Toyota Australia launches new campaign for HiLux showcasing the power of an Unbreakable Connection via Saatchi & Saatchi
Toyota HiLux owners have a special place in their hearts for their ute, an unbreakable connection that has built over 50 years. Toyota Australia, via Saatchi & Saatchi, has once again brought to life the special bond that exists between Hilux and its owners.
In this instalment, we explore the power of the unbreakable connection to bring us closer to the people that matter to us. The story follows a couple experiencing a few bumps in the road of their relationship, once apart from each other, their shared love of the HiLux and all that it delivers ultimately saves the day and brings them back together – stronger than ever.
The campaign platform will be activated across key partnerships, out-of-home, broadcast, digital, radio, in-store and CRM.
Says Vin Naidoo, Toyota Australia Chief Marketing Officer: “We know that Australia has a special relationship – an unbreakable connection, you could say, with the Toyota Hilux, built up over 50 years and is certainly one we are very proud of.”
Adds Steve Cochran, Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi: “There’s a hugely strong legacy of work for HiLux in Australia. The opportunity to continue that is both a privilege and a kind of responsibility. We certainly hope the country thinks we’ve done that legacy proud with this fun new iteration.”
Client: Toyota Motor Corporation Australia
Senior Manager – Brand Management & Communications: Andrew Wearing
Manager, Communications – Commercial & Brand: Kylie Graham
Senior Brand Specialist – Commercial Vehicles: Brooke Butkiewicz
Senior Brand Specialist – Commercial Vehicles: Yaz Malcolm
Creative Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Chief Creative Officer: Steve Cochran
Creative Director: Piero Ruzzene. Kerem Sekerci
Creative: Jake Blood, Hannah Payton, Mac Wright
Head of Design: Tod Duke-Yonge
National Director of Production – Michael Demosthenous
Senior Integrated Producer – Esta Lau, Holly De Roy
Chief Client Officer: Ben Court
Exec Strat Director: Alex Speakman & Joe Heath
Group Business Director: Zoe Kypros
Snr. Business Director: Melanie Bunn
Business Director: Jessie Roper
Senior Business Manager: Lauren Sotelo
Business Executive: Miles Donellan
Media: Spark Foundry
Production Company: Scoundrel
Director – Tim Bullock
Executive Producers – Adrian Shapiro, Kate Gooden
Producer – Claire Kelly
DOP – Shelly Farthing-Dawe
Casting – i4Casting, Nick Hamon Casting
Editor/Post Production – Adam Wills
Colourist: Edel Rafferty
Sound Designer – Simon Kane @ MassiveMusic
Music Supervision – Michael Szumowski @ Big Sync Music
Production Company: Louis&Co
Executive Producer: Louis Molines
Producer: Luke Della Santa
Director / Photographer: Ian Butterworth
2nd Unit Photographer: Klint Collier
Digi Tech: Glenn Pokorny
Assistant: Ben Harris
D.O.P: Danny Ruhlmann ACS
1st AC: Tom Brooks
2nd AC/Data: Glen Soicher
Heliguy Drone Pilot: Tony Driver
Heliguy Drone Camera: Nathan Richards
Precision Driver: Ben Toyer
68 Comments
A return to form (-ish) for Hilux.
Doesn’t hold a candle to the hills spots of old, or even that ghost one.
nice stuff
Bravo Hannah P and the Team. This feels pretty fresh amongst the empty driving shots of the categories. Really nice.
funny and heart. it’s a winner
This is what Hilux ads are about. Fun and on brand!
I really enjoyed this. Made me smile even. The man’s VO at the end was weird (sounding) though and felt really out-of-sync with the tone of the ad.
So I’m going to have to mark you down a little, to a 8.3/10.
Liked it.
found it a weird analogy to be honest – kind of sad
Grow up.
This is great – well done team!
Nice parallels and not over hammed. Subtle is good. Nice work!
Whoever cast the wife is a visionary. Her performance makes it.
yes… ha ha yes… hilux drivers do have big divorced energy
Nice one Steve and team! Made me laugh!!
Best since Bulls in Ute!
Been enjoying this on air. Heavy relate.
Wish I could give it more but my wife got half of everything I own.
Love it. Nicely done Saatchis.
Good work to cover the fact Toyota have no new product to sell. Though switching from Journey from their previous spot to REO Speedwagon is a tad lazy….
It’s a clever ad but as someone going through a separation it’s a very emotionally fraught idea to attach a brand to. I hope my kids don’t see the ad.
and it made me not want a Hilux…just in case
Agree
I 100% agree. Did they do their market research on families who have or are going through shared care of their kids? Having to hand over your children, giving over their favourite toy, mentioning something they have achieved that week is heart retrenching.
This ad is in such poor taste. How they think using such an incredibly sad, tough, and heartbreaking situation to sell cars is incomprehensible.
How about children watching this ad who aren’t as lucky to have parents that can actually be in each other’s presence, let alone speak to each other? What is that telling them.
Totally agree. It downgrades the emotional hurt families go through as they are torn apart.
I actually laughed out loud. This is a good ad.
I actually laughed out loud. This is a good ad.
There is a new product it’s the first Hilux GR Sport (the red car in the ad). You can order one today. Oh and the previous spot used Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum.
Okay saatchi employee 😉 we get it. No problems with with waitlists now because people are buying Rangers.
