Toyota has launched a new social media initiative with a chance for participants to win a brand new 2012 Camry for themselves and one more for a friend. The opportunity will come tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 5, during a live NBC broadcast – we’re presuming Toyota means the Super Bowl, but the oddly worded press release mentioned no such thing.

To enter, you’ll need the Shazam music identification smartphone app, and use it, when prompted, during the broadcast of Toyota’s “Connections” commercial, which encourages the nearly seven million Camry owners across the country to share stories, moments and memories they’ve had with their camera in the past 30 years. By entering the giveaway using Shazam technology, the winner of the contest could start a new “Camry Effect” by not only winning a Camry for themselves, but also to gift another Camry for a friend.

Vice president of digital marketing at Toyota says, “The Camry Effect is one of the most ambitious social media campaigns we’ve ever implemented. Partnering with Shazam allows us to increase awareness of this effort on the national stage and give one lucky winner the opportunity to positively affect a friend and start writing his or her Camry story.”

Who’s going to tune in tomorrow?

Car companies, much like any other, can go one of two routes when dreaming up a Superbowl commercial: funny or serious.

Cadillac chose the latter this year for their ATS commercial, but their ad didn’t do it for us. Throwing a deep commanding voice over an uninspiring electric guitar track and recycling what’s mostly old teaser footage of the ATS running around the Nurburgring race track was a let down. Most disappointing of all, the original teaser video was probably more exciting. The comparison they make between the BMW 3-Series and the ATS makes sense and so does hinting at testing in enemy territory, but it doesn’t impart the rah rah go USA spirit we would have expected.

The Superbowl represents grandeur, excess and most of all pride. One day out of the year a single stadium becomes football’s cathedral. In keeping with that theme, commercials have no choice but to make us double over in laughter or jump from our seats in excitement, or just crack a prideful smirk.

Chrysler pulled that off last year with their “imported from Detroit’ commercial, but telling people to “go to green hell” is just plain cheesy. Hopefully you disagree, watch the video below and decide for yourself.

GALLERY: 2013 Cadillac ATS

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Everything is big news in a small town, especially the chance at being featured in a Super Bowl commercial. For one small town, that possibility may become a reality if General Motors decides to run an ad they shot featuring Hamtramck, Michigan.

The little town of about 20,000 people is all a twitter over their chance at the spotlight. Chevrolet chose the town (where the Volt is assembled) to film a spot promoting the Volt, though they haven’t actually decided to air the ad during one of the most watched events on TV.

“We create a lot of different spots. The final decision will come in a few weeks,” said Patrick Morrissey, a GM spokesperson to The Detroit News.

If the ad runs, it means some exciting exposure for the town named after the first American commander in charge of Fort Shelby, the fortification of Detroit. In fact, Hamtramck is almost surrounded by Detroit, despite being an independent city.

From what interviewed residents can guess, GM is hunting for something to generate the same chest-thumping pride and patriotism Chrysler’s wildly popular “imported from Detroit” ad ignited last year. If you’ve forgotten, it featured Eminem driving a Chrysler 300 to the Lose Yourself track originally from the movie 8 Mile.

Even if the Hamtramck residents don’t make the Superbowl cut, GM says it plans to run it elsewhere. Apparently, the film crew spent enough time filming to “make a documentary” according to some residents. The real question now, is who will be featured in the final product? The final call about which ads will air might not come until right before game time. One thing is certain, Hamtramck is going to have Super Bowl fever this February.

[Source: Detroit News]

Kia has just launched the above commercial to drum up interest in its first-ever SuperBowl ad set for this Sunday. The bizare campaign features several strange life-sized children’s toys, that look like they’ve been plucked from an internet meme.

At least one of them is a “real” character – monster Muno from the Nickelodeon show Yo Gabba Gabba. There’s even a sock monkey. Heck, we half expect to see pedo bear.. but that’s really not a marketing move anyone wants to make.

As for the robot character, there’s a chance you’ve seen it before, as Kia paraded it around the Detroit Auto Show a few weeks ago. Now Kia didn’t officially say the robot belonged to them, but among the journalists present it was probably talked about more than any car at the show.

Presumably the SuperBowl ad will help promote the all-new 2011 Kia Sorento. We’ll be sure to be watching in the 3rd quarter to see the ad and what Kia’s crazy characters are up to.

Hyundai is spending some big bucks to kick off 2009 by advertising during the 43rd Superbowl. The commercial will feature a vehicle that Hyundai hopes will transform how people think about the Korean car manufacturer.

Motor Trend magazine was invited along to see the filming of the commercial and they have been kind enough to share their footage with us. Titled “Epic Lap” the video features pro racer Rhys Millen hammering on the Hyundai Genesis Coupe at Road Atlanta. Apparently the shoot required 50 laps of the famous race track at blistering speeds.

Millen, a former rally car racer and current competitor in the Formula D drift series certainly shows off his drifting technique in the rear-drive Genesis Coupe.

If you watch closely you can see that Hyundai employed some high-powered chase cars to keep up with the 310hp V6 Genesis Coupe, including a Porsche Cayenne and a Mitsubishi EVO.

[Source: Motor Trend]