Toyota Australia launches new GR Yaris with Hero campaign

Toyota Australia and creative agency Hero unveil the new GR Yaris in a bold campaign highlighting its rally pedigree and everyday appeal.

The announcement:

Toyota Australia, in partnership with leading creative independent HERO, has launched the new GR Yaris, including its auto variant, to bring the brand’s rally pedigree into the everyday.

Titled ‘Nice to Know It Could’, the hero spot leverages the insight that car enthusiasts are drawn to the extreme capabilities of their performance machines, even if they’re not used. With World Rally Championship engineering at its core, the GR Yaris can tackle everything from the most unforgiving rally stages to the most regular weekday commute.

The multichannel campaign spans TV, BVOD, SVOD, cinema, digital, OOH and social, supported by gamified environments and a behind-the-scenes content series.

Shot in Williamstown and Parwan Ride Park, the 60-second hero film merges suburban and rally worlds and includes a seven-metre-high fast-food drive-through window, only accessible via a mid-air jump, among other breathtaking stunts. Directed by Sam Walker of Exit Films, the cinematic spot showcases high-intensity stunt driving set to Melbourne punk sensation Amyl and The Sniffers’ track “Hertz.”

Vin Naidoo, chief marketing officer, Toyota Australia says, “We set out to capture the exhilaration that comes with a car and driver moving as one. With the GR Yaris, that visceral connection is immediate and instinctive, turning even the most ordinary roads into something extraordinary. The film is our way of letting audiences experience that sensation for themselves, not just in what they see, but in what they feel, even though the stunts are out of the realms of possibility for everyday drivers.”

Shane Geffen, executive creative director, HERO says, “You’d never need to push a performance car like the GR Yaris to its limits during everyday driving, but there’s comfort in knowing you could rather than needing it to. We’re proud to partner with Toyota and Exit to bring this insight to life in a bold and memorable way.”

The launch continues HERO’s long-standing creative partnership with Toyota across their GR portfolio, and follows a run of award wins with the C-HR Diamond collection most recently taking home Bronze at this year’s Spikes Asia and a Grand Prix at the World Independent Advertising Awards.

CLIENT – Toyota Motor Corporation Australia

Vin Naidoo – Chief Marketing Officer

Anthony Nobile – Snr Manager, Brand Communications

Stephanie Naylor – Manager Communications – GR Brand

Suhailah O’Brien – Senior Brand Specialist – GR Brand

Abbey Harrington – Senior Brand Specialist – GR Brand

Alex Verduci – Brand Specialist

AGENCY – HERO

Shane Geffen – Executive Creative Director

Andrew Woodhead – Creative Director

Mitchell Sutton – Senior Art Director

Josh Campbell – Senior Copywriter

Kean Szczur – Senior Art Director

Roz Scrimshaw – Head of Production Ken Chan – Head of Strategy

Dan Hickey – Head of Studio / Finished Art

Richard Hayes – General Manager

Gideon Nedas – Group Account Director

Annabel Ziegeler – Account Director

Issy Kelly – Senior Account Manager

PRODUCTION – Exit Films

Wilf Sweetland – Managing Partner

Alice Grant – Producer

Sam Walker – Director

Jeremy Rouse – DOP

Lucinda Thomson – Production Designer

Harry Dakanalis – Stunt Co-ordinator

PHOTOGRAPHY – Loveridge Productions

Natalie Loveridge – Producer

Easton Chang – Photographer

Joshua Stunell – Assistant Photographer

Easton Chang – Retouching

CASTING – Nick Hamon Casting

Megan D’Arcy – Casting Director

POST PRODUCTION – The Editors & ALT VFX

Eyvonne Carfora – Executive Producer

Caroline Macleod – Producer

Fergus Rotherham – Colourist

Bernard Garry – Editor

Online Artist – Heather Galvin

VFX Supervisor – Juri Bryan & Bryn Morrow

SOUND DESIGN: Rumble Studios

Liam Annert – Sound Engineer

Bec Ivanov – Producer

MUSIC: – Charmed I’m Sure

Chris Chalmers – Music Supervisor

Amyl & The Sniffers – HERTZ – Original music

MEDIA AGENCY – Spark Foundry

SOCIAL AGENCY – Havas Red

Joanne Ng – Group Account Director

Donna Flatman – Account Director

Paul Bradshaw – Videographer

Source: Hero