Thursday, December 10, 2020
Toyota and USA Swimming Extend Partnership
PLANO, Texas (December 9, 2020) – As a mobility company, Toyota is proud to support Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls in achieving their goals — because no matter the challenge, when a person is free to move, anything is possible. That’s why Toyota is looking beyond the present and into the future, reaffirming its commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Movements by extending contracts with USA Swimming and five other summer National Governing Body (NGB) partners: USA Skateboarding; USA Surfing; USA Track & Field; USA Triathlon; and the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. In addition, Toyota has also extended its relationship with U.S. Masters Swimming.
This extension with USA Swimming follows a successful two-year partnership, which featured two national-level Toyota U.S. Open events, the Toyota AquaZone at the Phillips 66 National Championships and extensive digital promotion.
“We’ve worked closely with USA Swimming since 2019, drawing upon our similar foundational values and shared commitment to supporting their athletes, members, and the Olympic and Paralympic Movement,” said Dedra DeLilli, group manager, Olympic and Paralympic marketing, Toyota Motor North America. “Looking ahead, we are excited to continue to support USA Swimming on every stroke taken on the journey to the podium in Tokyo – from the grassroots level to celebrating gold medals. We’ll do that with expanded local and regional marketing efforts, continued support of USA Swimming events, and a large Toyota presence at the 2021 Olympic Trials.”
“We are incredibly thankful for the support and dedication Toyota has shown us and our athletes through these two very different years,” USA Swimming Chief Commercial Officer Shana Ferguson said. “Their partnership has allowed us to continue to expand upon our world-class event experiences, while also creating greater local awareness and opportunities for new and existing swimmers. We are only scratching the surface of what we can achieve together and look forward to new opportunities in this upcoming Olympic year and beyond.”
These seven NGBs round out Toyota’s portfolio of 10 summer NGBs, which also include U.S. Paralympics Track & Field, U.S. Paralympics Swimming, and U.S. Paralympics Cycling. The NGBs provide a direct and authentic line of communication to consumers across generations, backgrounds and passions. With custom content and tailored messaging, Toyota will be able to demonstrate its commitment to mobility and societal contributions through each sport.
In addition to NGBs, Toyota has also recently renewed its long-standing support of Adaptive Action Sports (AAS), a nonprofit that promotes action sports events as well as camps and clinics for youth, young adults, and veterans living with permanent physical disabilities and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Toyota and AAS have worked together since 2011 to help change attitudes worldwide in how individuals with “disabilities” are perceived.
In March of 2015, Toyota became a TOP (The Olympic Partner) of the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee in the newly created mobility category for 2017 through 2024. In addition to its relationship with the IOC and IPC, Toyota is a partner of Team USA; US Speedskating; U.S. Figure Skating; USA Hockey and the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team; USA Curling; USA Skateboarding; USA Surfing; USA Swimming; USA Track & Field; USA Triathlon; the National Wheelchair Basketball Association; U.S. Masters Swimming; U.S. Paralympics Alpine Skiing; U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing; U.S. Paralympics Snowboarding; U.S. Paralympics Cycling; U.S. Paralympics Swimming; and U.S. Paralympics Track & Field. More information on Toyota’s NGB partnerships can be found here and here on the Toyota Newsroom.
Beyond the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Toyota strategically uses it relationships with sports properties and athletes as a way to connect with consumers in the United States.
This extension with USA Swimming follows a successful two-year partnership, which featured two national-level Toyota U.S. Open events, the Toyota AquaZone at the Phillips 66 National Championships and extensive digital promotion.
“We’ve worked closely with USA Swimming since 2019, drawing upon our similar foundational values and shared commitment to supporting their athletes, members, and the Olympic and Paralympic Movement,” said Dedra DeLilli, group manager, Olympic and Paralympic marketing, Toyota Motor North America. “Looking ahead, we are excited to continue to support USA Swimming on every stroke taken on the journey to the podium in Tokyo – from the grassroots level to celebrating gold medals. We’ll do that with expanded local and regional marketing efforts, continued support of USA Swimming events, and a large Toyota presence at the 2021 Olympic Trials.”
“We are incredibly thankful for the support and dedication Toyota has shown us and our athletes through these two very different years,” USA Swimming Chief Commercial Officer Shana Ferguson said. “Their partnership has allowed us to continue to expand upon our world-class event experiences, while also creating greater local awareness and opportunities for new and existing swimmers. We are only scratching the surface of what we can achieve together and look forward to new opportunities in this upcoming Olympic year and beyond.”
These seven NGBs round out Toyota’s portfolio of 10 summer NGBs, which also include U.S. Paralympics Track & Field, U.S. Paralympics Swimming, and U.S. Paralympics Cycling. The NGBs provide a direct and authentic line of communication to consumers across generations, backgrounds and passions. With custom content and tailored messaging, Toyota will be able to demonstrate its commitment to mobility and societal contributions through each sport.
In addition to NGBs, Toyota has also recently renewed its long-standing support of Adaptive Action Sports (AAS), a nonprofit that promotes action sports events as well as camps and clinics for youth, young adults, and veterans living with permanent physical disabilities and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Toyota and AAS have worked together since 2011 to help change attitudes worldwide in how individuals with “disabilities” are perceived.
In March of 2015, Toyota became a TOP (The Olympic Partner) of the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee in the newly created mobility category for 2017 through 2024. In addition to its relationship with the IOC and IPC, Toyota is a partner of Team USA; US Speedskating; U.S. Figure Skating; USA Hockey and the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team; USA Curling; USA Skateboarding; USA Surfing; USA Swimming; USA Track & Field; USA Triathlon; the National Wheelchair Basketball Association; U.S. Masters Swimming; U.S. Paralympics Alpine Skiing; U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing; U.S. Paralympics Snowboarding; U.S. Paralympics Cycling; U.S. Paralympics Swimming; and U.S. Paralympics Track & Field. More information on Toyota’s NGB partnerships can be found here and here on the Toyota Newsroom.
Beyond the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Toyota strategically uses it relationships with sports properties and athletes as a way to connect with consumers in the United States.