Toyota Builds Huge Climbing Wall in Middle of Times Square
Toyota’s unique billboard
Photo: AdWeek
For automakers like Toyota, there are many ways to grab customers’ attention when it comes to advertising. While many brands rely mainly on TV and internet ads, Toyota is helping revitalize the billboard with its latest creation, courtesy of LA-based ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi. The two have teamed to produce a billboard/outdoor climbing wall slap bang in the middle of one of the Big Apple’s most popular tourist attractions, Times Square.
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The billboard’s primary purpose is to advertise the new 2016 Toyota RAV4, which was redesigned this year. Toyota added a sporty SE trim to the lineup, as well as a hybrid model. The RAV4 is being sold as the ideal crossover for outdoor enthusiasts, as evidenced by a series of commercials showing actor James Marsden hanging with lumberjacks and nursing young wolves. This billboard not only hints at adventure—it actually presents daredevils with the opportunity to scale the tallest climbing wall ever built in New York City.
The 2016 Toyota RAV4
Already, Toyota has used the wall for added publicity by enlisting novice climber/Rally RAV4 navigator Christina Fate to climb the 120-foot, 6,000-pound wall. Christina completed the challenge in about 25 minutes; that same wall took professionals anywhere between 10 and 15 minutes.
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In a video posted by AdWeek, Toyota Group VP of Marketing Jack Hollis and Creative Director of Saatchi & Saatchi LA Erich Funke talk about the idea behind the unique billboard, as well as the planning and creation of the real-life scalable wall. By choosing a novice climber to tackle the wall, Toyota was showing that anything is possible and everything is fun to do. This meshes well with the message Toyota is trying to spread about the new RAV4, which is ready for just about any adventure and promises plenty of fun along the way.
Check out the video to learn more about Toyota’s latest RAV4 campaign, and to see Christina Fate take on the challenge of scaling the side of a building in the middle of New York City.
News Source: AdWeek
Catherine Hiles (she/her) is a native Brit living and working in Dayton, Ohio. Cat has written about a variety of subjects, including finance, cars, and parenting. She is a frequent contributor to Dayton Mom Collective, The Penny Hoarder, and WDW Magazine.
Cat lives with her husband, their two kids, and their energetic pitbull mix. She counts running, lifting weights, walking, and reading among her hobbies. See more articles by Cat.