We're only hours away from the Super Bowl 52, which will be played in Minneapolis at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 6:30 p.m. ET, and those who aren't that much into football will at least tune in to watch the halftime commercials.
Going big with the advertisements aired during the interval has become a Super Bowl tradition for a lot of companies, and carmakers are no exception. With millions of people tuning in to watch the two teams (the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots this year) fight for the title and the advertising time costing a not so small fortune, it's pretty understandable why you either go all in, or fold from the beginning.
From what we've seen today, the crop of commercials seems a bit underwhelming this year. There is no Clint Eastwood giving us a convincing pep talk, no Eminem making Detroit great again and no tiny Darth Vader trying to lure us to the dark side of Volkswagen.
Hyundai promises to surprise us, Kia has hired Aerosmith's Steven Tyler for a trip back in time, and the Black Panther is apparently on Lexus' payroll, but nothing so far seems to live up to the expectations created by some previous efforts.
Sadly, Toyota's involvement doesn't seem to change that. The Japanese manufacturer is going to air three spots (two minutes and a half in total) as part of its "Start Your Impossible" global campaign in an attempt to make up the lost ground as the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance and the Volkswagen Group have both surpassed its worldwide sales in 2017.
The first clip is titled "Good Odds" and will be broadcast after kickoff. It's supposed to be uplifting and motivational, but featuring amputee newborns - even if they do grow up to win eight gold medals in the Paralympic Winter Games - is just a bad idea. It's great that technology has come far enough to give everyone a chance to a normal life - and congrats to Toyota for being part of the change - but that doesn't change the sheer injustice of someone being born that way.
The mood should change dramatically with the second ad. Named "One Team," it changes the tone so much it almost makes Toyota look like a bipolar person. It brings forward the cliche idea that sports can bring everyone together regardless of their faith, nationality, gender or skin color.
Finally, the third commercial from Toyota at the Super Bowl LII (that's what 52 would have been spelled in Roman times) is called "Mobility Anthem" and is a less dramatic follow-up to the first one.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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