Toyota Asks 'Please Hilux Responsibly'

The campaign by T&P turns the auto brand’s toughest truck into a cautionary tale

By Creative Salon

20 August 2026

Since 1968, the iconic Hilux has built a reputation for conquering the impossible and surviving the unthinkable. From polar expeditions to famous Top Gear destruction tests, the pickup’s legendary durability has spawned a passionate global community of owners who love nothing more than sharing their extreme—and occasionally reckless—feats online.

Now, as Toyota prepares to launch the highly anticipated all-new Hilux and its all-electric version, the brand is issuing a tongue-in-cheek public service announcement to its overconfident fan base: “PLEASE HILUX RESPONSIBLY”

“Like many online have realised - just because going for a picnic on the edge of a mountain in a snow storm, wading through crocodile infested waters or turning your loading bed into a hot tub is possible with a Hilux - it doesn’t necessarily mean you should do it.” says Jim Stump, Group Creative Director.

Directed by Martin Werner via Papaya Films, the pan-European campaign focuses on overly confident Hilux drivers whose sense of complete invincibility prompts them to push their tough trucks to the absolute limit in extreme situations.

Inspired by the real-world behaviour of online audiences, the integrated campaign features eight distinct scenarios, which showcase the Hilux's diverse range of new powertrains across B2B, retail, and lifestyle audiences—to prove that the new generation is as stylish as it is capable.

The campaign continues with a follow-up film directed by Kit Lynch-Robinson that sees a Toyota lawyer attempt to read Hilux Terms & Conditions while sat next to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing driver Seth Quintero, as he pushes the all-new GR DKR Hilux to the extreme.

Andreas Lefteris & Élson Rodrigues, the Senior Creative Team behind the campaign, added: “In a category where every brand is trying to prove how tough they are, the Hilux has nothing left to prove. So, as the world’s toughest pickup, we flipped the category on its head. Instead of boasting, we’re doing the exact opposite—begging our drivers to show some restraint."

Reflecting on the challenge of updating an icon, Marine Martirosyan from Toyota Motor Europe praised the campaign’s breadth of use cases and requirements, stating: “After much anticipation, the opportunity to introduce a new generation is extremely exciting—especially for a legend like the Hilux. How do you elevate the ultimate workhorse while honouring its passionate community? It was an incredibly ambitious project, but we've captured the true, untameable soul of the Hilux."

The "Please Hilux Responsibly" campaign launches across Europe in Summer 2026, anchored by a flagship 60-second spot running in UK cinemas.

Credits

Credits Main Campaign

Client: Toyota Motor Europe (TME)

Vice President Product Strategy and Marketing: Andrea Carlucci

Lead Client: Olga Sondar, Head of Toyota Brand Strategy and Marketing Communications Senior Client: Marine Martirosyan, , Manager Toyota Brand Strategy and Marketing Communications

Senior Campaign Manager: Annegrethe Nielsen

Creative Agency: T&P

Media Agency: T&P

CCO: André Moreira

Executive Creative Director: Micky Tudor

Group Creative Director: Jim Stump

Creative Director: Phill Fields

Senior Creatives: Andreas Lefteris and Élson Rodrigues

Creative/Art Direction: Rosie Sheppard

Designers: Mitch Baitey, Ade Walker, Tim Taylor, Richard Palmer

Planning Directors: Matt Linstead, Daivid Corrado, Neil Goodlad

Audience Strategy Director: Laura Weston

Creative Strategy: Daryl Frost

Global Client Lead: Kate Mottram

Client Lead: Gavin Fullick

Business Director: Stephanie King

Senior Project Management: Jane Egan

CRM Creative Director: Chris Walker

CRM Senior Strategist: Helena Clark

CRM Account Leads: Julius Lloyd, Niki Mehta, Emily Wood

CRM Project Lead: Rhys Chapman

Chief Production Officer TME & LED WPP Production: Charles Crisp

Head of Integrated Production WPP Production: Anna Green

Senior Producer WPP Production: Michał Krajewski

Production Company: Papaya Films

Director: Martin Werner

DoP: Óttar Guðnason

Managing Director International: Iwona Mnich

Executive Producer: Wojtek Skiba

Producer: Marta Spychalska

Line Producer: Ola Wyszyńska

Service Production Company: Juice Film

Executive Producer: Carmen Amos

Line Producer: Kim Fowler-Forbes

Photo Unit Producer: Carlien de Kock

Edit House: Whitehouse Post

Editor: Sam Gunn, Thomas Sheriff

Offline Producer: Ella Sedgwick

Post Production VFX & color: BaconX

VFX Supervisor / Creative Director: Jonas Drehn

Colourist: Hannibal Lang

Executive Producer: Lorène Lescanne, Lars Wagner

VFX Producer: Mikkel Vogt

CG-Lead: Thomas Haas

CG Artists: Dennis Bahnson, Arthur Dalvig, Julia Forsman

Lead Compositor: Oliver Buus

Compositors: Cristian Predut, Gustav H. Andersen

Head of Production: Rikke Gjerløv Hansen

Conform artist: Søren Knudsen

Post Production VFX & color: Orka Film

CG-Lead: Marcin Kolendo

Colourist: Piotr Sasim

Head of Production: Katarzyna Kozłowska

VFX Producer: Joanna Andrecka-Szewczyk, Maria Kluczyk

Photographer: Tomek Mąkolski

Photographer’s Representative: Piotr Stefański, Made By Eight

Audio Post Production: Ztudio&Burza

Sound Engineers: Bruno Jasieński

Producer: Marta Majewska

Music Supervision: Wake The Town

Composer: Irving Berlin

Music Supervisors: Arnold Hattingh

Credits Extreme T&Cs

Client: Toyota Motor Europe (TME)

Vice President Product Strategy and Marketing: Andrea Carlucci

Lead Client: Olga Sondar, Head of Toyota Brand Strategy and Marketing Communications Senior Client: Marine Martirosyan, Manager Toyota Brand Strategy and Marketing Communications

Senior Campaign Manager: Oksana Imschoot, Annegrethe Nielsen

TGR Client: Jan Verhaegen