The battery-electric bZ4X is a Toyota all-wheel drive SUV made to handle real South African conditions. Hence the tagline for the new campaign is 'It Just Got Real', says the duo.

Aimed to prove that the bZ4X is for real, Toyota gave the car to a real South African, Springbok head coach of the Toyota Cheetahs, Francois Steyn, and told him to test it out. Because the campaign is all about being real, there were no scripts for the digital series. Instead the car was given to Steyn, with his friend Ruan Pienaar tagging along, and they let him give the audience his honest opinion of the car, adds the duo.

"South African consumers want a vehicle that fits into their lifestyles. So, when launching the bZ4X, we knew that we were going to have to do something different to other electric vehicle ads. That's why we gave it to someone who doesn't pull any punches and tells people how it really is," says Matthew Shafto, Creative Group Head at Studio One.

The campaign consists of three long-form episodes and several short-form content pieces. The campaign uses Bloemfontein as the backdrop as Steyn and Pienaar set out to see just what the bZ4X can do, adds the duo.

The series starts at Toyota Stadium (where Steyn is asked to test drive the bZ4X) and sees the two Springbok legends go from city to farm to racetrack all to see what this electric vehicle is capable of. It's a ride that sees the bZ4X end up in places that you would never expect from an electric vehicle, says the duo.

 "The bZ4X is an all-wheel drive SUV. It's powerful and extremely capable with state-of-the-art tech and convenience features. It also happens to be a battery electric vehicle, but being an all-electric Toyota is not the only thing that stands out. That's why with this campaign we wanted to do something that didn't feel like any other electric vehicle ad and I think we've done that," says Tasneem Lorgat, General Manager for Marketing Communications at Toyota South Africa Motors.

For more information, visit www.toyota.co.za. You can also follow Toyota SA on Facebook, X, or on Instagram.

*Image courtesy of contributor