I went to Toyota’s Put It In Play event in Alameda, CA yesterday. It was a good idea:let people drive around some of Toyota’s newest cars in road course games. Favorite childhood games were transformed into adult car games for our enjoyment. Some included red-light green-light, capture the “checker” flag, and dodgeball (yes, you have to dodge the balls with the car). Best of all, it’s free.
To say the least, I had fun with the cars. What dealer would let you get in a car and push the machine to the limits on a road course? My fiancee and I happily hopped into a few Matrixes (or is it Matrices?) and Corollas and drived like maniacs through coned courses on an army base. Points were given out for winning different contests (only one play per game though…) And of course, the usual prizes are given out (shirts, movies, and iPods for highest score, an insane 98 that day)
However, the turn out was much smaller than expected. The little amount of people there was depressing. One could tell from all the turnstyles and staff present that Toyota must have expected thousands to come through. I could see it being much more fun with big crowds, people cheering, and a plethora of competition during the games. But, there was no line, no crowds, and barely any competitors. So Toyota, good job on a marketing scheme well thought out and implemented. Too bad no one came…