Toyota Receives “Viewer Engagement” Guarantee from NBC

NEW YORK, July 21: NBC has inked an advertising deal with
Toyota guaranteeing the car company a specific level of “viewer engagement”,
with plans to use IAG Research to prove that audiences are paying attention—and
are remembering ad spots.

IAG will measure audiences’ recall of television program
elements. According to a release from Toyota, studies show a strong correlation
between recall of show details to viewers' retention of the accompanying
advertising components.

"Toyota places a premium on working with media
outlets that are committed to accountability," said Kim McCullough, the
corporate manager for marketing communications at Toyota Motor Sales (TMS).
"Beyond audience size, we want the networks to focus on
attention-grabbing, highly-engrossing shows that keep audiences tuned in."

Marianne Gambelli, the executive VP of sales and marketing
at NBC Universal, added, "NBC understands the need to demonstrate
commercial effectiveness, and we have aggressively created innovative solutions
to help our clients achieve their marketing objectives and prove that our
product works. We know our programs will attract and engage the quality
audience that Toyota is seeking, and we look forward to working with them to
provide further insight beyond standard audience ratings."