Recognizing how important tools like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have become to build brand loyalty, engage directly with consumers and generate website traffic Nissan is celebrating their success as one of the top brands on Twitter. Nissan’s Facebook community also recently exceeded 500,000 fans.  Their YouTube channel also celebrated a recent milestone by surpassing over 10 million views.

Last week Nissan ranked #8 on the list of Top 15 Brands on Twitter for 2011. Nissan is the only automotive company on the list and is in good company with brands like Twitter itself, Apple, and Nike. Nissan currently converses with more than 75,000 Twitter followers combined, across accounts for the brand @NissanNews and vehicle models @NissanVersa, @NissanJuke, @NissanQuest, and @ NissanLEAF.

Not only has Nissan exceeded 500,000 fans on Facebook they also lead in interactions per fan, clearly indicating an engaged community. “It is not just about the most number of fans for us,” said Erich Marx, Director of Social Media and Interactive Media.  “We are more interested in the engagement; the interactions the fans have with the content we share.  We want to use social media in one of the best ways possible: a two-way communication with potential and current customers.”

Nissan’s social media success is just the start of another successful year for the Japanese auto maker.  “We look forward to using this momentum [Twitter success] to lead our new product launch efforts in the months to come,” says Jon Brancheau, vice president.

Attention nonprofit orgs: You may be able to win a new car from Toyota!

Beginning March 7, you can submit an application to Toyota in hopes to be selected as one of 500 companies in the Toyota 100 Cars for Good Program, which will award 100 vehicles over 100 days to 100 deserving nonprofit organizations based on votes from the public.

“Over the past two decades, Toyota has contributed more than half a billion dollars to philanthropic programs in the United States, and now 100 Cars for Good will put the public in the driver’s seat for one of our philanthropic efforts,” said Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. “We wanted to engage the community and the supporters of thousands of worthy organizations in this process – allowing their voices to be heard as we award 100 vehicles based on their votes.”

How It Works:

• March 7-21: Nonprofit organizations can apply online at http://facebook.com/toyota for a chance to win a Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Tundra, Highlander Hybrid, Sienna, or Sienna Mobility.
• March 22 – May 8: An independent panel of judges will select the 500 finalist organizations to be in the running to win a Toyota vehicle. Finalists are encouraged to create their own online profiles and rally their friends and supporters to encourage voting for their organization.
• May 9 – Aug. 16: Public voting begins. Over this 100 day period, five organizations per day will be profiled on Toyota’s Facebook page, and voters may vote once each day for the charity of their choice. A vehicle will then be awarded to one of those five organizations each day for 100 days.

If you know of a nonprofit who might be interested in the Toyota 100 Cars for Good Program, please share this information with them.

Best of luck to all the nonprofits involved!

Chrysler is giving football fans one more thing to celebrate: The 2011 Chrysler 200. Chrysler kicked off their “Blogger Game On Road Trip” this past weekend when they handed over the keys to two brand new Chrysler 200s to three sets of bloggers. The first two sets of bloggers drove the 200 from Detroit to Pittsburgh or Chicago for the AFC and NFC Divisional playoff games, respectively. Now, the last set will drive on to Dallas for the final game of the season.

Big Game Bound: The 2011 Chrysler 200

You can read all about the drivers’ experiences on Chrysler’s social media pages. The drivers are blogging about their adventures, from how it feels to drive Chrysler 200 to their experiences at sports-related landmarks they stop at along the way. Follow the Adventure: Chrysler on Facebook | Chrysler on Twitter

Chrysler Football Fan Contest

Chrysler is also celebrating their football fans on Facebook. Fans of the Chrysler brand can win the “Ultimate Football Fan Package” by showing the automaker their “true colors.”

To enter, submit a photo of yourself in your favorite football team’s gear, standing in front of any Chrysler vehicle. Other fans can then vote on their favorite photo. The prize package, which includes a TV, video game system, football-themed video game, and a grill, will be awarded to the photo with the most votes. Enter now.