The & Partnership and Toyota are putting some fun back into life with an image campaign that promotes Toyota’s hybrid models as fun and stylish. It seems that the creatives knew and loved the 30-second spot 1968 Hanna-Barbera animated hit TV series, Wacky Races. It is also underscored by a cover version of The Turtle’s 1967 hit, Happy Together, rerecorded by British pop group, Bastille. The new pan-European campaign is the first under a new banner, Hello Hybrid Happiness.
The commercial, directed by RSA’s Jake Scott, was quite a production, one of Toyota’s largest to date, complicated even more by Covid restrictions. It was shot in Athens and was made into 70 versions for various European markets, which required 37 edits. Post-production was managed by UPP. Stills photography was captured and developed in CGI by Sebastien Staub. Lifestyle imagery was shot on location in Athens by Apostolis Koukousas.
The idea is reminiscent of a 2019 campaign by The&Partnership for Toyota Corolla Hybrid, which also partly channelled Wacky Races.
In that commercial, a Toyota passes vehicles from every decade, from a horse-drawn carriage to a yuppie supercar to an electric car whose drivers is charging at the roadside. There are also 1930s gangster cars filled with hoodlums, 50s Americana models and a range of more modern “dirty” diesels. Its pitch was more rational. Hybrid cars were still trying to find their feet at the time. “As the world moves forward, what will your choice be?” asks the voiceover. It was also quite a production, directed by Sam Brown and Mark Jenkinson at Rogue/Carnage, and shot in Teruel, Spain over five days. It was set to a bright Benny Goodman jazz track, Sing, Sing, Sing.
