Toyota: Moving forward online

Toyota Hybrid owners now get a car and a new social network specifically for them. In a unique move Toyota, the Japanese car manufacturer, has created a Web site like myspace.com for Hybrid owners, who can upload photos, post videos and chat with other owners.

"Connecting with your customers now means connecting them to their interests and lifestyles,"said Ryan Thomas, executive producer at Firstborn, the company that produced the Web site. This now takes purchasing a car to another level. Other great features of this site include interactive maps and a gas savings calculator. Also, in this new Web site Hybrid owners can discuss reasons for buying the vehicle. With nearly 10,000 users, this could be something more companies look into.

While this community is great for Hybrid owners, its dual role serves marketers as well. This site has the ability to group owners by attributes like age and vehicle color so that targeted messages can be sent to them in the future.