In a last-minute media buy, Toyota doubled its Super Bowl ad presence with a 60-second commercial promoting the return of its long-discontinued Supra sports car.
In the commercial, set to The Who’s “Pinball Wizard,” a 2020 GR Supra is shown racing around a larger-than-life pinball machine, highlighting the car’s speed and agility. The Supra was originally removed from the U.S. market in 1998 due to emissions concerns, though it is slated to once again be available at Toyota dealerships from mid-July.
The minute-long “Wizard” spot from Saatchi & Saatchi, the Japanese automaker’s agency of record, ran immediately after the halftime show. A Toyota spokeswoman confirmed to Ad Age that its Supra ad buy was secured in “recent days,” along with its sponsorship of the CBS Halftime Report.
Another Toyota spot from Burrell Communications aired in the second quarter of the game; this one starred female football player Antoinette "Toni" Harris in a 60-second ad for the Toyota RAV4’s new hybrid version.
Super Bowl LIII marks the second time in a row that Toyota has placed a last-minute Big Game ad buy; in 2018, the automaker squeezed an additional 30-second spot into its line-up that focused on the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
BRAND: Toyota
YEAR: 2019
AGENCY: Saatchi & Saatchi
SUPER BOWL: LIII
QUARTER AIRED: Halftime