We get the lowdown on how brand experience agency Owl Live created an experiential and immersive product and communications training programme for Toyota that achieved fantastic results….

Brief

Toyota invited brand experience agency Owl Live to create a comprehensive training programme to engage its 1900+ person sales force to sell the automotive brand’s new crossover, the Aygo X and all-electric vehicle, the bZ4X.

Owl Live’s appointment on the Aygo X and bZ4X projects followed the successful creation of a digital and interactive TV series for Toyota’s Yaris Cross, which was delivered during the pandemic. The digital TV series replaced Toyota’s traditional in-person product training.

Solution

Over three months, the agency delivered two extensive comms and training programmes [one for each vehicle] at Burnaston, Derby, the home of Toyota Manufacturing UK. Owl Live built a temporary structure within Toyota’s grounds and trained Toyota representatives on the all new Aygo X and bZ4X. The temporary structure was adjacent to Toyota’s in-house training academy and enabled Owl Live to create a range of experiential sessions, which comprised of themed room sets, interactive walls, driving and gamification.

In total, Owl Live delivered eight knowledge sessions and three product driving sessions, training more than 990 sales professionals on the Aygo X and more than 1,000 sales professionals on the bZ4X.

Muriel Holdsworth, managing partner of Owl Live, said: “For these latest projects, we went back to long-awaited in-person training and delivered a training programme that was created using our insight-led approach and strategy. It was important that Toyota’s sales professionals understood the evolution of their roles and thought of themselves as relationship managers, ensuring the right customer was partnered with the right car at the right time. It was paramount that our solution left Toyota’s sales professionals feeling inspired and motivated.”

Holdsworth continued: “Consumers that visit car showrooms and dealerships are so much more aware of what they are buying. They do their research before they visit a centre so old sales techniques no longer work. It was paramount that the training we delivered armed Toyota’s sales professionals with all the information they needed to understand the car and the customer to cement the connection between the brand and the consumer and deliver a more personalised experience.”

Results

Dave Catt, manager sales, product, and brand training at Toyota said of the Aygo X training programme: “The experiential training programme was a great success, demonstrated by amazing feedback from our sales professionals. We surveyed our colleagues post-training and a staggering 97 per cent felt confident in their knowledge of the new car and their ability to communicate key information about the latest model. Owl Live’s strategy-led approach ensured fantastic results, demonstrated by comprehensive delegate feedback.”

Following the success of the Aygo X, bZ4X, and Yaris Cross campaigns, Owl Live will organise an in-centre training roadshow throughout July and August.