Dive Brief:
- Toyota is using "Back to the Future" characters Doc Brown and Marty McFly to promote its new hydrogen fuel cell car, Mirai. The DeLorean in the film was powered by fuel cells.
- The promotion called “Fueled by Everything” is anchored by a five minute film starring Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox reprising their movie roles.
- "Back to the Future" has recently become a popular marketing vehicle since in the 1989 "Back to the Future II" film McFly was shipped to October 2015.
Dive Insight:
In 1989’s "Back to the Future II," Michael J. Fox’s character, Marty McFly, was sent to October 2015 in a fuel cell powered DeLorean. Cut to the actual October 2015, and Toyota is tapping McFly as well as Christopher Lloyd’s Doc Brown to promote its new Mirai model, a car powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Pepsi also has taken advantage of a Back to the Future connection to promote a limited edition collectable bottle.
Doug Coleman, national marketing and communications manager for Toyota's advanced technology vehicle, told Adweek, "It was this really wonderful coincidence that we're bringing to market for the first time, in a retail way, a new fuel cell vehicle that runs on hydrogen, and that launch date happened to be October 2015. From a development point of view, there was nothing magical about that date other than that it coincided with the deployment of hydrogen fueling stations in the state of California."
The “Fueled by Everything” video campaign was created by Droga5, and the centerpiece five minute film will launch Oct. 21.