Most people don’t know what Toyota does when it isn’t making cars.
In a new documentary series, The Toyota Effect, Toyota (client) is finding new ways to tell its story and share how the car manufacturer is helping companies across the United States increase efficiencies to make great things happen – from creating more natural disaster aid to increasing manufacturing to keep a business afloat.
Toyota is known for its quality, reliable and dependable vehicles. But the company is also committed to sharing its know-how to make a positive impact on society and the planet – and has long-standing initiatives that demonstrate this commitment.
To get people to see the company in a new light, we partnered with the car manufacturer and professional storytellers to tell Toyota’s stories in powerful and authentic ways.
We carefully selected three award-winning documentary filmmakers with a passion for the project, to create three unique stories highlighting how Toyota shares its Production System with unexpected partners to help them find better ways of doing things.
By allowing the filmmakers autonomy in their approaches and editorial processes, the result was authentic, compelling storytelling that people could discover and share. The diverse, relatable stories are being hosted at TheToyotaEffect.com and include:
- Saving Sight – Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Kief Davidson visits Harbor-UCLA Hospital’s busy eye clinic, where medical staff struggle to provide timely care to underserved community members. Davidson shares the hospital’s partnership with Toyota through the eyes of Liseth, a diabetic patient hoping for a surgery that will save her sight.
- Coming Home – Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ross Kauffman explores how the Bernard Project works to get people back into their homes in the wake of natural disasters. The nonprofit’s partnership with Toyota has allowed it to cut the time it takes to rebuild homes in half, and help those devastated by disasters all across the United States, including rebuilding Post-Katrina New Orleans.
- 116 Innovators – Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Steve James visits Chicago-based ACE Metal Crafts, an unusually close-knit U.S. manufacturing company that gets a competitive boost from its collaboration with Toyota — proving that even in the era of offshoring, American manufacturers can do more than just survive, they can grow.
The series is being supported by digital, in-cinema and influencer marketing that drives people to view and share the short films. Check out the videos to learn more about The Toyota Effect and learn how when good ideas are shared, great things happen.
Authors: Adam Swann, VP, Strategy & Jamie Hall, Associate Account Director at 360i
