Working with the Sweetshop and Director Mr. Hide we put together a visually driven pitch that outlined a 360º campaign. The following is what came of it and though, as freelancers, my partner and I did not have the privilege to see the project through delivery, a debt of gratitude goes out to ECD Mike McKay, CD Andrew Christou, ACD Art Director Sean Farrell, the passionate team at Saatchi LA and Toyota USA for bringing our vision to life and making “Harmony between man, nature and machine” fantastic.
Though inspiring, the brief read like a typical automotive strategy. So, naturally, we had to ignore it.
You see, at the time, the country was at the height of the ongoing depression. Wall Street had flown the coup with billions of tax payers’ money, unemployment was hitting numbers not seen in 40 years and the news around global warming and environment were, well, you know. The country needed another car ad like it needed a hole in the head. We needed a campaign that would put a smile on people’s faces and make them feel good about driving. For us, it was “happy” or bust.
Along the process, my partner moved on to another project, so I pitched my good friend and a super creative, Simon Mainwaring and Saatchi was on board. Simon jumped right on the “happy” bandwagon and with precious little time to go before the big meeting we came up with the big idea, “Harmony.”
The spots quickly climbed to #1 on Creativity and topped Nielsen’s “Top 10 Most-Liked New Ads.”
Social media allowed Prius lovers everywhere to make “Harmony between man, nature and machine” come to life.
The Prius story continued through a great site experience built by EVB and Laika Entertainment House. It won a FWA Site Of The Day.
Company: Saatchi & Saatchi
Role: Associate Creative Director / AD