The Weather Challenge
Toyota Motors Europe
Issue 35 | June 2015
Agency
Del Campo Saatchi & Saatchi Madrid
Creative Team
Chief Creative Officers Maxi Itzkoff Mariano Serkin Executive Creative Directors Ariel Serkin Juan Pablo Lufrano Rafael Santamarina Copywriters Brittany Poole Tobias Tercic Art Directors Todd Grinham Hernan Garcia
Production Team
Producers Raffaella Scarpetti Peter Montgomery Production Company Smuggler Director Jamie Rafn
Other Credits
Account Team Mauro Messina Michaela Chweidan
Date
March 2015
Background
Toyota were launching a new version of the Aygo, with a canvas sunroof. The brand's personality was irreverent and fun and the brief was to bring those traits to life in a way that was equally quirky and entertaining.
Idea
Weather forecasters in Spain were much like forecasters anywhere in the world. Usually wrong, no matter that everyday people were relying on their forecasts to help them plan ahead. Yet they never seemed to be held accountable for their mistakes. Come rain or shine, they kept their jobs. And kept getting it wrong.
The idea was to challenge three weather forecasters in Paris, Milan and Madrid to face the consequences of their inaccuracies.
Each was given a Toyota Aygo. Each car had its sunroof rigged to respond to the weather forecast that day. So if the forecast was 'sunny', the roof would automatically and irreversibly open. So if it rained later in the day, well...tough.
Then each of the famous forecasters was followed by a small documentary crew, filming what happened.
Tatiana Silva in Milan predicted sun. And got snow. Oh dear.
Roberto Brasero predicted rain and had to wear heavy-duty outdoor gear – in blistering sunshine.
Results
Not known.
Our Thoughts
In the old days, a TV commercial was a carefully written little playlet with one or more actors playing parts to demonstrate or dramatise a product benefit. Now you need real people in real situations, which the audience can empathise with. Or not, as in this amusing little dig at weather forecasters from Del Campo Saatchi.
What I really like abut this is that it features a product point. So much of what passes for branded content these days seems to me to be pointless. Digital flotsam. At least this makes it clear that the Toyota Aygo has a canvas sunroof. Nice, when it’s not raining or snowing.