Toyota puts Paralympic snowboarder in the spotlight with ‘Start Your Impossible’ campaign

Toyota has launched its worldwide ‘Start Your Impossible’ Olympics campaign in the Netherlands, with an emotional spot by Amsterdam advertising agency Etcetera. The spot features Para-athlete Chris Vos, a 19-year-old snowboarding champion. The 1.40 TV commercial tells the real-life success story of how he overcame adversity and physical limitations, in order to take his place on the slopes this year at the Paralympic Games in PyeongChang.

The ‘Start Your Impossible’ brand line was introduced at the end of last year, continuing Toyota’s evolution as a mobility brand dedicated to innovation. In 2018, it takes form through a celebration of Toyota’s Olympic Sponsorship.

Toyota is the first automotive brand to sponsor both the Olympic and Paralympic Games worldwide – and the first brand to offer equal sponsorship and attention to both games, not distinguishing between the two.

This sponsorship, planned through to 2024, reflects the brand’s deep commitment to ‘Mobility For All’, meaning that all people must be able to move freely, without limitations. It also reflects Toyota’s wish to create a barrier-free society and reinforces the company’s values of humility, hard work, overcoming challenges, and never giving up.

This is the vision behind ‘Start Your Impossible’ which is perfectly brought to life by the new Olympic and Paralympic campaign stating a call to action: Never give up, Start Your Impossible. The TV commercial featuring Chris Vos is part of a series of emotional portraits of athletes by Toyota’s Dutch agency of record, Etcetera. The campaign portrays Toyota’s dedication to continuous improvement – which the brand shares with athletes, everywhere.

Making the Impossible Possible

The story of 19-year-old rising star Chris Vos is inspiring to say the least. At the age of five Vos had an accident, which paralyzed his right leg from hip to toe. Through unprecedented perseverance and willpower, he managed to prove the doctors wrong by not only managing to walk again, but by challenging all expectations and becoming a Paralympic snowboarder.

His drive to make the impossible possible fits seamlessly with Toyota’s conviction that everyone throughout society has the right to be able to move forward in life.

Chris Vos commented: “The first thing the doctors said to my parents was ‘this is the last time you will see your child, so say goodbye.’ They said that I would never be able to walk again, let alone compete in sport. My goal is to push myself to do the best that I can at the coming Olympics. I want to show everyone that nothing is impossible.”

Alongside Chris Vos, Toyota is also launching a second ‘Start Your Impossible’ TV commercial featuring the Netherlands’ most successful Olympian in history, speed skating star Ireen Wüst,‘whose impossible’ is not becoming the best, but rather remaining the best in her drive to take home gold again at this year’s Olympic Games, which will be her fourth Olympics.

Source: Etcetera

  Advertising, Automobile, Campaign, Cars, Chris Vos, Etcetera, Ireen Wüst, Netherlands, Olympics, Start Your Impossible, Toyota