Photo source: Toyota
Toyota returns to Super Bowl LX this year with two 30-second spots, but the central role in the communication is taken by the film “Superhero Belt,” a story that, through the relationship between a grandfather and grandson, shows how the brand seeks to connect with audiences through emotions, memories and everyday life moments.
The spot, created by Saatchi & Saatchi and directed by Rodrigo Saavedra for Pulse Films, opens with a scene from the past in which a grandfather drives his grandson in a Toyota RAV4. When the boy refuses to fasten his seatbelt, the grandfather motivates him by calling it a “superhero belt.” More than three decades later, the story comes full circle: the grandson is now grown up, driving the new 2026 RAV4 model, and through the same inside joke reminds his grandfather of their shared memory.
The film was not originally planned as a Super Bowl spot, but Toyota assessed that the moment when families gather around a major sporting event provides a relevant platform for a story about continuity, relationships and the role vehicles play in everyday experiences.
As Dedra DeLilli, vice president of marketing communications at Toyota Motor North America, points out, the campaign idea is based on the belief that journeys are not defined by the destination, but by the people we share them with, and that vehicles often become part of key life memories.
“Superhero Belt” is part of a broader brand campaign emphasising personal growth, continuity and the importance of relationships, while another spot, “Where Dreams Began,” focused on the early dreams of professional athletes, airs during Super Bowl week. Still, the generational story of the first film carries the emotional and strategic core of Toyota’s communication.
As the official automotive partner of the NFL, Toyota is also present throughout Super Bowl week with a series of activations, events and experiential content, further connecting the themes of community, sport and mobility.
In the context of Super Bowl advertising, which often gravitates toward spectacle and humour, Toyota opts for a more understated approach – focusing on long-term brand value, emotional continuity and the idea that cars are not just transportation, but part of the stories that shape relationships across generations.
