New Zealand – Toyota New Zealand, in collaboration with Saatchi & Saatchi NZ, Spark Foundry NZ and Digitas NZ, has released the latest chapter of its ‘Let’s Go Places’ brand platform.
The campaign draws on the statistic that one in four vehicles on New Zealand roads is a Toyota, positioning any intersection as a potential real-life advertisement for the brand. The accompanying commercial depicts people at an intersection spotting numerous Toyotas, prompting them to question if they are part of a commercial.
It features cameos from Black Ferns, All Blacks, and other New Zealand personalities, with a range of Toyota vehicles including hybrid models, the electric bZ4X, and the Land Cruiser LC70. The ad also showcases Toyota’s mobility services such as Cityhop car-sharing, Ezi Car Rental, the hydrogen-powered Mirai, Toyota used cars, and its aftersales network.
Building on the ‘Let’s Go Places’ brand platform first launched three years ago, the new campaign focuses on the company’s progress in developing mobility solutions for New Zealanders.
Susanne Hardy, Toyota New Zealand Assistant Vice President, said, “Mobility is changing, as is the way people can access it. That’s why we are evolving from a car company into a mobility company for the future. We’re providing access to vehicles from various power-trains, in a number of ways.”
She added, “From hard working four-wheel drives to all electric cars, whether a customer is buying, leasing, renting or hiring by the week or the hour. ‘Let’s Go Places 2.0’ is about showcasing some of the many solutions we’re offering our customers and the role Toyota plays in connecting New Zealanders.”
Meanwhile, Steve Cochran, CCO at Saatchi & Saatchi NZ, commented, “Showcasing every Toyota proof point in a single commercial could have easily turned into a manifesto-style ad, and we wanted to avoid this. Striking upon the idea of instead having all these proof points coincidently at an intersection provided a far more engaging concept to explore. From there we embraced a playful approach that lets the full range of Toyota’s innovations – from hybrid models to mobility services – shine through.”
Spark Foundry NZ handled media planning, which includes out-of-home ads highlighting the film’s characters and vehicles. Starting in October, the agency will track Toyota plate data at 11 intersections to power live billboard counts and encourage user-generated content featuring Toyota owners.
Digitas NZ managed customer experience and content design, developing a dedicated campaign website hub showcasing Toyota’s mobility services and reinforcing the brand message.
The commercial was directed by Tim Bullock at Scoundrel. “When people ask where we filmed, the answer surprises them. Most of it was shot at an inconspicuous intersection just off the main road of Paeroa. This allowed us the freedom to lock things down for three days, leaving everything in place overnight. It was almost like being on a Hollywood lot and the whole town embraced us being there, they were fantastic.”
He added, “We then embellished the scenes in post with some footage shot in Auckland by adding buildings, traffic lights, the billboard and stuff to make it feel bigger, like it could be on the fringe of any New Zealand city,.”
The campaign will run across multiple media channels over the coming months.
