The 2017 Corporate Inductee, Toyota Joins an Elite Group of Eight Companies Ever Honored in the Hall of Fame’s 68-Year History 

NEW YORK (April 26, 2017) – Last night Toyota was honored by the American Advertising Federation as the 2017 corporate inductee during the 68th Annual Advertising Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies and Gala Dinner, held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.
 
Jim Lentz, chief executive officer and Jack Hollis, group vice president and general manager, Toyota Motor North America, accepted the honor on behalf of the company. Toyota joins an elite group of companies – only eight have been honored in the Hall of Fame's history – that have achieved legendary reputations as global industry leaders, and whose contributions to the art and business of advertising have changed the landscape of our industry, and become a part of the broader American story.
 
“We have worked very hard in the past decades to be more than just another car company and to be part of the fabric of America,” said Jim Lentz, chief executive officer, Toyota Motor North America.  “On behalf of more than 136,000 employees in North America, and more than 1,500 dealers, THANK YOU to the American Advertising Federation for this incredible honor.”
 
“Day in and day out, we rally our agency teams to be inspired, to challenge each other, to innovate, to take risks and not be afraid of stumbles,” said Jack Hollis, group vice president and general manager, Toyota Motor North America.  “We expect the team to think differently about the ideas we create for every product launch, every campaign – everything we do.  When you create an environment like that, great ideas and innovations are born and for that we thank our agency partners, including Conill, Burrell, Intertrend, Rezonate, Zenith – and Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles, our lead agency partner for nearly 50 years.” 
 
“A lesson from this year’s corporate inductee: if you want to transform a brand into an icon, it will take years of hard work.  But in the end, you will create a household name that is instantly recognizable as a symbol of quality, innovation, service and dedication,” said Ed Erhardt, Chairman of the Advertising Hall of Fame and the President of Global Sales and Marketing for ESPN while presenting the award.
 
"From its groundbreaking campaign featuring a Toyota Tundra hauling the space shuttle Endeavour across the 405 Freeway; to its early and successful outreach to multicultural audiences, including the award-winning “Mas Que un Auto” (More Than A Car) celebration of owner loyalty; to introducing the world to the Prius hybrid and Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell, by combining green thinking while educating the public about new technologies, through brilliant marketing;  Toyota has time and again demonstrated its creative leadership in advertising and marketing, all while showing a consistent commitment in that work to the greater good and the important American values of diversity, inclusion and forward-thinking," said AAF President & CEO James Edmund Datri.
 
Toyota was inducted into the Hall along with eight individual advertising legends and Robert De Niro was the recipient of this year’s President’s Award for Special Lifetime Contributions to Advertising.
 
For more information on the Advertising Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies & Gala, please visit aaf.org/ahof.

ABOUT TOYOTA
Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to advancing mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands.  Over the past 60 years, we’ve produced more than 30 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 44,000 people (more than 34,000 in the U.S.).  Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold almost 2.6 million cars and trucks (2.45 million in the U.S.) in 2016 – and about 85 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years are still on the road today.  
 
Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We share company resources and extensive know-how to support non-profits to help expand their ability to assist more people move more places. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.  

Kimberly Harms
Saatchi for Toyota
702-234-9517
[email protected]

Zachary Reed
Toyota USA
214-316-1128
[email protected]

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2017 Advertising Hall of Fame 01

Toyota North America CEO Jim Lentz (R) and Group Vice President and General Manager Jack Hollis (L) accept an award as Toyota is honored by the American Advertising Federation as the 2017 corporate inductee during the 68th Annual Advertising Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies and Gala Dinner.

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Jim Lentz, chief executive officer and Jack Hollis, group vice president and general manager, Toyota Motor North America, pose with honorees during the 68th Annual Advertising Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies and Gala Dinner, held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, April 25, 2017.

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(From L-R) Toyota North America CEO Jim Lentz, Ed Erhardt, President, Global Sales and Marketing ESPN and Chairman of the Advertising Hall of Fame and Toyota North America Group Vice President and General Manager Jack Hollis at the 68th Annual Advertising Hall of Fame Gala where Toyota was inducted into the 2017 Advertising Hall of Fame.

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