Game On

Soccer has never been bigger in the U.S., and the passion around it cuts across all ages, backgrounds and regions. Gulf States Toyota and independent agency Erich & Kallman are tapping into that cultural momentum with a new, high-speed campaign, which launched on June 5.

Celebrating what’s now the third most-watched sport in the country (behind football and basketball), the campaign, "Game On," is built around a simple idea: what if the Toyota RAV4 and Toyota Tundra were the players?

The spot opens on an empty street in Dallas where a massive soccer ball sits in the road. A 2026 RAV4 speeds in and starts dribbling. The ball ricochets across city skylines and buildings, and eventually lands, scoring in a stadium. Production and post-production were built as a single integrated process from the start, using AI and VFX to blend live-action footage with CGI-enhanced environments.

The spot runs on Telemundo, Peacock, Fox Sports One and TikTok in both English and Spanish, reflecting the multicultural audience at the center of the campaign.

Erich & Kallman worked with production partner ARC Creative, with direction by Robert Sethi and Brent Bonacorso.

"Game On" launches June 5 and runs through fall across linear, digital, and social platforms across the Gulf States Toyota region of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Mississippi.

To bring the campaign into the community, Erich & Kallman wanted to create an on-the-ground activation that emphasizes that fútbol goes beyond the stadium: it lives in the streets. As part of the activation, Gulf States Toyota partnered two of the state’s most compelling Hispanic street artists, one in Dallas; one in Houston, Toyota commissioned large-scale original murals as gifts to their communities. Dallas muralist Hatziel Flores and Houston artist Mark Deleon each brought their own visual language and personal connection to the sport. Both murals were painted on previously bare walls and created in service of the communities that inspired them. The full creative process was captured through a documentary-style approach featuring artist interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and reactions from local fans.

Zenith Media handled media, with production by Mecenas and direction by Jonathan Ingalls. Documentary-style content produced by Mecenas will be distributed across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Disney+ and Hulu.

"This started as a Hispanic market initiative, but the work was strong enough that we expanded it to the general market,” said David Castellanos, Creative Lead of the Austin office at Erich & Kallman. “Soccer is something that genuinely brings together different generations, cultures, and communities, and we wanted every element to feel like it actually came from that world. The Tundra and RAV4 execute real soccer moves: nutmegs, passes, chips, and a game-winning finish. The result is a spot rooted in what soccer is really about, and what Toyota has always stood for. Beyond the spot, we also partnered with local artists in Houston and Dallas to create soccer-inspired murals that celebrate the passion, culture, and community surrounding the game.”

“Soccer is about passion, connection, and bringing people together. With this campaign, we wanted to celebrate the growing impact of the sport across our region while capturing the energy, excitement, and optimism that make it so special,” said Meghan Haslemann, VP of Marketing at Gulf States Toyota. “Erich & Kallman brought that vision to life by blending the spirit of the game with the capability of the Tundra and RAV4 in a bold and authentic way."