TM Toyota Motor Corporation

SHIFT Communications today announced that Toyota has selected the award-winning firm as its primary PR agency in the Northeast Region, which includes New York, New England, Washington, D.C., and the mid-Atlantic states. The firm will also play a lead role in strategic planning for the brand; driving earned media nationally with mainstream and social media outlets; and highlighting the motor company's philanthropic and community relations programs.

SHIFT was selected following a competitive agency review conducted by Toyota's corporate communications team. The account will be serviced out of SHIFT's San Francisco office, with regional support from its Boston and New York offices.

"Throughout our agency selection process, the SHIFT team impressed us with their innovative thinking, creativity and responsiveness," said Steven Curtis, corporate manager, corporate communications at Toyota Motor North America, Inc. "SHIFT clearly understands the new PR model of earned, owned and paid media and we're excited to begin our partnership."

"Toyota is a brand with deep roots in innovation," said Todd Defren, CEO of SHIFT Communications. "That forward-thinking mindset is incredibly synergistic with SHIFT's approach and we look forward to working closely with the team at Toyota to bring that same level of innovation to its communications."

ABOUT TOYOTA Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in North America in 1957 and currently operates 14 manufacturing plants. There are more than 1,800 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in North America, which sold more than 2 million vehicles in 2012. Toyota directly employs more than 37,000 in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $23 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Toyota's annual purchasing of parts, materials, goods and services from North American suppliers totals nearly $25 billion. Toyota currently produces 12 vehicles in North America, including the Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, RAV4, Sienna, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra, Venza and the Lexus RX 350. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com.

ABOUT SHIFT COMMUNICATIONS With a dedication to innovation in communications and social media, SHIFT Communications is an award-winning, privately held national public relations firm that represents some of the best-known enterprise and consumer technology brands, including McDonalds, AOL, H&R Block, and Salesforce.com, as well as numerous groundbreaking startups such as Appirio and Topo Athletic. SHIFT Communications' 100+ employees are located in the Boston, San Francisco and New York metros. For more information on SHIFT's high-tech public relations, consumer public relations and content marketing programs, visit http://www.shiftcomm.com.

Reshma Fernandes rfernandes@shiftcomm.com 646-756-3704