Toyota turns the traditional car ad on its head for Vitz Hybrid

It’s nice to be reminded that car commercials don’t have to be formulaic. A short film for Toyota’s Vitz Hybrid in Japan pokes fun at the process many creative directors go through in finalizing an ad. This includes obliging demands for lingering product feature shots, and storyline changes to ensure client satisfaction.

The film, ‘The making of the new Vitz story’, was developed by Tugboat, the director Hideyuki Tanaka and production company Tohokushinsha, and takes inspiration from existing visual effects breakdown reels for past commercials provided by Alt.vfx, an Australian post-production company.

As a young creative director outlines his idea for a daring campaign, a more senior colleague reels him in with a series of more sensible ideas. As he does so, the action reverses and plays out differently through a series of rewinds, wipes and other breakdown techniques.

In a statement, Takeshi Takada, executive producer of Alt.vfx, said Tugboat and Tanaka were inspired by their breakdowns showing the work behind finished commercials. “This new spot takes that idea and creates something entirely fresh and exciting for the Toyota brand,” he said.

The video has so far drawn more than 2.3 million views on YouTube.

Campaign’s view: The work is fun and engaging—everything a car promotion should be, but rarely is. The truck at the end is an especially nice touch.