Toyota goes all in for Father's Day, unveiling a pair of Web films from Saatchi & Saatchi—each nearly three-minutes long—and erecting an "I (Heart) Dad" monument next week on Southern California's Santa Monica Beach Pier.
One of the films, "Father's Day Reunion," follows twentysomething Phil Eastman, whose parents divorced when he was 8, and who last spent Father's Day with his dad 15 years ago. Toyota chose Eastman from hundreds of on-the-street interviews it conducted last month in Los Angeles, and sent him on a surprise visit to see his father, a latter-day cowboy type who lives in dusty Hyattville, Wyoming (population: 75).
During the film, the perspective shifts between Eastman and his dad, as both share their feelings about their relationship. "I didn't have a lot of time to spend with him growing up," Eastman says. "My dad always reached out, but I sort of pulled away." As an adult, Eastman is "still kind of wondering … who he is in my life."
His dad, an environmentally conscious dude who lives on an expansive ranch-style property, says, "We've always been close, but there were times when we had some big gaps."
These days, "every time I see my dad," Eastman says, "it feels like I'm coming back home." Getting together helps both men shed baggage so they can enjoy each other's company in the here and now.
Though heartfelt, such pronouncements are far from tear-jerkers. Throughout, we get the impression that these guys are simply sharing their feelings in honest, unfettered fashion. The lack of overt drama adds depth and meaning to their interactions.
Director Ivan Cash's low-key, naturalistic style is especially effective. Often, he focuses on seemingly insignificant details, like a horseshoe or a steer's head hanging on a wall, or Eastman's quiet contemplation as he packs for his trip. This keeps the film firmly grounded, and gives it a universality other forays into similar territory sometimes lack. (Hallmark's recent Mother's Day campaign comes to mind. Though powerful in its way, it feels far more manipulative than Toyota's more casual, cinema verité approach.)
Cash also directed the street interviews from which Eastman was chosen. That footage forms the basis of the second film, "Father's Day Redo." As in "Reunion," the straightforwardness of the presentation keeps things from getting overly sentimental. Random folks answer questions about Father's Day, with most conceding they're not sure when the holiday rolls around or admitting they didn't get their dads a present last year. (The campaign turns on the insight that Americans spend $7.4 billion less on Father's Day gifts than they spend on Mother's Day. One guy, at least in his twenties, says he painted a smiley face on a rock last year to honor his dad.)
The subjects reveal what their dads mean to them. One young woman says her father sacrificed for the family by working long hours at "crappy jobs," while another notes that her dad calls her at the same time every day. The everyday nature of the comments make them all the more poignant; over-the-top revelations wouldn't work nearly as well. Ultimately, the interviewees phone their dads to express their thanks, but somehow, these impromptu "I love yous" avoid sounding mawkish or overblown.
For the most part, Toyota takes a backseat in both films, allowing viewers to infer the brand's role as a mode of transportation that helps make important journeys possible.
Extending the Father's Day theme into the physical world, Toyota commissioned DJ Neff to design a 15-foot-tall wooden "I (Heart) Dad" monument, which will be unveiled next Tuesday on Santa Monica Pier, where it will remain through June 22. (Thanks to Instaprint technology, visitors will be able to instantly print their Instagram photos at the site by adding the campaign's #OneBoldChoice hashtag.)
The monument and films echo the automaker's memorable "My Bold Dad" Super Bowl commercial for Camry, which showed a father driving his daughter to the airport as she begins her hitch in the U.S. Army.
"We were excited to hear that we really got Americans to think about their dads during this year's Super Bowl," says Toyota group vp of marketing Jack Hollis. "What better way to continue that connection than by starting a timely, new conversation on Father's Day."
CREDITS
Client: Toyota
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles
CCO: Jason Schragger
CD: Erich Funke
Copywriter: Nick Cade
ACD/Art Director: John Kritch
Executive Director of Integrated Production: Lalita Koehler
Director of Content Production: Sara Seibert
Senior Content Producer: Pamela Parsons
Production Coordinator: Anthony Circo
Group Account Director: Erica Baker
Account Director: Carla Tanchum
Management Supervisor: Chris Crockett
Account Executive: Tracey Horwitz
Director of Public Relations Nick Ammazzalorso
Product Information Specialist: Paul Watson
Strategic Planning Director: Evan Ferrari
Management Supervisor Social Media: Hansoul Kim
Engagement Manager, Social Media: Allie Burrow
Executive Communications Director: Gwen Conley
Media Director: Janet Waters
Associate Communications Director: Breanne Carpenter
Senior Project Manager: Jill Savage
Account Director, Social Media: Bryan DeSena
Business Affairs Director: Keli Christy
Senior Business Affairs Manager: Kate Bestic
Client:
Group Vice President - Marketing Jack Hollis
Vehicle Marketing & Communications National Manager -Sedan Ann Masse
Vehicle Marketing & Communications Manager - Camry Angie White
Vehicle Marketing & Communications Planner - Camry Jessica Geremia
Social Media Strategy & Operations Director Monica Peterson
Social Media Strategy & Operations Manager Florence Drakton
Social Media Marketing Planner Brian Carroll
Production Company: Cash Studios
Executive Producer: Melissa Abe
President Of Production Company: Ivan Cash
Line Producer: Asori Soto
Director: Ivan Cash
DP: Daniel Addelson
Editing Company: Cosmo Street
Executive Producer: Yvette Sears
Producer: Marie Mangahas
Editor: Bill Chessman
Assistant Editor: Zoe Mougin
Telecine: CO3, Stefan Sonnenfeld
Finishing: Brickyard
Finishing Artist: Patrick Poulatian
Finishing Producer: Diana Young
Music: Asche & Spencer
Sound Design
Mix: Lime Studios
Mixer: Loren Silber
Monument Credits
CCO: Jason Schragger
CD: Erich Funke
Copywriter: Nick Cade
ACD/Art Director: John Kritch
Executive Director of Integrated Production: Lalita Koehler
Director of Content Production: Sara Seibert
Senior Content Producer: Pamela Parsons
Senior Art Producer: Dogan Dattilo
Production Coordinator: Anthony Circo