WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND — Toyota has just launched a campaign for the RAV4 that utilizes New Zealand’s Department of Recreations, Activities, Visits and Stuff (D-RAVS). If you’ve never heard of this department, it’s most likely because they’re a fictional organization dreamed up by Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand, inspired by the original Recreation Activity Vehicle, RAV4.
Susanne Hardy, Assistant Vice President at Toyota New Zealand, said, “We know that Kiwis love the RAV4 and have done for decades. We wanted to have some fun with the name, and create a campaign that all Kiwis could relate to. The summer is all about getting out and enjoying the outdoors, you could say recreating! So we wanted to bring that together with a creative element to excite Kiwis about the awesome RAV4.”
The campaign introduces the D-RAVS through three main lovable, but fallible D-RAV field officers, Greg, Mandy and Sam. From what we can make out, their pseudo-government department seemingly monitors Kiwi recreational activities and registers them on some kind of list. RAV4 plays a natural central role in both their observations and enabling their important work. The whole scenario is quite fitting for a country well known for over-indexing on its many and varied ways of “recreating.”
Steve Cochran, Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi NZ, said, “We have Aotearoa’s most lovable SUV alongside some lovably funny Kiwi characters doing some lovable recreational activities set in some very lovely New Zealand countryside. What’s not to love about it? We reckon Kiwis are going to, especially as they encounter more and more of the D-RAVS over time.”
The campaign kicks off with a 90-second film, with some complementary 15-second films too. Over the coming weeks, you’ll see bespoke contextual videos served on YouTube targeted at fans of mainstream, niche and trending “recreations.” You’ll see D-RAVS recreation-certified bumper films in places like the cinema. On radio, you’ll hear public recreational messages from the D-RAVS brought to you with the support of RAV4. And a few posts from the department will likely pop up in your social feed, too.
The films were mainly shot at a classic New Zealand lake and were directed by Max Barden of Sweetshop, with stills shot by Alistair Guthrie. The full broad-spanning campaign has been a collaboration between New Zealand agencies Spark Foundry, Digitas, Wright Communications, and Saatchi & Saatchi.
Lee Sunter, Executive Creative Director at Saatchi & Saatchi NZ, commented, “Creating a world like this felt more like recreation than work. A big part of that is down to Max. His vision to not only make the world feel different but also leave you wanting more was the reason we brought him onboard. And he’s also excellent at doing funny, which has been quite useful for this idea.”
Steve added, “We reckon this is a great example of a campaign that makes entertainment its priority. That’s what we should be doing if we expect New Zealanders to stop and engage with our brand for several precious seconds of their day. And like us for it.”
Credits:
Toyota New Zealand
Client: Toyota New Zealand Limited
Assistant Vice President: Susanne Hardy
Manager, Marketing Operations: Jamie How
Associate Manager, Marketing: Katie Craven
Product Marketing Specialist/ Marketing: Phoebe Nicholls
Saatchi & Saatchi NZ
Creative Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi NZ
Chief Executive Officer: Mark Cochrane
Chief Creative Officer: Steve Cochran
Executive Creative Director: Lee Sunter
Executive Creative Director: Jordan Sky
Art Director: Gina Morgan
Copywriter: Zach Hall, Andrew Younge
Designers: Nina Kuzmic, Nelson Rayner
Retoucher: Nick Browne
General Manager: Susie Darling
Group Business Director: Kate Gyde
Senior Business Manager: Renee Prasad
Executive Agency Producer: Jane Mill
Head of Connected Strategy: Tim Cullinane
The SweetShop
Production Company: Sweetshop
Director: Max Barden
Executive Producer: Ben Dailey
Producer: Jimena Murray
Cinematographer: Marty Williams
Production Designer: Bruce Everard
Wardrobe Stylist: Sarah Voon
Casting: Akd Casting, Adrian Dentice
Editor: Tim Mauger
Colour: Alana Cotton
Online & VFX: Leon Woods
Audio Post: Liquid Studios
Sound Engineer: Craig Matuschka
Photography: Al Guthrie
Spark Foundry
Media Agency: Spark Foundry
Managing Director: Nicky Greville
Client Partner: Kelly Rosnell-Shand
Business Directors: Toby Yonge, Stacey Stephenson
Wright Communications
Managing Director: Nikki Wright
Senior Account Manager: Loren Cunningham
