The representative, Hideaki Honma, emphasized Monday that the company was not “canceling” any Olympics-related commercials, saying that none were planned in the first place.
According to Toyota’s North American division, the automaker’s decision is limited to Japan, and was made “out of sensitivity to the Covid-19 situation in that country.”
In the United States, a “campaign has already been shown nationally and will continue to be shown as planned with our media partners during the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020,” that division later said in a statement to CNN Business.
“In the US, Toyota is not adjusting any marketing plans for the Olympics. Nothing has been canceled or altered,” she told CNN Business. “Toyota is all systems go.”
Asked about Toyota’s decision during a press conference Monday, Tokyo 2020 spokesman Masa Takaya said he “wasn’t aware” of the news.
But he acknowledged that Olympic sponsors “must have been struggling to support” the Games this year, particularly amid “mixed public sentiment.”
“In that respect, there must be a decision by each company in terms of … how they should be able to convey their messages to public audiences from [their] own corporate [perspectives],” he told reporters.
Safety concerns
“As you can imagine, this is a highly dynamic situation and we are making informed decisions based on the best data and information we have available to help keep everyone safe,” a spokesperson told CNN Business. “As such, we have decided not to send anyone from P&G to the opening ceremony.”
“Our policy is to allow our executives to enter only when it is necessary for business,” said Airi Minobe, a company spokesperson.
Minobe added that “the events hosted by our company during the Olympic Games will be held online or canceled,” while “participation in joint projects with other companies are currently under consideration.”
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to clarify that while Toyota will not be running commercials related to the Tokyo Games in Japan, the company’s North American division will move forward with plans for its own US-based ad campaign.