The automobile giants warmed hearts during this year’s installment of the most coveted ad break in the US.
Whilst the Super Bowl is well-known for being one of the most-watched sporting events on the calendar, its cultural impact stretches far beyond the American football game that it concerns.
Take this year’s half-time show, for example. Not only did The Weeknd deliver a stunning performance that captivated Super Bowl LV’s 99 million viewers worldwide, but he also started a meme that is still flooding timelines on Twitter days after the event.
The point is, lots of people watch the Super Bowl. And if you’re lucky enough to land a spot in the half-time commercials, like Toyota did, you’ve got a chance to make an enormous statement.
Feeling The Love
Car adverts can often be abstract. They’ll typically avoid showing you a still of the model with a straightforward description its components. Instead, it’s likely to opt for a more atmospheric demonstration of the feelings and ideas that the model evokes.
Toyota, though, went one step further with this commercial. Throwing out the rulebook, as well as any real promotion of their vehicles, they told the touching story of Paralympian Jessica Long.
Long, who is a 13-time Paralympic gold medallist, needed both of her legs amputated at just 18-months old as a result of a condition known as fibular hemimelia.
The heart-warming advert tells Long’s story, beginning with her adoption as a baby, and carrying right through to her achievements as a top swimmer.
Rather than plugging their cars, Toyota opted to spread inclusivity, empowerment, and love with this advert. The viewer is reminded that “there is hope and strength in all of us”, and we’re huge fans of the simple yet powerful message.
If you liked this, here’s another inventive car commercial, in which Bill Murray relives ‘Groundhog Day’ for Jeep.
