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The midsize sedan category had changed since the last Camry launch. Traditional competitors were abandoning the segment, new BEV competitors were entering the market, and the audience was shifting from an older demographic to a new generation of younger buyers.

Toyota asked Saatchi & Saatchi to create an integrated marketing campaign for the all-new 2025 Toyota Camry, with the goals of retaining Camry’s top position in the category, increasing the hybrid sales mix, and raising awareness among a multicultural audience.

Business Challenge

Multiple research inputs, including focus groups, in-home ethnographies, vehicle clinics, and desk research, showed us that 90% of our target audience was aware of Camry. However, among our younger audience, they saw the Camry as good but a bit generic and nothing special. They mostly thought of the Camry as a family hand-me-down — a car of the past that would tally coffee stains, welts from hail damage, and an increasingly paint-chipped bumper through every sibling it was passed down to.

To break this to Toyota, the problem statement that we used to shape our brief was — It’s hard to make Camry feel special when everyone is so familiar with it.

Strategy Insight

In addition to uncovering our honest-to-god business problem through research, we also learned a lot about Gen Z and Millennial car buyers. In 2022, our audience was working their way through coastal cowgirl, cottagecore, witchtok, and a bunch of other aesthetic cultures.

At first, these micro labels gave people a strong sense of identity and the freedom to express themselves. However, as more people were enveloped in the trends, they started to feel burned out trying to stay up to date.

Combining our business and consumer insights, we wrote our brief to highlight that, sure, the Camry is super familiar. But at a time when you're burned out with trying to stay relevant through trends, the most familiar and authentic car is actually a great option.

We positioned Toyota Camry as the trend-proof sedan.

Creative Solution

To communicate our trend-proof position, we showcased the timeless stories and experiences that the Camry would bring to our audience's lives, regardless of the fleeting trends, hobbies, interests, or styles they were dabbling in at the time.