• by Tanya Gazdik , October 13, 2022

Toyota Motor North America is launching a brand campaign that aims to show the inspiring side of the brand and foster an emotional connection with consumers.

Themed “Never Settle,” it is not vehicle-focused and is first-of-its-kind in terms of scale and structure, according to Lisa Materazzo, group vice president, Toyota Marketing, Toyota Motor North America.

The effort, slated to run through February, was developed to bring meaning to Toyota’s tagline “Let’s Go Places” by celebrating key moments within the stages of our driving lives, moments that are authentic and relatable, according to the automaker.  

It includes seven broadcast commercials developed by using Toyota’s long-standing Total Toyota (T2) marketing model, fully considering the transcultural mainstream audiences across America. Agencies involved in the creation include Saatchi & Saatchi, Burrell Communications, Conill Advertising and Intertrend Communications.

It will extend across high-profile prime and sports TV programming, cinema, digital video, digital content and paid social.

This cohesive marketing approach, which is inclusive of multicultural marketing and the total market model, delivers to the audience the qualities that make Toyota the brand it is today, Materazzo says.

“We’ve created varying degrees of brand work in the past that helped build familiarity with Toyota,” Materazzo says in a release. “But this is the first time we’ve created a campaign of this scale and type that is supported by dedicated work from all four of our advertising agencies.”

The commercial “A New World” tells the story of a couple heading home from the hospital after having a baby. The mother and baby are in the back seat of a Toyota Sienna while the father drives and takes in the busy world — full of opportunity — that surrounds them. The people featured in the spot are an actual family, not actors, which adds to it feeling of authenticity, according to the automaker. 

The 60-second spot “Not Yet” illustrates how Latinos push forward and never give up on their goals. 

The social media portion of “Not Yet,” features a diverse group of influencers including Katya Echezarreta, an engineer and the first Mexican-born woman to travel to space, who shares their inspiring stories of perseverance and determination.

The 30-second “Training Wheels” follows a young boy through his adolescence as he learns to ride a bike, swim and fly an airplane. Along the way, he is encouraged by other trailblazers in his community to be fearless and try new things. At the end, he’s seen earning an award of his own.

“Most Toyota campaigns are vehicle-focused, highlighting individual vehicle attributes,” Materazzo says. “This brand campaign is designed to complement our vehicle-specific advertising through storytelling that represents our brand beliefs and identity.”

For example, the Toyota Highlander is featured in the opening scene of “Move to Your Own Beat,” but a young woman starting a new journey is the main focus of the spot. 

“These special moments are authentic, memorable, relatable, emotional, thrilling and unmistakably Toyota,” says Materazzo.