Usually, the car ads show someone in a car taking a ride through different terrains. Other times it shows how it can seat more people. The point is that car brands focus on the functionality aspect of their products most of the time. And they usually do not focus on the narrative element. This could be due to the product image; brands do not imagine cars to have any other positioning. Toyota’s new ad is in that respect different from all other car brands. They have taken a narrative approach to the advertising this Christmas.
The Journey
In the new animated ad, the journey, a child can be seen writing his wish to Santa as his mother prepares the home for Christmas celebrations. The father enters the house, clearly tired, after a long day at work. And as the child shifts his attention from the note to his father, the letter flies off. In that second, the child is troubled. The parents share a quick glance, and at that moment, the father makes a decision. He grabs onto his son’s hand and rushes towards the car. They follow the note closely as it flies over houses, buildings, city, unto the outskirts, mountains, forests, and up unto a cliff.
The father stops the car at the end and gets out. Before the note flies off further and becomes unreachable, he catches it. The letter read: I want a long trip with my dad.
Appreciating the ad
It is just so heartwarming that the child who missed his dad due to overworking or being just busy with practical life got his wish right away. Well, that is the holiday spirit, isn’t it?
Well, in ‘The Journey’, Toyota did not deviate much from their pattern. They did show the car’s functionality, how it can travel on different terrains, and the fuel usage is also good considering, the father and son did not have to stop for refueling. I mean had they done it, they would have indeed lost the note.
Overall, the ad had a feel-good nature attached to it. It served two purposes and did not compromise on any aspect; neither did it compromise on the functionality, nor did it fall short of the Christmas narrative. And tackling the Christmas narrative through animation was the best way to go about it.
We look forward to more exciting ads by car brands.
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