http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=a8XwoOb8Nczo&refer=japan

This article deals with Toyota’s new division called Scion. Scions are marketed towards younger people. Toyota’s plan is simple; they sell cheap reliable cars, and market them solely to “edgy young dudes of the world.” This means that they are not advertising through the usual mediums of TV and print. Instead all advertisements are being done on the internet and targeted towards younger people. The people then get hooked and keep on buying Toyotas.

This got me thinking about how this is essentially (like all viral marketing campaigns) forming a cascade. This is because they want people to spread the word of how good these cars are to their friends, and hopefully it spreads through word of mouth. In addition they are getting you to buy more Toyotas in the future. I say this because the article states “Customer surveys show 80 percent of Scion buyers wouldn’t have bought another Toyota vehicle, the company said. So far, Scion customers are also mainly choosing Toyota models for their next purchase.” So it would seem as if there is a cascade forming, because normally people would not buy a Toyota, but after being tricked into buying one they like it.