That is bloody brilliant. Loved it!! 🙂
This is so just weird and tonally off for Hilux, surprised the client even bought into it. When can we go back to making punk rock ads with attitude again?
It’s a hilux. Maybe go work for the kooks at tesla.
Totally telegraphed.
As always, pales into comparison with the work they do in NZ for Hilux.
Killing it Hannah
Great stuff.
The gradual demise of Unbreakable is complete. It was brilliant for years. Pure toughness, gone soft. This ad is fine. The strategy has been eroded and now there’s a big gap there for the taking.
Great idea and execution. Best Toyota ad in a while.
This hits in all the right kinds of ways.
Remember when we used to make cool sh*t like this before the industry went soft?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtshwfO1dXE
The good old days when we could lie in our case studies?
Aside from the terribly drawn out obvious gag, this makes no sense of the platform. Unbreakable connection is now about driver and car not about the toughness of the car. But you’re using unbreakable connection between two characters. What a confusing quagmire of a bed you’ve built for yourselves Saatchi. Made sense when then guy still loved his car in the ghost one but didn’t say a lot about the car. Now just doesn’t make sense
Easy there bud. Should we break it down for you? They both have such a strong bond with their ute that they would get back together to be with it all the time, not just fortnightly. Are we all clear now champion? More importantly, is everything alright at home?
Waiting for the next installment to see what happens . Do they get matching cars now? Fantastic ad. Made me laugh out loud, love all the varied situations. Light hearted and fun. Well done
I’m not getting why there’s so much love (probably from the same small group of people judging by the comments) for this safe, dull spot. It’s just a continuation of the bland couple searching for their kid’s teddy bear.
Hello Jake
Great happy add, cleverly done.
Love the hopeful but hesitant vibe between the actors, good chemistry.
Can see an extension of this add for future campaigns to follow this couple who I’m sure most people would be happy to see reunited . Everyone loves a happy end to a story.
We’ll done.
As a child of two divorces, I thought this was hilarious. Well done S&S.
You know the world is in bad shape when even Hilux has gone woke.
Proper ad. It’s great.
Very good! Could have easily gone sideways with the tone if not for the flawless production and acting.
Restored my faith that there are marketers that know what an advert looks like.
I swear someone from marketing has been listening to my conversations! I have always said I will not contest custody of the kids but the Hilux is a different story!!!
BRILLIANT!
So they are ordered to share the car. She offers to share her fishing trip and he asks to drive. I hate this advert. Change the channel to avoid him asking to take more from her, so gross
I couldn’t agree more – give him an inch and he immediately tries to take a mile. As soon as he asked to drive I was immediately furious :-))
Offer rescinded dickhead. Speed that divorce through ASAP.
I also turn off the ad when it comes on to allow time for it to finosh. I just find it annoying and grating on the nerves. Absolutely stupid ad. The Toyota ads that were funny were ones I enjoyed and I looked forward to watching… this latest one is just stupidity. Does it encourage me to buy Toyota for my next 4wd… NO. It aggravates me and if it reminds me of anything about Toyota it is all the recalls of last few years and a loss of the pride Toyota had for their quality
It has faded to a very faded picture
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.
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Randomly, my cousin who works outside of adland mentioned this ad to me and said it’s the worst ad she has ever seen. True story.
Haha relationship breakdowns and custody arrangements are funny let’s make an ad about that what a cracking idea top job lads woop woop we are so clever.
In the sequel let’s make it that the woman is leaving the relationship because he’s an abuser that’ll be even funnier haha well done us.
Bravo.
Can anyone tell me who the male actor is in this ad
Josef Ber
Who is the female actress in this add
Another sexist ad from Toyota. Not good enough.
Just a selfish guy only wanting the car really. His wife looks over where he used to sit and wants to share the car experience, but not they guy, he just thinks about the car and his experiences. Maybe if the ad showed he missed the shared experience as well, that would be a reason to show they both missed the ‘Toyota experience’. If this was real life, I can see why they separated. He only wants the car and even at the end, he asks if he can drive. I wouldn’t touch a Hilux now if you paid me. Bit sad Toyota.
Exactly what I thought. I kept expecting they would realise the last line was off and cut it. Out of touch Toyota.
Steady on, he is excited to drive the car, not exert his male superiority, he even ignores her obvious sexual advance,…”wanna cum?”
Terrible. Why does she need to say “obvious”, what a put-down. Then he stupidly says “can I drive”. Both of these totally destroy the get back together vibe.
Saw a bit of the oh what a feeling jingle feel there that is synonymous for decades after it hasn’t been used for years since Toyota became a global Olympic sponsor but then it would be great if the jingle stops at the end covering the Toyota bit rather than someone interrupting it or saying the word Toyota.
I am now retired, but in my previous life I was a fleet manager. As I am a mechanic by trade, I would always fight tooth and nail with the bean counters to ensure that all commercial vehicles were Toyotas, as I knew from experience that they were tough and reliable. My company car was a Hilux utility, which was my choice. In short, I would always recommend Toyota commercials if asked.
I must also congratulate you on the new commercial, my wife and I never tire of watching it. I’m sure it gets the message across beautifully, Saatchi & Saatchi deserve a special mention, as do the two actors, especially Josef Ber. Thank-you Toyota.