Toyota Champions Exceptional People in New Campaign

London agency The&Partnership has launch a new campaign called Drop by Drop for the Toyota Mirai.

Shot by Independent Films’, Johnny Hardstaff across five European locations, the short films and TVC showcase five exceptional human beings who have defied their physical limitations to make the impossible happen. Within each story of this pan-European campaign, natural parallels are drawn between the Toyota Mirai and the sweat of each exerted body as both push themselves through their Impossible Journey. Mirai, which translates from Japanese as ‘the future’ only emits water, and is part of Toyota’s bigger vision of a fully emission-free society.

"There’s a creative bravery to this project; to do these stories justice we felt it was essential to capture these remarkable people free of all artifice."

Above: Lily.

The campaign was shot in five different European location and the contributing subject for each film was chosen for their incredible story. The five stories highlight people who have overcome their bodies' limitations and physically pushed themselves to fulfill their own impossible journey to reach their destination.

We watch as the enigmatic Lily (UK) smashes to the ground in her wheelchair, only to then see her succeed later as she launches herself across a skatepark, flipping herself over half pipes and hitting ramps at gut wrenchingly high speeds. We hear how surfer, Aitor (Spain) lost his sight after a giant wave struck him and marvel at his bravery for entering the water again. There's also Robert (France), the incredibe 107 year old who still cycles as part of a team around his local velodrome. The rock climber, Rannveig (Norway) who fell 15 meters and who was told she would never walk again; scales a vertical face whilst displaying the scars of her injuries, and Simona (Italy); dancer, author, amotivational speaker, who tells us that “from the greatest, most difficult things, the most beautiful things are born”, whilst showing us that her disability is in fact her strength, rather than her weakness.

Above: Aitor

“How do you measure impossible?" asks André Moreira, ECD, Team Toyota at The&Partnership. "Simple. You measure it in sweat and tears. The drops your body pours when, bit by bit, you try, you fall, you learn, and then you get up and go again. Until one day it happens… a world record is broken, limitations are shattered, a car that emits nothing but water is built. You know, those things people thought were impossible.”

Above: Simona

"There’s a creative bravery to this project; to do these stories justice we felt it was essential to capture these remarkable people free of all artifice," says Independent's Johnny Hardstaff. "To truly land the emotional weight of these lives, there could be no costume or art department, there could be no storyboards or anything that you would normally find on a shoot; just us recording them doing what they do every day in the purest way possible; because their lives are all unique and rich as they are.I hope the results demonstrate how advertising can be incredibly resonant when you create room for emotional truth.”