Toyota: Library Car

Partnering with a public library in Turku, they offered residents the opportunity to borrow the bZ4X for a day using their library card. This innovative approach, a world first, aimed to make EVs more accessible and generate excitement. By leveraging the accessibility of libraries, Toyota effectively challenged price perceptions and generated significant buzz around its new EV.

Toyota, the market leader in Finland, launched their first electric vehicle (EV) in 2023. The main challenge that they came to us with was how do you attract attention in a market with fierce competition and an audience considering EVs out of reach due to high price point?

We came up with the idea of borrowing an electric car with a library card – an experiential campaign where anyone can use their library card to borrow an electric Toyota bZ4X from the public library. In a world first, The Turku City Library launched an experiment where citizens borrowed an electric car with their library card. The goal with this experiment was to offer new mobility opportunities with low emissions to the citizens of Turku. Over a three-week period, you could borrow an electric car from the Turku City Library through the usual lending procedure with your library card. With a local campaign supported by PR we managed to make it a national success attracting even international attention.

All available vehicle lending slots for the three-week campaign were booked within 30 minutes of the website opening. The campaign's success is further underscored by its recognition as a contender for prestigious awards, including Cannes Lions, D&AD, EuroBest, and Effie Finland.