Toyota (GB) has launched a marketing internet site for its dealer network. The portal provides Toyota dealers with an interactive communications system with a customised marketing service, aimed at helping dealers plan their marketing activities online.

The portal is divided into three main areas: Your Website, the Marketing Mall and an Info Centre.

Your Website provides dealers with a new look site designed to fully reflect the Toyota brand image and new showroom environment, as well as encouraging personalised dealer features. Features such as special offers and a strong used car section can be updated or amended at any time from the dealership PC.

The personalised websites offer dealers their own online presence, allowing customers to view their used car stock online, view their events' calender, request a service or read their own dealer newsletter.

The Marketing Mall is designed to be a 'one-stop shop' providing a complete marketing service online for all marketing communication materials. Its aim is to provide a simple marketing planning framework and a trouble free online ordering process, which is both cost and time efficient.

Dealers can plan and implement a full marketing campaign on the portal in an integrated way with Toyota GB's national marketing programmes.

The main areas include the planning of all dealer advertising with the ability to order print and radio advertising and direct mail customised to their needs. Dealer stationery, event packages and merchandise can be ordered online, together with materials to support the dealers used car sales and aftersales operations.

The Info Centre provides a regular supply of relevant edited business news and information.

Toyota GB's marketing director Paul Philpott said: "The marketing portal is a very significant new development for Toyota and its dealer network. Dealers can have a powerful online presence with major functionality, whilst controlling and updating site content from a PC in their dealership.

"We should also not underestimate how much more effective dealers will now be in the planning and ordering of all their marketing communication materials. The portal will drive dealer costs down and focus resources on planning professional and effective marketing communications online and in more conventional media. The dealer feedback so far has been simply outstanding."