Toyota Ads Launch in Yahoo's Livestand iPad App

Ads for Toyota’s Prius V appeared over the weekend in Livestand, Yahoo’s new digital reading experience for the iPad. As exclusive sponsor of the new app, Prius has 40 percent share of Livestand ad space during the launch period.

Toyota is using Yahoo’s so-called Living Ad format, designed to grab users with high levels of interactivity, including photography and sequenced videos that use the device’s accelerometer and large canvas. The ads are priced in the $200,000 to $500,000 range for packages that run through Q1 2012, according to Alex Linde, Yahoo’s director of mobile and tablet advertising. He said prices vary according to the look and feel of the ad.

Dionne Colvin, national manager of media for Toyota, said in an email, “This ad unit takes advantage of how users interact and explore with the iPad as opposed to other digital and mobile devices.” She said the novelty of Livestand and the Living Ad will help Toyota make a splash with its car launch.

Unveiled earlier this month, Livestand is a key element in Yahoo’s mobile-centric product strategy. Built using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, it kicked off with 100 general and niche-interest publishing titles. Toyota is joined by another launch sponsor, DreamWorks Pictures film “War Horse.”

In an ad effectiveness study conducted by Yahoo and Ipsos prior to the official launch of Living Ads, users were considerably more likely to interact with a Living Ad for jeans brand Denim & Thread versus a static ad. Forty-four percent of those who saw it had a higher opinion of Denim & Thread after seeing it, versus 36 percent for the static ad.

While the numbers do indicate strong engagement with the ads, advertisers hoping for similar results should plan for a significant production investment. The Denim & Thread Living Ad used assets originally shot in 2010 for a plasma screen “motion poster” format.