PLANO, Texas (Nov. 30, 2023) – Toyota has kicked off the holiday season with a heartwarming message emphasizing the importance of spreading love and making memories with family. The first of two Toyota holiday ads, “Present from the Past,” made its debut during NBC’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center,” delivering a tailored throw from a show host.

“Present from the Past” shares the story of a young woman who receives a Christmas gift from her grandmother. Inside the package is a vintage camera and a collection of her grandmother’s photos from her own youth. Inspired by the camera and with the help of her all-new 2024 Tacoma, the granddaughter decides to recreate the old photos of her grandmother by visiting the same locations. Over the following year, she travels across the country, visiting bustling cities, desert canyons, heartland pastures, tranquil forests, secluded coastlines, small-town attractions, and beyond. In the final scene, she arrives at her grandmother’s home just in time for Christmas, surprising her with a photo album she’s created from her travels, alongside her grandmother’s photos from the past. Her thoughtful gift overwhelms her grandmother with emotion. “Present from the Past” was created by Saatchi & Saatchi and directed by Lisa Gunning.

Toyota’s Hispanic campaign highlights the sentiment that nothing expresses love like picking someone up from the airport, especially during the holidays.  Latinos won’t hesitate to pick up their loved ones, even if it means enduring endless traffic, because the holidays aren’t complete until they’re together.  The Hispanic spot titled, “Arrivals,” shows relatable moments of families and friends trying to locate their loved ones among rows of cars, defying weather and traffic. Ultimately, reuniting with their family fills their hearts with joy and comfort, knowing they are finally home for the holidays.  The bilingual spot was created by Conill Advertising and directed by Max Malkin.  

Toyota’s holiday message this year focuses on spreading joy and reuniting loved ones during the festive season,” said Mike Tripp, group vice president, Toyota Marketing, Toyota Motor North America. “We hope that families and friends will embrace this message as they come together to enjoy what this season is truly about.”

This holiday season, Toyota has partnered with 100cameras to make a difference in the lives of youth across the nation. 100cameras is a nonprofit organization that empowers young people by collaborating with local schools and organizations to offer programs focused on photography and storytelling to nurture self-expression, connection, and leadership.

With Toyota’s donation, the company joins the 100cameras Impact Circle, which will fund programming for 10,000 students within the next year. The Impact Circle serves as a collective support system, fueling 100cameras’ comprehensive programming platform, which includes virtual learning and hands-on classroom experiences across the United States and worldwide.

Viewers are encouraged to support the 100cameras partnership this season by sharing their own recreations of family photos on social media using the hashtag #ToyotaFlashback.

Where to Watch

Following the premiere of the spot on NBC’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” special, the :60 version of “Present from the Past” will also be shown during high-profile airings on NBC’s “TODAY” on Thursday, November 30, and “Sunday Night Football” on NBC on Sunday, December 10 and December 23.

After the premiere week, “Present from the Past” will begin airing the :30 spot across broadcast and cable networks on December 10. The integrated campaign will appear nationally on broadcast, cinema, digital video, and paid social. The spot will air during prime time, sports programming, and on cable networks such as Comedy Central and Weather Channel, NBA games on ESPN, NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” halftimes throughout December, as well as holiday programming on Freeform.

The Hispanic linear TV coverage of “Arrivals” includes a mix of broadcast networks and targeted cable, including Univision, Telemundo, Estrella, UNIVERSO, and Discovery en Español. High profile Hispanic media programming will amplify “Arrivals,” including Univision’s annual broadcast of their charity event TeletonUSA, UEFA Champions League Soccer, Telemundo’s “Hoy Día,” and UNIVERSO’s “Sunday Night Football” halftime sponsorship. A strategic branded integration on Telemundo’s “Hoy Dia” will further extend the message by showing families coming together for the holidays through viewer-generated content and real-time content captured at airports, during the week of 12/18. Additionally, content will be shared on Telemundo and Toyota Latino social channels. The campaign will also appear in cinema, include a partnership with Pandora and social featuring Mariela on Meta and Pinterest.

The Toyotathon December Sales Event offers incentives through January 2, 2024. View the commercials here. Images and credits are available here.