Toyota Puts Its Land Cruiser in Orbit

Advertiser: Toyota Motor Sales

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Los Angeles

Challenge: Tout enhancements to Land Cruiser in first-ever television ads that highlight the global presence of the brand.

The Ad: In this spot, the camera pulls back from a cloud-covered landscape to reveal the planet Earth in the shape of a Land Cruiser. The vehicle is suspended in space with the moon orbiting nearby. A narrator says that the Land Cruiser, a forerunner of today’s SUVs, has been around for 48 years, is sold in 161 countries and now has a V-8 engine. The ad ends with the slogan, “Toyota everyday.”

Comment: Longevity, global acceptance and power are strong selling points. But as an Earth-like object adrift in space, the vehicle loses some of its rugged charm. Print ads at least suggest roads well-traveled, saying that the measure of an SUV is “not where it can go, but . . . where it has been.” $$