ABDUL Latif Jameel (ALJ) Group received the "2012 Facebook Application Award" in "The Best Interactive Application" category for its "Me and My Toyota" online campaign at the Facebook Application Awards grand finale ceremony held recently in Amman, Jordan. The event was organized by the Pan Arab Web Awards Academy and held in collaboration with Microsoft and the Arab League, social media experts, industry leaders from the Middle East and Facebook representatives. A group of design and technical professors served as jury and made the selection process following international standards. Earlier ALJ Group was ranked first in terms of Facebook browsing in the Kingdom (as stated by Social Watchlist) while Toyota Saudi acquired over 250,000 likes. Today, its ALJ/Toyota Facebook page is ranked number one in the automotive category – and among the top 10 Facebook pages in any category - both in Saudi Arabia and in the Middle East. ALJ and Toyota share a mindset which values the community's feedback as a whole and the community online in particular. In today's "always-on" world, social media platforms represent an important and growing marketing tool for all companies across the world and in Saudi Arabia in specific underpinned by the demographics of the country. "In Saudi Arabia we have more than 5,500,000 Facebook users alone and by listening to their feedback and actively communicating with them, Toyota aims to get closer to its guests, engage with the youth," said Adel Ezzat, Toyota-ALJ Marketing Director. The "Me and my Toyota" campaign which won the award bonded with Toyota's fans directly wherein the activity called for Toyota owners to unleash their creativity and to showcase it through a video of their choice of a Toyota car that reflects their personality. Today, this page reached nearly 300, 000 likes. – SG
