Toyota Corolla - Style Never Goes Out Of Style / Elevate - (2013) :60 (USA)

Biscuit director Andreas Nilsson takes viewers through a time warp in this new spot for the Toyota Corolla via Saatchi & Saatchi LA. Showcasing hot trends from every decade since the Corolla was born in the 60s, it’s clear that the Corolla will never go out of style -- unlike some of those regrettable fashion choices.

*chuckle* Oh yes, regrettable fashion choices. Regrettable commercial choices, åh, Andreas din stackars jävel vilket helvete att försöka få styr på den här icke-idén. Where do I begin with this mess? It's as confused as the fashions shown in it. First, everyone is dancing. Why are we dancing around cars? In the 60s it's black and white, even though the Peacock logo is famously colorful because NBC aired in color in the 50s. There are some good edit ideas between the skateboarding 80s kids into the 90s grunge-fest, and Dr DJ with his pal Doofus DJ do well as comedic relief in the 70s and 80s, but that's probably why I'm confused.
This ad doesn't know what it wants to tell me. It doesn't know if it's funny, or if it wants to be nostalgic-epic. It's as confused as those knee-high socks worn with nurses-clogs. Once we leave the past and drive out on todays Sesame Street populated with American Apparel fashion rejects, set to the tune of Skrillex meets Swedish House Mafia in a blender, I am left with a longing for David Bernal's dancing and Mint Royal's music in that VW ad because that ad had an idea.
Also, as cute as that swooosh-up pop-lock move everybody does in the end is, it feels like 2005 not 2013. Then there's the voice-over, the crowning naffness. Sounding like an intern on valium is reading it, it cements the too-many-chefs feeling this ad gives me, with the seal of yet-another-piece that doesn't fit with the rest.
Maybe that's what the ad wants to tell me: Toyota Corolla is confused! Toyota Corolla has now been around so long it suffers from dementia and can't tell a brand story in 60 seconds without losing its way and mumbling along into irrelevant digressions: "....And everyone wore primary colors and lived happily ever after."
*Falls asleep on the porch smelling of old person and lemonade.*

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi LA
Executive Integrated Producer: Margaret Nickerson
Senior Integrated Producer: Tamsin Prigge-Blue
Executive Creative Director: Margaret Keene
Creative Director: Raymond Hwang
Creative Director: Seth Rementer
Associate Creative Director: Mike Czako
Executive Director of Integrated Production: Tanya LeSieur
Art Producer: Angee Murray
Associate Integrated Producer: Alex Granieri
Associate Producer: Dan Paquin

Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Andreas Nilsson
Managing Director: Shawn Lacy
Executive Producer: Colleen O'Donnell
Producer: Youree Henley
Director of Photography: Toby Irwin
Production Designer: Floyd Albee

Editorial Company: Arcade LA
Editor: Geoff Hounsell
Producer: Kirsten Thon-Webb

Visual Effects: The Mill LA
Producer: Christina Thompson

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Anonymous Adgrunt's picture
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Dabitch's picture

I'm sorry, but I have to go on. Why is there a Toyota on a grunge-stage? This makes no sense unless this is someone garage, which it's clearly not. That 'lightning' from the 80s dancers seems like such an afterthought, put in as a SPX when someone in the editing suite noticed that the dance-move itself didn't manage to pull the old uninteresting car in, from being a wallflower in the background. Why is everyone dancing? Why is everyone dancing? Wtf does dance have to do with it? They're not using this dancing to communicate updated like the VW GTI ad did. There's no there, there. What are we doing here, people, and why didn't anyone stop you?

AnonymousCoward's picture

Is there a concept on the shelf worse than "let's show people dancing around our product, it will show that it's exciting"?

kidsleepy's picture

None that I know of.

Bozo's picture

Some bozo watched the evolution of dance and thought, "Hey, that's relevant to kids today, let's do it around a Corolla!"

Dabitch's picture

Couldn't have been a creative. Most of them weren't even born when the Evolution of Dance was hot. (wasn't that 12 years ago??)

There's no evolution here though, just a hot mess. Even the detail where beige-trenchcoats twirl around and reveal red clothes underneath seems like an afterthought. It doesn't know what it wants to say. Why is everyone dancing?

Dabitch's picture

Ok, I was overstating the age of that meme. Evolution of dance guy was in 2006.

kidsleepy's picture

So it was *only* seven years ago.

Dabitch's picture

*insert SEVEN YEARS IN ADVERTING IS 200 DOG YEARS joke here*

InnominateCoward's picture

And just why must all ads appeal to everyone? Is it your bent to rail against that which you find unappealing? You don't like the new Corolla ad? BIG DEAL. The AD is NOT the CAR, no matter WHAT Madison Avenue would have you believe.

kidsleepy's picture

The ad sells the car. You do know that's the point of advertising, right? To sell stuff?

As for the car, read the review. People don't like the car either.

P.S. Madison Avenue had nothing to do with this; the agency in question in in Los Angeles. The world doesn't begin and end with Mad Men.

Dabitch's picture

Let me break it down for InnominateCoward.

And just why must all ads appeal to everyone?

They don't have to. But they should appeal to the target market, and try to sell the car. Usually the selling is achieved by being appealing and conveying a message at the same time. Like when Volvo demonstrates how safe the car is while showing exterior shots of how good it looks. That sort of thing.

Is it your bent to rail against that which you find unappealing?

