Creative Corner: Toyota and Top Gear, The Washington Post and The Dad Shift

This week I’ve pulled out three very different campaigns which all create an impact.

From the literal impact of a caravan-crushing Toyota Hilux, an impactful investigation that puts the hard graft of journalism centre stage for the Washington Post and, finally, a cheeky protest from the Dad Shift looking to create change at government level for new fathers. 

Enjoy.

Toyota takes a nostalgic crash course

An eye-catching stunt is a PR tactic that will never grow old, and for those old enough to remember, back in the day, Top Gear were masters of them. And there was one stunt that will always be remembered.

Despite the conveyor belt of supercars, hot hatches and luxury grand tourers that graced the Top Gear studio, there was one vehicle that Clarkson, Hammond and May always fawned over: the conceivably indestructible Toyota Hilux pickup. No matter what challenge they threw at it, the trusty steed would still start first time at the turn of a key.

It is more than 20 years ago now since Clarkson, May and Hammond failed in the ultimate test to ‘kill’ a Toyota Hilux - dropping a caravan on it from a great height.

So, as Toyota launches an EV version of this cult vehicle, what better way to prove your new Hilux is tough enough to live up to its legendary predecessor than by recreating one of the show's most memorable attempts to destroy it?

Staged at the same location, Bentwaters airfield in Suffolk, a caravan weighing more than three-quarters of a tonne was hoisted 30 feet into the air and dropped onto the Hilux's cab. The result? A few battle scars, but the electric pick-up powered up and drove away.

Recreations can sometimes fall flat, but by authentically tapping into the enduring affection for one of Top Gear's most iconic moments, Toyota’s agency, Hope & Glory, ensured this stunt hit the mark. Proving that even in an electric age, the Hilux hasn’t lost any of its product performance.

The Washington Post makes a case for journalism

Journalism is a craft, and like every craft, it can take time to perfect. In an age of quick takes and sound bites, that craft is not always given the chance to breathe. And that’s sad, because quality reporting is arguably as important and needed now as it has ever been.

‘Relentless’ is a campaign created by Uncommon Creative Studio for The Washington Post that takes a fascinating look behind the journalistic curtain, revealing the complex process of reporting, verifying and publishing a story.

The raw beauty of this campaign is that rather than simply proclaiming the importance of investigative journalism, The Washington Post has turned the evidence into the campaign itself. 

Uncommon has taken the paper’s investigation into the misuse of Flock surveillance cameras and turned it into an entire newspaper edition. Every page is built from the raw material behind it: interviews, leaked documents and the painstaking reporting that brought the investigation to life.

And the investigation was chosen for good reason: it has already prompted corporate policy changes, restrictions on city contracts and disciplinary action, including arrests.

Distributed to all subscribers and influential addresses, including the White House, the campaign also features a dramatic animated film by Blinkink, social content, a website takeover and an ‘indestructible’ press pass for the journalists behind the work.

Retaining the public’s trust in journalism when all around us trust is being eroded at every level of society is so important. Critics may point to the paper’s owner, but this campaign puts the receipts quite literally in readers’ hands.

The Dad Shift gives paternity leave a nappy change

I’m writing this as the UK Labour Party Conference comes to a close. A conference that concentrated a lot on fairness, sharing responsibility and ultimately care. So this last campaign inevitably piqued my interest, as care, or moreover the desire to provide care and share responsibility, is cruelly taken away from new fathers just two weeks into parenthood.

Unbelievably, two weeks is still the amount of time fathers are given for statutory paternity leave. Having experienced it, including for a premature child, it is pretty sh*t, to be honest. And that’s precisely the thinking behind ARK Agency’s latest campaign for The Dad Shift, which makes a case for changing the rules.

‘Two Weeks Is Sh*t’, turned baby nappies into protest placards. Babies across 25 towns and cities wore the slogan, printed in brown ink, on their nappied rears before parents descended on the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool for what is believed to be the first mass ‘change-in’ of its kind.

The target was the Government’s ongoing review of parental leave. The Dad Shift is calling for statutory paternity leave to increase from two weeks to six, paid at the average UK salary. Currently, fathers receive just £194.32 a week, a sum the campaign argues leaves many working-class and self-employed dads unable to take time off.

Alongside a new report which sets out the potential benefits for hundreds of thousands of families, social films and portraits featuring supporters are helping bring the issue to life.

It’s a bum deal, and hopefully this campaign will kick up enough stink to get under the nose of Andy Burnham and his team.

That's it for this week's Creative Corner!

Remember, if you’ve seen something that’s caught your eye, or if you’ve been working on something you’re particularly proud of, please do get in touch via paul.lucas@fanclubpr.com. I’d love to hear about it.