Toyota Kicks Off the Holiday Season with a Message of Togetherness

PLANO, Texas, Dec. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the holiday spirit sets in, Toyota is celebrating the season of coming together with a special holiday message. "Bookstore," the first of two Toyota holiday ads, debuted last night during NBC's primetime special, "Christmas in Rockefeller Center," with a personalized throw from a show host.

"Bookstore" is a 60-second spot that shares the heartwarming story of a young girl who gets inspired to collect gently used books from her community to restock her favorite local bookstore after it's devastated by a fire. In the final scene, the girl presents the shop owner with her favorite book, purchased from his bookstore when she was younger, as community members come together to repair his storefront in a gesture of kindness. The shop owner is overwhelmed by the support from the community, especially after seeing that his inventory can be replenished thanks to the generous book donations delivered to him with help from a Toyota Tundra and Toyota Highlander. "Bookstore" was created by Saatchi & Saatchi and directed by Ted Melfi.

Toyota continues the holiday spirit with a message of joy later this month with a CGI-developed spot titled "Nora's Joy," produced in both English and Spanish. Developed by Conill Advertising, "Nora's Joy" is the story of a young woman who finds the ability to share her joy in a very magical way. Once she unleashes her emotions, we see her driving her Toyota Tacoma around town, spreading the joy with those around her in a flurry of bright lights lighting up the night sky. The spot includes a unique musical composition called "Starlight" by Robert DiPietro and produced by Pickle Music. The spot was directed by directing duo Kyra and Constantin, with executive producer Juliette Stern, of Passion Pictures.

"This year, more than ever, the holidays remind us of the importance of being with loved ones and helping give back to the community," said Lisa Materazzo, group vice president, Toyota Marketing, Toyota Motor North America. "We're looking forward to sharing an uplifting message of coming together to celebrate the true meaning of the season."

Tying in with "Bookstore," Toyota is spotlighting its longstanding partner, National Center for Families Learning (NCFL), a national nonprofit that works to eradicate poverty through education solutions for families. Toyota is partnering with NCFL to provide more than 85,000 books for families nationwide through its 420 literacy centers across the country.

Tying in with "Nora's Joy," Toyota is inviting consumers to #sharethejoy by sending a digital "joy jar" to their loved ones via the @ToyotaLatino Instagram channel from December 12 through January 3, 2022. For every share, Toyota will make a donation to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund up to a total of $50,000, in support of student scholars nationwide.

Where to Watch

In addition to NBC's "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" special, the :60 version of "Bookstore" will continue with a number of high-profile airings – including NBC's "TODAY" and Thursday Night Football on FOX on Thursday, December 2, and "Sunday Night Football" on NBC on Sunday, December 5.

After the premiere week, "Bookstore" will begin airing :30 and :60 versions on December 10, across broadcast and cable networks. The integrated campaign will appear nationally on broadcast, digital and paid social. The spot will air during prime time, early morning, sports programming and on cable networks. The spot will air the 30-second version during NBA games, as well as FOX Thursday and NBC Sunday Night Football halftimes throughout December.

The :60 version of "Nora's Joy" will launch on December 11 on Univision's broadcast of their annual TeletonUSA 17-hour charity broadcast. That version, along with a :30 version, will be airing on Hispanic broadcast, targeted cable networks and digital channels, including Spanish and bilingual programming across various networks including Univision, Telemundo, ESPN Deportes and Discovery en Español along with digital platforms including NBCUniversal's Peacock, YouTube, Pandora and Peopleenespanol.com. Later this month, "Nora's Joy" will come to life through an exclusive interview with one of the hosts of Telemundo's afternoon show, "En Casa con Telemundo."

The Toyotathon December Sales Event offers incentives through January 3, 2022. View the "Bookstore" spot here and the 30-second version of the "Nora's Joy" spot here (in Spanish). Images and credits are available here.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 36,000 in the U.S. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 30 million cars and trucks at our 9 manufacturing plants, 10 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.

To help inspire the next generation for a career in STEM-based fields, including mobility, Toyota launched its virtual education hub at www.TourToyota.com with an immersive experience and chance to visit many of our U.S. manufacturing facilities. The hub also includes a series of free STEM-based lessons and curriculum through Toyota USA Foundation partners, virtual field trips and more. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

Media Contacts:

Marissa Borjon

Toyota Motor North America

469-292-6395

Marissa.borjon@toyota.com

Kimberly Harms

Saatchi for Toyota

702-234-9517

kimberly.harms@saatchi.com

Delia Lopez

Conill for Toyota

424-290-4456

delia.lopez@conill.com

For customer inquiries, please call: 800-331-4331