Top sponsor Toyota cancels all Olympic TV ads in Japan

[Klaralven]

TOKYO -- Toyota Motor will not air any Olympic-related TV advertisements and its officials will not attend the opening ceremony or other events, despite the automaker being a top-tier sponsor.

The decision, which the company confirmed on Monday, comes amid lukewarm public sentiment toward the event, which is set to kick off on Friday amid a surge in coronavirus cases in Tokyo.

The Japanese carmaker cited confusion over how the Summer Olympics and Paralympics will be carried out, saying there are still "things that are not understood" about the operations of the event. Company representatives, including President Akio Toyoda, will not attend the opening ceremony or other official events.

The Toyota group was planning to run TV ads featuring the Olympic athletes whom the group sponsors, but decided not to after people within and outside the company voiced concerns over whether the Games can be held safely given the rising number of coronavirus infections.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Tokyo-2020-Olympics/Top-sponsor-Toyota-cancels-all-Olympic-TV-ads-in-Japan

[KentuckyWoman]

1. That smells like corporate responsibility.

Couldn't be. Could it?

[JHB]

2. At very least it's corporate PR awareness

If the public is leery of how it's being handled and whether it will become a COVID spreader disaster, they don't want their name associated with it. That beats any advertising gains.

[malaise]

3. They care more than their government

Good