A new television ad for Toyota Corolla, featuring the much-loved spokesdog Buddy the brindle Boxer, stresses the vehicle’s “fan club’ appeal. Devised by Draftfcb Johannesburg, the ad shows Buddy in the spotlight outside his owner’s garage alongside the brand new Corolla.
With an orchestra warming up in the background, Buddy, much like the master of ceremonies at a formal theatre, announces the evening’s performance – the Blue Danube by Strauss. After he has barked the opening chords, he is joined by the neighbourhood dogs because they, too, and their owners, are fans of the Corolla. The pay-off line for the ad is: “The new Toyota Corolla: a feeling of refinement’.
Says executive creative director James Cloete: “The over-riding take-out with this advertisement is that a Corolla “fan’ is never alone, but belongs to a large group of like-minded people, and can take reassurance from that. This was achieved by bringing in Buddy’s pack of friends to help him out.
“At the same time, the advertisement loses none of the humour and appeal that Buddy has brought to the brand over the last year. He’s not a very good “singer’ and uses humour to cover up this little short-coming. We think it will, in time, join the Corolla as a local classic.’
Toyota’s Senior Manager: Marketing Communications Planning and Advertising, Pieter Klerck adds: “For so many people, the Toyota Corolla is part of the South African landscape, an integral component of generations of South Africans’ lives. When launching the new Corolla, we wanted to highlight the appeal of the brand, as well as reassure owners that they belong to a group of people – an informal group though it may be – who have identified and aligned themselves with an iconic brand offering a feeling of refinement and value for money.’
