For the most important launch in Toyota’s history, we ‘flipped’ everything.

Not because we wanted to, but because we had to.

The Yaris is Toyota’s best selling model in Europe. So when you release its next generation, the first in seven years, getting it wrong is not an option.

In early 2020, the odds were stacked against a successful launch.

A highly competitive but declining category with entrenched habitual buyers. Price-sensitive Yaris drivers put off by the new price point. New prospects put off by a ‘boring’ legacy image and ‘worthy’ technology associations. All significant hurdles for a model targeting increased market share.

The increased price called for new, more affluent drivers, willing to pay more, but bringing them in meant changing perceptions - and that called for a radical rethink of how the new Toyota Yaris should be marketed.

Cue a series of memorable ‘flips’:

From lots of features to bags of attitude.

From worthy technology to positive energy.

From spotlighting the car to personifying the car.

From TV-first to thumb-stopping content-first.

Following all...