Just last week, Toyota announced it would sit out this year's Super Bowl, which would have extended the carmaker's absence from the Big Game to two consecutive years. But the carmaker had a sudden change of heart and will air a commercial at the 2024 Super Bowl after all.
The Tacoma will be Toyota's MVP of this year's Super Bowl. Ten days ago, Toyota announced that it would skip the 2024 event, focusing on experiential marketing on the ground in Las Vegas, where the NFL final is set to take place on February 11.
But the carmaker has called a last-minute audible asking to be accepted back in. The Japanese brand is planning to run a national TV ad during the game on CBS in addition to the experiential activities that are set to take place.
Toyota is taking the number of automakers confirming to advertise during the Super Bowl to four, with the list including BMW, Volkswagen, Kia, and now, Toyota.
The Japanese could not have missed the occasion as it has been the NFL's official automotive partner, based on a multi-year sponsorship deal announced back in October. This puts Toyota in a better position compared to anyone else advertising at the event, as it is allowed to use the NFL trademarks.
Photo: Toyota
It remains to be seen if Toyota will be allowed back in, considering that all the advertising slots on the main broadcast on CBS were reportedly sold out.
By taking the all-new Tacoma to the Super Bowl, Toyota wants to highlight its position as an automaker of rugged, capable vehicles on- and off-road.
The spot, with a yet-unknown duration, will be made by Toyota's long-standing media partner, Publicis Groups's Saatchi & Saatchi, in collaboration with Le True. The quarter the advertisement is supposed to run has not yet been disclosed. Multiple sources have reported that the average cost of airing a 30-second spot during the 2024 Super Bowl will be $7 million, the same as last year. One minute on air would cost Toyota and any advertising brand a jaw-dropping $14 million.
A spokesperson for Toyota said that, during a campaign production, the team admitted that there was a creative execution worthy of the Super Bowl. And that was right on time for the LVIII edition of the world's most-watched sports event but it also coincides with the launch of the Tacoma. The carmaker was not planning to produce an ad for this year's Big Game, as reported by Automotive News.
Sitting out of the 2024 Super Bowl would have been the second consecutive absence for the brand. In 2022, the automaker aired a spot called "The Joneses," which starred Tommy Lee Jones, Leslie Jones, Rashida Jones, and Nick – how else but – Jones.
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