Dive Brief:
- Toyota enlisted multiple agencies to craft creative in support of the rollout of its new Grand Highlander SUV, according to a press release.
- The campaign, titled “Life’s Grander in the Grand Highlander,” features spots from Conill Advertising, InterTrend Communications, Burrell Communications Group and Saatchi & Saatchi. The integrated effort was guided by the automaker’s Total Toyota (T2) strategy that strives for cohesive marketing in both multicultural and mainstream messaging.
- Ads will appear across linear TV, digital video and content, cinema, programmatic, paid social, audio and search channels. Partners on the initiative include Bustle’s “Camp Romper,” Moveable Feast, Amazon, Uber Eats and The Weather Channel.
Dive Insight:
Toyota is bringing a unified strategy to its multichannel push around the Grand Highlander, a new SUV model that claims to be the marketer’s most powerful midsize offering to date.
The campaign taps several agency partners, including those focused on mulitcultural audiences, but aligns around a single messaging platform in T2, with a heavy emphasis on how the vehicle supports important family moments. The cohesive marketing approach speaks to how some brands are trying to break down silos between their mainstream campaigns and those tailored to specific demographics as diversity and inclusion become bigger mandates in the industry.
In “HBCU Tour,” from Burrell Communications Group, a Black family reviews which college their son might attend while driving around in the Grand Highlander, with both parents expressing pride in their alma mater. The spot was helmed by Kenya Barris, of “Black-ish” fame, making his commercial directing debut. Conill Advertising’s “Labor” follows a Spanish-speaking family as they rehearse getting to the hospital in a timely fashion for a baby delivery while juggling picking up multiple members.
Saatchi & Saatchi’s “Slamming Doors” and InterTrend Communications’ “Yes Day” carry shared themes of familial connection and light-hearted humor. On the product front, the commercials highlight the roominess of the Grand Highlander, which boasts a more spacious third row. The vehicle also comes in hybrid variants that are part of Toyota’s “Beyond Zero” goal of reaching carbon neutrality.
Toyota is running media around marquee programming, including “Thursday Night Football” and “Sunday Night Football,” high-profile soccer matches and the Billboard Latin Music Awards. Hulu, YouTube, Max, Sensical and Pandora served as digital partners for the effort, while paid social will run across TikTok, Meta, Snapchat, Reddit, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
