Toyota runs 100-second holiday TV spot

Dive Brief:

Toyota and its agency, Saatchi & Saatchi, rolled out what they claim is a broadcast TV first this week — a 100-second TV ad, as reported by Adweek.
The spot, titled “R+S,” ran on NBC and was directed by Lance Acord of Park Pictures with creative featuring emotional storytelling about a multigenerational family and a tree they have loved for decades.
The ad aired in between the end of an episode of "The Voice" and the finale of "This Is Us" and was the only brand messaging to appear. It was intentionally shot to appear similar to "This Is Us" in style, Toyota told Adweek.

Dive Insight:

Digital video has allowed marketers more creative freedom for longer-form marketing messages that rely more on storytelling than simply pushing a brand, and with this 100-second ad Toyota is bringing that sensibility to TV as well.

For most of broadcast TV’s modern history, ad spots came in three basic lengths — 15-, 30- and 60-seconds — with very little variation. The arrangement suited networks because it was easy to slice commercial breaks into easy-to-fill slots as well as agencies because they could apply all their creative effort with guidelines providing pre-set parameters. Digital video ads have recently thrown the standard approach into upheaval, mostly through networks adopting super-short six-second video ad formats made popular on social media platforms and as pre-roll bumpers on YouTube.

There is not else that is new or innovative about the spot beyond its length. Like many holiday ads, it offers a heavy dose of sentimentality through a story about family and tradition that tugs at the heart strings and uses beautifully shot scenery and traditional music to give it a sense of timelessness.

TV advertising initially informed how video ads looked on digital platforms, but lately its digital video and the freedom it offers marketers to be more creative from messaging to ad length that has begun influencing linear TV ads, an advertising form which had been the most stable and influential format up until very recently.