Toyota showcases its reliability in nostalgic campaign

February 5, 2026 11:14

Times change, but reliability doesn't

In its latest campaign, Toyota Australia is reminding drivers that “quality, durability and reliability (QDR)” have been core components of its cars for decades.

The automotive manufacturer’s new platform with Saatchi and Saatchi Australia is designed to compare Toyota models from the past with their present peers. It places QDR in the centre to show how Toyota’s vehicles are built to last.

Revolver director Leilani Croucher spearheaded the production of the integrated campaign. Media agency Spark Foundry handled the platform’s media.

“The automotive world is evolving rapidly, but the heartbeat of our brand remains our unwavering commitment to QDR,” Vin Naidoo, chief marketing officer at Toyota Australia, said in a media release.

“We don’t just look at these enduring older models with pride; we see them as a promise to our customers. They are the proof that the new Toyota you buy today is engineered with the same integrity to stand by you for the long road ahead.”

The campaign’s main asset is a 30-second film that compares several Toyota vehicles from different decades. Despite the lack of modern features in the older vehicles, the advertisement emphasises that they are all reliable.

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“This 1987 Corolla doesn’t have a blind spot monitor, zoned climate control, or Apple Carplay. But it does have a feature that makes a Toyota different to the rest,” the film’s vintage-tinged voiceover says.

“So does this one, that one, and the new ones,” the voiceover continues, as the camera and frame pan out to show all the vehicles driving on a road.

“That’s reliability. It isn’t an optional extra. It comes standard in every Toyota.”

In the release, Saatchi and Saatchi Australia’s chief creative officer, Avish Gordham, unpacked the creative decisions behind the campaign’s visuals. Older and newer Toyota models are placed together to show that the former “aren’t museum pieces”, but are “real cars”.

“To prove how reliable a new Toyota is, we simply showed off the old ones,” Gordham said.

“The idea pulls on the advertising tropes from yesteryear to land the simple truth that when you build cars properly, they last for generations.

“And if Toyota vehicles from decades ago are still going strong today, a new one will be just as reliable for years to come.”

Toyota Landcruiser

Toyota’s QDR platform will launch across social, radio, out of home, transit, digital, TV, and via media partnerships.

Saatchi and Saatchi has been on a campaign streak the last few months.

The creative agency launched a safety campaign for Toyota in November last year, and delivered another project for the brand’s Hilux range in December.

Last month, Saatchi and Saatchi collaborated with meal delivery business Youfoodz on a campaign to help Australians transition back into the workplace post-holidays.

Talentwise, the agency announced former DDB strategist Leif Stromnes as its new chief strategy officer. Most recently, it appointed two new executive creative directors.

CAMPAIGN CREDITS

CLIENT – TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION AUSTRALIA

Senior Manager, Marketing Operations: Anthony Nobile

Manager, Communications – Commercial & Brand: Kylie Graham

Senior Brand Specialist: Amber Mottram

Brand Specialist: Ruby Cowling

Acting Senior Brand Specialist – Media: Jess Camilleri

AGENCY – SAATCHI & SAATCHI AUSTRALIA

Chief Creative Officers: Dave Bowman, Mandie van der Merwe, Avish Gordhan

Creative Directors: Carlo Mazzarella, Piero Ruzzene

Creatives: Iain McMillan

National Director of Production: Michael Demosthenous

Senior Integrated Producer: Lauren Woods

Chief Client Officer: Ben Court

Executive Planning Director: Joe Heath

Group Business Director: Zoe Kypros

Group Business Director: Nicole Hindson

Senior Business Director: Lauren Ellis

Senior Business Manager: Tish Wiseman

Business Executive: Noah Thompson

MEDIA – SPARK FOUNDRY AUSTRALIA

National Head of Partnerships: Rhonda Dunlop

Associate Client Director: Emili Maruna

Activation Manager: Emilie Drake

TV PRODUCTION

Production Company – Revolver

Director: Leilani Croucher

Managing Director / Co-Owner: Michael Ritchie

Executive Producer: Caroline Kruck

DOP: Jeremy Rouse

Production Designer: Lucinda Thomson

Costume Designer: Sophie Barker

Casting – Nick Hamon Casting

Editorial – Offline – The Editors

Editor & Colourist: Scott Stirling

Post-Production – The Editors

Post-Production Producer: Charlotte Griffiths

Sound – Rumble Studios