By B.L. Ochman
With the launch of its new Hangout on Air-based GooglePlus Collaborator Toyota is revolutionizing real-time social shopping. The only thing that’s missing from the experience is the heady new car smell.
Behold the future of marketing, social shopping, advertising and social networks.
While many are still whining about how much they hate GooglePlus, and most brands have yet to claim their GooglePlus local page – let alone become active participants in the most important change in online communications since interactive websites – Toyota has used GooglePlus to create a truly remarkable tool.
Powered by GooglePlus and based on Hangouts on Air, using Toyota Collaborator lets you:
start a GooglePlus Hangout with up to 10 people attending and up to 5 actively participating in real-time customization of a 2014 Toyota Corolla
pick colors and choose interior and exterior features
move your head to get a 3D view of the whole car
take a virtual test drive through your neighborhood or whatever location you would like by entering the coordinates into Google Maps with Street View
add a local Toyota dealer into the Hangout to ansewer your questions in real-time
schedule an actual test drive
check inventory
get prices
save up to three of your creations
Toyota and its advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi LA collaborated with Google and employed Joystick Interactive to build the social shopping app.
It’s a remarkable achievement, sure to bring about a sea change in online marketing. As Google+ Developers noted, “The Collaborator is a great example of how developers can use the Hangouts API to build great apps that solve real business problems.”
Get started in GooglePlus today – Book me for a GooglePlus Helpout
What’s your brand doing to learn how to maximize the impact of GooglePlus? I am a Google-certified GooglePlus Helpouts Coach. I can help you get up to speed quickly and well. Book me for a GooglePlus Helpout today! Click on the little green man in the green Helpouts button on the top right column of my blog to book a Helpout.