Toyota, the Worldwide Official Mobility Partner of the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee, sought to bring to life its brand mission to ‘seek to push people farther – past their finish line, past their impossible’ through a pair of winter sports film series featuring athlete ambassadors from Team Toyota to leverage Beijing 2022.
Working with the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees to help athletes reach their dreams is just one part of our wholehearted commitment to unleashing human potential through the power of movement.
Launched at the end of January and rolling out through early February is the Japanese car giant’ s latest global series of spots running under its ‘Start Your Impossible’ umbrella Olympic platform. This 2022 Olympics and Paralympics creative sets out to remind viewers of the journey that all of us share – irrespective of who we are or where we’re from.
A set of four spots all sharing a similar theme – that moving through life brings challenges and help is always needed as we journey from one place to another or transition from who we are to who we want to be – rolled out on 31 January and told the stories of the some of the winter sports stars in ‘Team Toyota’.
‘Ice Match’, ‘Outstretched’, ‘Doors’ and ‘Beautiful Movement’ all feature athletes from the auto brand’s sports endorser stable was chosen as a representative of a broad spectrum of competitors from countries all over the world all of whom have one thing in common: using the power of movement to unlock their full potential and achieve the impossible. These are their stories.
These brand films rolled out after the launch of a joint ‘From The Start’ original film series created by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and partner Toyota and hosted on the IOC’s Olympic Channel.
‘From the Start’ premiered on 26 January and tells the inspirational stories of short-track speed skating legend Arianna Fontana (Italy), world champion snowboarder Mark McMorris (Canada), Olympic luge silver medallist Chris Mazdzer (USA) and multi-sport Paralympic star Oksana Masters (USA) and each also includes insights from the people who believed in them and helped them along the way.
The project was initially teased through an online trailer posted on the IOC’s site on 20 January which was followed by the four films all hosted on the Olympic Channel web hub.
Each of the athletes (and other members of Team Toyota) also featured in the multi-spot ‘Toyota Times Sports: Meet The Athletes’ interview series which was amplified across Toyotas digital and social channels.
“A lot of people made sacrifices for me to be here, so I need to work for them as well,” revealed eight-time Olympic medallist Fontana in her episode. “There are some days that I don’t want to practise, or I don’t feel that good; but knowing that there are people at home who are looking up to me, or supporting me and believing in me, I’m like ‘Ok, I need to do it.’”
“We are excited to launch this sixth original series created in partnership with Worldwide Olympic Partner Toyota, and grateful for their strong commitment and support to engage new audiences with the Olympic values,” explained Mark Parkman, General Manager of Olympics.com and the Olympic Channel. “We hope that this new series will help build excitement ahead of the Olympic Games Beijing 2022, but also connect and inspire people thanks to the compelling personal stories of some athletes preparing for the Games.”
“Toyota is thrilled to once again partner with the Olympic Channel on a series that profiles inspiring stories from our Global Team Toyota Athletes,” added Lisa Materazzo, Group Vice President, Toyota Marketing, Toyota Motor North America. “From the Start offers a glimpse into what it takes to compete on the world’s sports stage. We hope viewers from all over the world will join us in celebrating these athletes and their unwavering support systems that have helped them excel in their Olympic and Paralympic journeys.”
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‘From The Start’ is the latest co-production between the Olympic Channel and its Founding Partner, Toyota.
Previous collaborations have included the original series ‘Is It Possible?’ which highlighted the efforts of boundary-breaking sports stars, and the Webby award-winning series ‘What Moves Me?’ which revealed how world-class athletes overcame their own personal barriers.
While in the build-up to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Toyota also co-developed the original series ‘Unleash the New’, which shared the inspiring personal stories of five athletes preparing for their Olympic debuts in Tokyo, while ‘You Got This!’ saw several stars reveal what goes through their mind in the final 60 seconds before they compete.
These branded content series complement Toyota’s Worldwide Olympic Partnership with the IOC and IPC its long-term commitment to supporting the creation of a more inclusive and sustainable society in which everyone can challenge their impossible through stories of determination, as well as through Toyota technologies, which is told through the ‘Start Your Impossible’ platform which first launched back in 2017.
Toyota is the first ever mobility partner of the Olympics and holds category exclusivity for vehicles, mobility support robots and mobility services and Toyota first became an official partner of The Olympic Partner programme in 2015.
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