Toyota taps into the power of community in new global Olympics, Paralympics campaign

Toyota Motor Asia has reignited its "Start your impossible" campaign for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics games. 

The campaign celebrates the journey of 11 global team Toyota athletes (GTTA) from Asia, nine of whom are competing in the upcoming games in Paris. The athletes come from a diverse range of sports including athletics, para swimming, para powerlifting, table tennis and more. 

The campaign, themed "Our people our strength" taps into the pivotal role of community in shaping these athletes into dual heroes who not only excel in their sport, but also drive positive social change. 

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“Toyota Asia launched the 'Start your impossible' global corporate initiative in 2018. Throughout the years, we have partnered with athletes who are not only passionate about sports but also desire to be agents of change to create a better world," said Kenix Loh, deputy general manager, Toyota Motor Asia. 

"We wish our dual heroes all the best at the biggest global sporting platform. Team Toyota members will be cheering for them," Loh added. 

Done in partnership with Dentsu Creative Singapore, "Start your impossible" launched with a series of three films introducing the athletes and showcasing how their communities have supported their journey and growth. It also captured the origin stories of the 11 team Toyota Asia athletes. 

The 11 Toyota Asia athletes include: 

• India: Murali Sreeshankar, athletics
• Indonesia: Ni Nengah Widiasih, para powerlifting
• Malaysia: Abdul Latif Romly, long jump – para athletics
• Nepal: Nabita Shresta – table tennis
• Pakistan: Arshad Nadeem – athletics
• Philippines: Carlos Yulo, artistic gymnastics
• Philippines: Ernie Gawilan, para swimming
• Singapore: Toh Wei Soong, para swimming
• Thailand: Kunvalut Vitidsarn, badminton
• Thailand: Pongsakorn Paeyo, wheelchair racing – para athletics
• Vietnam: Lê Văn Công, para powerlifting

“We are honoured to be a part of the "Start Your Impossible" programme, and it has been a privilege collaborating with Toyota Motor Asia and the GTTA in this process. It is a proud moment for us to have a chance to tell the uniquely Asian story of our Team Toyota Asia Athletes," said Prema Techinamurthi, managing director, Dentsu Creative Singapore.

In addition, a series of 11 short 15-second films dedicated to each athlete has been released as part of the campaign too. 

The campaign has been further complemented by key visuals placed in out-of-home locations and across digital and social platforms across the region. 

Fans across the globe can also send their support to the athletes on the "Start your impossible" website. Meanwhile, fans in Asia can look forward to interactive social activations in the coming weeks that will bring them even closer to the GTTA. 

"We've been privileged to witness the GTTA's inspiring journey firsthand. These are important stories to tell, and we hope the films will inspire viewers to start their own impossible," said Stan Lim, chief creative officer, Dentsu Creative Singapore. 

With the Olympics and Paralympics around the corner, there have been an influx of global brands putting out marketing campaigns to jump on the Olympics frenzy such as Samsonite who was recently named the official luggage sponsor for Team Singapore and Team Malaysia. 

Through the partnership, Samsonite Singapore will equip all Team Singapore athletes with the EVOA Z Ivory Gold collection. This collection, exclusively designed for the team journeying to the Paris 2024 Olympics, features an aluminium logo bar with both the Samsonite and Team Singapore logos.

Meanwhile, Samsonite Malaysia will be the official luggage sponsor for the Malaysian Contingent and will be equipping the athletes with its Samsonite Proxis collection. The Proxis Collection comes in three colours: honey gold, black and petrol blue.

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