Toyota does become the new IOC worldwide Olympic auto sponsor until next year, but early August still saw Toyota USA launch a new campaign leveraging Olympic excitement
Led by a flagship TV commercial that opens with a medal ceremony that sees three athletes on a podium in scenes similar to that of an Olympic ceremony, the spot was actually shot in Morocco and depicts a fictional event called the ‘friendship tournament’.
The ad’s narrative continues to depict people holding hands in towns and neighbourhoods across the country – from churches and beaches to deserts, skydivers and even a Toyota plant.
The video is set to The Spencer Davis Group’s ‘Gimme Some Lovin’ track.
The spot, which debuted during official US broadcaster NBC’s (delayed) coverage of the Opening Ceremony, was developed with Saatchi and Saatchi, LA (the agency which also recently revamped the brand’s primary www.Toyota.com digital destination and created its combined US sports property, fan-led campaigns (see further details here).
The ad is the leading creative asset in a larger, integrated campaign themed ‘Stand Together’.
This includes a charitable component. That encourages Americans to create their own videos of friends and family holding hands and share it on social media using #LetsJoinHands.
Promoted digitally and socially with various content pieces, for each video submitted to the campaign carrying the hashtag Toyota is donating $20 to United Way (up to a maximum of $250,000).
Share a #LetsJoinHands video + @Toyota will donate $20 (up to $250K) to @UnitedWay #LJH #ad https://t.co/B9hpFdqQ6f pic.twitter.com/7xDH3kxUMt
— Sophie Sumner (@sophiesumner8) August 8, 2016
The car brand is also mixing this user-generated content in its set of pre-roll and social videos within the campaign.
Another strand of the campaign sees Toyota promote virtual hand-holding through an outdoor advertising program in both New York City and Los Angeles.
This is led by erecting kiosks with high-definition monitors (from 12 to 14 August) at New York’s Herald Square and near LA’s Hollywood & Highland shopping and entertainment complex.
Members of the public passing by the kiosks in both cities are encouraged to put their hands on the screen to connect with someone on the other side of the country and create mutual digital drawings.
They will then be able to upload videos of the interaction to their Twitter feeds or send them to their own email addresses.
‘Teamwork is ingrained in Toyota’s DNA – it’s a founding principle,’ says Jack Hollis, group VP-marketing for Toyota Motor Sales USA.
‘We believe, as our founder did, in the ‘power of togetherness’ and athletics is an amazing example of the power of teamwork. While we do not compete at the highest levels of sport on the playing field, we celebrate the spirit of collaboration every day, whether it is within the walls of Toyota, or in our interaction with our guests.’
While BMW is the current US Olympic Team auto partner and
Toyota has local Japanese rights for the Rio Olympics and the company has a team on the ground preparing for the company’s turn as official sponsor through the next cycles.
‘We’re excited to join everyone in Rio to watch, learn and cheer on the athletes as Toyota prepares to officially join the Olympic and Paralympic family as a ‘Top’ sponsor in January of 2017,’ he said in a statement.
‘The athletes inspire all of us at Toyota to reach beyond what’s possible, and we look forward to sharing that spirit and passion with the rest of the world.’
Comment
The spearhead spot is a prime example of how brands without official sponsorship rights are tapping in to the Olympic spirit without breaking the IOC or US Olympic Committee’s trademark rules.
The campaign studiously avoids all the protected marks and phrases: including ‘Olympic’, ‘Go for the gold’, ‘Let the games begin’, ‘Team USA’ and ‘Road to Rio’.
‘The USOC approved the campaign, and we shared the creative with them every step of the way,’ a Toyota spokesman said.
Obviously the car maker needs to comply with the strict legal restrictions on Rio Olympic phrases and imagery, so it aims to skirt as close as possible to portraying Olympic scenarios and links without breaking the rules.
Not only does it clearly have Olympic echoes, but it also has strong similarities to the cultural moment created by the ’Hands Across America’ charitable event in 1986 that aimed to create a coast to coast human chain from New York to Southern California.
Yet a Toyota spokesman said the marketer is not purposely or intentionally recalling the 1986 event.
Toyota has signed a deal for local marketing rights for the Rio games in Japan, but it is BMW that has the Olympic sponsorship in the USA for Rio 2016 as part of a USOC deal signed in 2010.
Toyota’s global TOP sponsorship deal with the International Olympic Committee takes over in January 2017 and runs through 2024.
It covers all relevant Toyota auto brands within the category – including Toyota, Lexus and Scion.
This new partnership will cover the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang (South Korea) in 2018 and in Beijing in 2022, as well as the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, as well as the 2024 Olympics (where competing host cities include Budapest, Los Angeles, Paris and Rome ).
By joining the IOC TOP partnership programme, Toyota becomes one of 12 worldwide Olympic partners along with the likes of ATOS, Bridgestone, Coca-Cola, Dow, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, P&G, Samsung and Visa.
Links
Toyota USA:
Toyota USA YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ToyotaUSA
Toyota USA Twitter:
Toyota USA Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/toyota
Toyota USA Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/toyotausa/
Saatchi and Saatchi, L.A
