Toyota Yaris Gets In With 'Smallville'

Los Angeles - The Warner Bros. Television Group, The CW Network and Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. are joining forces on a five-week integrated marketing and promotional campaign in support of the hit series "Smallville" (airing Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on The CW), featuring the Toyota Yaris, it was announced today by Lisa Gregorian, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Marketing, Warner Bros. Television Group; Rick Haskins, Marketing and Brand Strategy, The CW; and Kim McCullough, Corporate Manager Marketing Communications, Toyota.

The extensive "Smallville Legends: Justice and Doom" campaign will commence with the return of original episodes of "Smallville" on April 19 (today) and run through the season finale on May 17. The heart of the initiative is a series of custom digital on-air comic book interstitials produced by DC Comics that will air in the form of Content Wraps on The CW during "Smallville."

Launched with the premiere of The CW in September 2006, content wraps are an innovative new advertising format that brings compelling content into the entire length of the commercial break and takes the place of typical spots. Each content wrap is custom designed to appeal to different demographics of the network's schedule.? Every content wrap to date has produced approximately 100% audience retention or better out of the program it was scheduled around. "Smallville Legends: Justice and Doom" marks the first time a fully integrated, transmedia program has been developed around the content wraps.

Each content wrap will drive viewers to an immersive online game at www.cwtv.com/justice (launching at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT today, April 19), which will present players with five challenges related to the last five "Smallville" episodes of the season. Via cutting-edge video techniques, a mysterious figure appears on screen to guide players through the completion of each puzzle. Marketing elements of "Smallville Legends: Justice and Doom" will include a cross-carrier mobile campaign, street-team distribution of game clues in selected cities and a national sweepstakes for a chance to win a 2007 Toyota Yaris.

The campaign will feature the Toyota Yaris subcompact vehicle. The Yaris audience is made up of die-hard pop culture fans and loyal followers of cult shows like "Smallville." The integrated storytelling experience of the content wraps and game will give them more of the exclusive content they crave. It will answer unexplained questions from the entire run of "Smallville," detail the back story behind a major plot line, explain the secret history preceding the formation of Oliver Queen's team, and reveal the perilous mission it has been tasked with. The Yaris has already made many appearances on "Smallville." One of the main characters, Chloe Sullivan, drives a Yaris.

In an extraordinary show of collaboration, the show's producers and writers, the network, DC Comics, Toyota and Toyota's ad agency, Saatchi & Saatchi LA, worked closely together on the creation of the multiplatform campaign. The team created a seamless world between fantasy and reality by cross pollinating elements of the show and the campaign. For instance, a gadget previously seen on the show appears in the real world via the clue drops. In one episode, the content wrap even carries the "Smallville" storyline from commercial break to commercial break.

"We are excited to be partners with Toyota in this multiplatform brand enhancement experience for 'Smallville,'" said Lisa Gregorian. "We are committed to creating unique and compelling experiences for the fans of our shows and our network, The CW."

"Our viewers crave cutting-edge promotions that delve deep into the world of our shows, and this campaign is guaranteed to deliver," said Rick Haskins. "We expect 'Smallville' fans to love the new game, and embrace the entire, comprehensive multi-platform package."

"The independent-spirited Yaris audience loves digging deep into TV shows like 'Smallville,'" said Kim McCullough. "We're inviting them to engage with this interactive storytelling experience in order to reveal new and surprising details of the show's mythology."

With realistic portrayals and award-winning, state-of-the-art special effects, "Smallville" reworks the Superman lore from its roots. The series stars Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Erica Durance, Allison Mack with John Glover and Annette O'Toole. "Smallville" was developed for television by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar ("Herbie Fully Loaded," "Shanghai Noon" movies, "Spider-Man 2"), based on DC Comics characters. The executive producers are Gough & Millar, Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins, Joe Davola (all three from "One Tree Hill," "The Bronx Is Burning," "Norbit," "Wild Hogs") and Ken Horton ("The X-Files," "Millennium"). Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series is from Tollin/Robbins Productions, Millar/Gough Ink and Warner Bros. Television.


FORBES magazine names Legacy in the Making by Mark Miller and Lucas Conley (McGraw-Hill) as one of the “Top 10 Business Books for 2018

News

Launched in 2012, Team One’s The Legacy Lab™ is a thought-leadership platform exploring the dynamics of long-term brand building in a short-term world. The Legacy Lab has researched influential brands including The Bluebird Cafe, It Gets Better Project, Girls Who Code, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, The Championships, Wimbledon and Taylor Guitars among others, and publishes many of its learnings online.…

Guillermo Vega joins Saatchi & Saatchi London as Chief Creative Officer

News

Saatchi & Saatchi London has hired Guillermo Vega, the former ECD of 72andSunny New York, as its Chief Creative Officer. Joining on October 1, Vega will lead the agency’s creative department and build on its existing creative success. His appointment completes the Saatchi & Saatchi London management team, alongside Sam Hawkey (Chief Operating Officer), Richard Huntington (Chief Strategy Officer) and…

Saatchi & Saatchi win 17 awards at Cannes 2018

News

Cannes Lions 2018 saw Saatchi & Saatchi offices around the network pick up a total of 17 awards. The wins were split across Saatchi & Saatchi New York, Saatchi & Saatchi LA, Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand, Saatchi & Saatchi Germany and F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi Brazil. Winning clients were Tide, National Down Syndrome Society, Toyota, Elanco, Sadia and the…

Saatchi & Saatchi Croatia Re-energizes With New Creative Appointments

News

Publicis One Croatia today announces the appointment of three award-winning creative talents to Saatchi & Saatchi, promoting growth and creative excellence goals in Croatia and throughout the Adriatic. The three new appointments, who have extensive creative experience, will spearhead a re-energizing process of the agency in Croatia. Appointed are Ivan Tanić, who joins as Creative Director, Nebojša Cvetković as Art…

Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand wins global Tourism Fiji account

News

Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand has been appointed as Tourism Fiji’s global brand agency of record, following a selection process and creative pitch that began in mid 2017. Saatchi & Saatchi will lead the creation of a revitalised brand platform and global campaign to attract visitors to Fiji from all over the world, focusing on key markets – Australia, New…

Saatchi & Saatchi Shanghai wins Kraft Heinz China’s Creative Business

News

Kraft Heinz China recently appointed Saatchi & Saatchi Shanghai as their lead creative agency in China for all Kraft Heinz brand categories. Saatchi & Saatchi Shanghai won this business after a fierce multi-way pitch against other agencies over the past months. Saatchi & Saatchi Shanghai will lead creative services for all brands under the Kraft Heinz China umbrella. This covers…

Saatchi & Saatchi London named 'The Best and Bravest Agency on the Planet' by Contagious Magazine

News

Saatchi & Saatchi London have been named ‘The Best and Bravest Agency on the Planet’ by Contagious Magazine after topping their 2018 Contagious Pioneers agency rankings. The list recognises the top ten agencies round the world who consistently set the standard for creativity, innovation and excellence in marketing. The Contagious Pioneers list is based on an analysis of the Contagious I/O intelligence…