This is living

For all the information out there about catering to millennials, Toyota’s recent ad campaign for the Venza appears to highlight the generations’ least appealing qualities. You’ve heard them all before: spoiled, entitled, lazy and self-involved.

Given the positioning, it’s clear millennials are not the Toyota’s target market for the Venza. That said, for all the campaign’s effort to target the Venza to the active, social parents of my generation, the ads immediately caught my attention with their subtle, self-deprecating tone.

In fact, I’d argue that the Toyota Venza ads are targeting both the Boomer and Millennial segments, and I think it works. The Venza is targeted to the older generation, but the Toyota brand is expertly marketed to millennials. Here’s why:

-     Authenticity

Perhaps it’s because they are spot-on in the areas they critique (I just moved cross-country, often microwave my dinner and my parents have 18 and 31 Facebook friends, respectively), but I’m attentive to situations that are/have been similar to my own. I appreciate the honesty and believe it would appeal to others in my demographic as well. 

   -  Humor

The millennials portrayed in the ads are deadpan. However, I find the spots have an appealing self-deprecating quality similar to the classic Volkswagen ads of the 1960s. The ‘caricatures’ presented in the Venza ads make you pay attention and are “funny because it’s true.” 

In my mind, Toyota and Saatchi & Saatchi have given the spots a unique voice even if it may not have been intentional. Mention Toyota and I’d have these ads top-of-mind – great news for a company plagued by recalls and a deteriorating image over the past couple years. This is especially true for a group that hasn’t yet reached their prime car-buying years. It’s a little something for everyone.

Check out the other campaign spots below: