toyota has pulled the ad and apologized to Frenso mayor and mascara-streaked whiner Alan Autry.
Toyota, you are a coward. Being edgy and cool is great — especially when you pull it off. But this backtracking, bowing and scraping the moment someone gets offended is disgusting. There's something intensely icky about being ruled by the fake outrage of others.
Fresno. There's a reason you got into an ad portraying a utopia of fixed grins and cowfart harvesting: it's because you are a dump. Hypersensitive blubbering won't help you with your richly deserved self-esteem problem. That you're demanding Toyota build a factory in your town because you are offended by it just tells the world how desperate you are.