Three new head-turning TV spots for Ontario Toyota Dealers aim to let viewers know that Toyota’s car salespeople are exactly like their customers.
They mean that rather literally. The spots, which launched Monday, each feature a prospective customer — a pregnant woman, a bodybuilder and a long-haired, bearded man in an ugly sweater who seems inspired by “The Dude” in The Big Lebowski. As they tell their salespeople what they’re looking for, the salespeople gradually morph and change shape as they take on the physical traits of their customers.
A salesman in a spaced-out surfer voice shows a blue Rav4 – a “Blue Crush with moonroof” – to his equally spaced out customer, who really digs it.
Sound weird? It is, a little. The spots are meant to turn heads, said John Farquhar, partner and chief creative officer at Toronto-based agency Rain43, the agency behind the new commercials.
“Our agency’s motto is simple, relevant and famous,” said Farquhar. “How do we get great advertising that’s really going to stand out from everything else that’s out there? These spots, I think they’re as good as any car dealer advertisements out there.”
The 30-second spots will be accompanied by online videos, preroll and banner ads that contain more targeted information about deals and models.
“People of all shapes and sizes come into showrooms everyday,” said Cher Campbell, creative director at Rain43. “Each person is different. Each person is unique. But what unifies everyone on a basic human level is a desire to feel really comfortable and at ease in the sales and service experience in their own way. These spots tell the story in a simple, relevant and talked-about way.”
A car dealership’s simple end goal is always to sell cars. For nearly two years, however, Rain43 has worked to develop a friendlier strategy with Ontario Toyota Dealers that combats the perception of car dealers who will give you a “hard sell.” It illustrates that their sales staff works to understand customers.
“Rather than selling something, what they’re doing is helping them through the process of buying something,” said Farquhar. “People want to buy from people they have shared values and interests with. People like to buy from people they like. This campaign took that to its extreme point, where the salespeople are actually taking on their characteristics.”
The spots were co-produced by The Perlorian Brothers, known for their work on ads such as the Ontario Ministry of Health’s PSA last year that memorably compared social smoking to social farting.