Only if it's advertising. I have ad-tourettes and simply can not keep my gob shut when an ad sucks. It's a rare disorder. You can tell that skilled people worked hard on this thing, and the end result is nothing but naff because the base has no idea except "dancing", which is as old as the desert. The styling is educated, the choreography works hard from the opening "basketball" dance moves that point to the car, and there's clearly camera and editing work doing their best. Still naff. The choice of songs are obvious, the end of the music sounds like it was phoned in, and adding a robotic voice singing the slogan made it so much worse. Need I go on? Oh wait there's more, a giant Samoan football-player with ball-braids is dancing in the end scene. I can't tell if he's been added for quirk or to fulfill a token demographic quota.

You don't like the new Corolla ad?
What gave me away?

BIG DEAL. The AD is NOT the CAR, no matter WHAT Madison Avenue would have you believe.

Well, I don't care much the car either. But here I was only talking about the ad, for the record. My opinion of the product is irrelevant to my opinion of the ad selling said product.

AnonymousCow's picture

One thing that is good for the ad is that it gets your attention. But I have issues with it too. It all seems very lazy. What they didn't realize (or perhaps they did) is that to do all those different time periods right with all the extras, locations, etc., would be very expensive. So they kind of half assed it. That's why each time period looks so generic. The only thing I really notice from this ad is "wow, music today really does suck." Oh, that and the girl doing the reverse worm thing. That's kind of impressive.

Sport-anon's picture

Wow. You tore this ad a new one.

The directing and the editing isn't that bad, but it seems confused. Most edits are flows, and then there's three jumpcuts in the 1970s that look totally unplanned and are jarring to the flow. The music is terrible all the way through, it also sounds like it was edited by an intern who just learned how to count bpms. The ad idea doesn't exist, and this should have died during the first presentation round. "Dancing around product" is not an idea.

kidsleepy's picture

You forgot to mention the horrid color correction.

ramdeeznuts's picture

I just want to know who the break dancer all dressed in red at the top of the stairs is. That move he does with his arms behind him doing a wave is amazing. It looks really hard to do.

Stan Grossman's picture

That is no guy! That chick is a girl and she is the shit!
Even the scene after her horizontal wave where she's dancing by the car,
she's alive! Full of energy. A true star

Dabitch's picture

You're talking about another person. It's clear that the worm breakdancer is a younger athletic girl. He's talking about the black adult man dressed all in red at the top of the stairs who does the contortionist move. The girl's backward worm is a brilliant move too.

AnonymousCoward's picture

That girl is really good. She should be on so you think you can dance.

XBob's picture

The idea for the ad was good, just poorly executed. Why creative decided to represent "today" with a creepy cultish late-90s style Up With People routine is puzzling and probably leaves most viewers confused. If representing contemporary dance was the intention, then the car should have visited the tent city in Tomorrowland or Burning Man or some such.

Dabitch's picture

What is the idea for the ad?

Abarguy's picture

I liked the ad in general. Stop trying to over think it, guys. I looked at it as an unveiling at an auto show of a new model, back in the day. We bring out cars now with today's relevant music and dance, didn't they back in the 70's too? And I kinda love seeing the Corolla's ancestors.

CollegeLover's picture

The ancestors look as bland as the 2013 one, so basicakly they just told us they have over 25 years experience in being bland and boring. Disco music was the mainstream of the 1970s, Kraftwerk and Punk was the modern extreme.

quest ion's picture

The only thing I took from the commercial, beside getting the soundgarden song stuck in my head, was a HUGE fascination with the female dancer in red at the end. That was amazing! And I wound up on this sight trying to find out who she is and if she has done anything else that I can watch and be amazed by. If you know would you please let me know?

B-Boy Double A's picture

Didn't think the commercial was bad. Then I read ya'lls reviews. lol

I just thiught it had cool dance moves. I've never seen the worm done like that. I was trying to find out who she was too.

kidsleepy's picture

if it had been a commercial for dance moves it would have been perfect. lol! but it's trying to sell a car. so it doesn't work. sorry.

Shoe's picture

The ad appeals to folks who think of themselves as stylish, but don't actually have a lot of money.

CAR REVIEWS ZONE's picture

Well Corolla and City owners are just throwing bricks on each other. Both Corolla and Honda are good cars so please give honest reviews.
I own both GLi 2012 and Honda City Prosmatic (October 2012 model). So heres my experience about HONDA CITY.

AnonymousPen!s's picture

I knew it. I knew I couldn't be the only one that can not STAND the girl in red dancing in that friggin commercial. My wife can't stand it either. Every time it's on we put our head in our hand and laugh at how much we can't stand the commercial. I actually had to ask (after seeing the commercial at least 15 times) what car they were selling because the girl in red has me so irritated that it distracts me. Can't put my finger on what it is about her that irks me so much, but i'm happy to see it's not just me.

AnonymousDouchebag's picture

The girl in the red is the daughter of Alabama University head coach, Nick Saban. Her uncle is also the producer of the commercial. That is the only reason she is in the commercial and in the front of the crowd.

Dabitch's picture

Nope. That's not true. Bullshit-o-rama. Sorry, incorrect data. Youree Henley is not related to Nick Saban. And I bet Kristen Saban can not do the backward worm like that, or even at all. Not sure if you were trying to be funny.

Mike Hunt's picture

I wike it verry much ?

Anonymous Adgrunt's picture

They should’ve used Cash’s version of “Rusty Cage.”