• by Karl Greenberg , January 13, 2016

Toyota is touting its RAV4 Hybrid crossover with a series of short videos by Saatchi & Saatchi LA, starring “X-Men" actor James Marsden. The real star, however, is “hyper-relevant” targeting.

While the campaign includes broadcast spots, the key element is a Facebook vector that centers on personalized 15- to-25-second video vignettes, all customizable, based on the viewer’s profile. Because of that, the actual number of video combinations is much larger than the number of video executions. 

Those interchangeable videos come from three original clips, according to the agency. They are culled from 100 clips that Saatchi made to reflect Facebook user interests. The videos show different RAV4 product attributes with the idea that user interests are matched to relevant RAV4 features. 

The agency says the result is what it calls "multi-point storytelling," with around 100,000 possible ads, produced with the assistance of special-effects house Portland, Ore.-based Cloneless Media. Actually, ads-lite might be a better description, as the short takes are matchbox versions of ads residing in social-post windows. They each start with GIF-like clips of Marsden driving along in a RAV4, with the voiceover customized to user preferences: "If you’ve got style," says one, "you must love shopping. It’s really the only way to get new clothes," as he goes on to tout the car. 

In each, Marsden is the foil for various jokes, and he responds with gestures and comments. The effort includes video placement on Twitter’s auto-play video unit, per the long-time Toyota Motor Sales agency. 

Marsden’s TV spot for the RAV4 Hybrid has him going into lumberjack country, where he risks his neck doing crazy lumberjack stunts, saves a guy's life and drives off with his shirt.  

As part of the campaign for the vehicle, Toyota is also running a humorous video series around “challenging hybrid myths” featuring a fictional “Driving 101” teacher, RaVelle Forman, who teaches a class of clueless,  disinterested, or cell phone-obsessed adult-ed types about the RAV4 hybrid.