The Department of Recreations Activities Visits and Stuff (D-RAVS)

Toyota has just launched a campaign for the RAV4 that utilises New Zealand’s Department of Recreations, Activities, Visits and Stuff (D-RAVS). If you’ve never heard of this department, it’s most likely because they’re a fictional organisation dreamed up by Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand, inspired by the original Recreation Activity Vehicle, RAV4.

Susanne Hardy, Assistant Vice President, Toyota New Zealand says, “We know that Kiwis love the RAV4 and have done for decades. We wanted to have some fun with the name, and create a campaign that all Kiwis could relate to. The summer is all about getting out and enjoying the outdoors, you could say recreating! So we wanted to bring that together with a creative element to excite Kiwis about the awesome RAV4.”

The campaign introduces the D-RAVS through three main lovable, but fallible D-RAV field officers, Greg, Mandy and Sam. From what we can make out, their pseudo-government department seemingly monitors Kiwi recreational activities and registers them on some kind of list. RAV4 plays a natural central role in both their observations and enabling their important work. The whole scenario is quite fitting for a country well known for over-indexing on its many and varied ways of “recreating”.

Steve Cochran, Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi NZ says, “We have Aotearoa’s most lovable SUV alongside some lovably funny Kiwi characters doing some lovable recreational activities set in some very lovely New Zealand countryside. What’s not to love about it? We reckon Kiwis are going to, especially as they encounter more and more of the D-RAVS over time.”

The campaign kicks off with a 90-second film, with some complementary 15-second films too. Over the coming weeks, you’ll see bespoke contextual videos served on YouTube targeted at fans of mainstream, niche and trending ‘recreations’. You’ll see D-RAVS recreation-certified bumper films in places like the cinema. On radio, you’ll hear public recreational messages from the D-RAVS brought to you with the support of RAV4. And a few posts from the department will likely pop up in your social feed, too.

The films were mainly shot at a classic New Zealand lake and were directed by Max Barden of Sweetshop, with stills shot by Alistair Guthrie. The full broad-spanning campaign has been a collaboration between New Zealand agencies Spark Foundry, Digitas, Wright Communications, and Saatchi & Saatchi.

Lee Sunter, Executive Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi NZ says, “Creating a world like this felt more like recreation than work. A big part of that is down to Max. His vision to not only make the world feel different but also leave you wanting more was the reason we brought him onboard. And he’s also excellent at doing funny, which has been quite useful for this idea.”

Cochran adds, “We reckon this is a great example of a campaign that makes entertainment its priority. That’s what we should be doing if we expect New Zealanders to stop and engage with our brand for several precious seconds of their day. And like us for it.”