Cannes Lions
SIX INC, Tokyo / TOYOTA GAZOO RACING / 2024
Overview
Entries
Credits
Background
As a major manufacturer that participates in motorsports, TOYOTA has the responsibility to break through the situation where motorsports and the global environment do not coexist. TOYOTA has developed a Hydrogen racing machine that aims to achieve the goal and wanted the most impactful moment to unveil the machine and generate industry-wide action.
Idea
TOYOTA has developed a Hydrogen racing machine that aims to achieve coexistence between motorsports and the global environment. They chose the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's most popular endurance race, which celebrated its 100th anniversary, as the best moment to unveil the vehicle to the world.
At a conference held the day before the race, TOYOTA released a video celebrating its 100th anniversary. Not only did they celebrate, but they also prepared a surprise at the end of the video; they unveiled the H2 racing car that will show what the race should be like for the next 100 years.
Strategy
Target was set to all stakeholders involved in motorsports, for the goal cannot be achieved through the efforts of a single company alone; it is essential that the entire motorsports industry take action with a common goal - the coexistence between motorsports and the global environment.
Therefore, TOYOTA chose the once-in-a-century moment that attracts the most attention in the motorsports industry as the place to unveil the Hydrogen racing machine they had developed. And this was the Le Mans 24 Hours, the world's most prestigious endurance race, which has been running for 100 years. At a conference celebrating the 100th anniversary of the race, the vehicle was unveiled in the film and at the race site to show how the race should be run for the next 100 years.
Outcome
The launch of the Hydrogen racing machine did not end with TOYOTA's brand appeal, but also created actions that started to change the motorsports industry. As mentioned above, TOYOTA encouraged the establishment of a Hydrogen category, and even designed the competitors, such as BMW, Peugeot, to announce their participation in the H2 category.
(The film was viewed almost 10M times on YouTube)