The 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season has been a season like no other; a rollercoaster of emotions that has tested teams, players, coaches and fans to their limits.

As part of this year’s Toyota AFL finals campaign, we wanted to salute and celebrate the resilience of fans all over Australia, for their passion and love for the game. We wanted to inject That Finals Feeling into the homes of those who couldn’t be there and offer up footy experiences unlike any other.

We launched an integrated ‘That Finals Feeling’ campaign across social, PR and broadcast media. Toyota gave one lucky AFL fan a brand-new Toyota HiLux Rugged X, and a further 50 winners scored ‘Oh What a Feeling  Experience Packs’ to enjoy at home. The packs were filled with footy food, drinks and Grand Final merch to enjoy while watching the decider at home.

Fan experience packs were delivered Australia wide and could be seen through broadcast in the Toyota Zoom FanZone. Some lucky fans even had superstars Luke Shuey, Mason Cox, Zach Merrett and Brian Taylor knocking on their doors for an extra special pack delivery. Experience packs were also distributed to key media personalities and ambassadors as part of earned media activity.

Toyota Internal Staff didn’t miss the feeling, with ten staff winning a fan pack to enjoy on Grand Final Day. Toyota Northern Region Dealers in Queensland got excited, hosting events at dealerships as the Premiership Cup Tour made its way across the state. The Tour culminated in the cup and the fleet of finals-branded HiLux vehicles converging on the Gabba, to become an integral part of match day activities.

2020 has meant many live events going virtual, and Grand Final corporate hospitality was no exception. In lieu of the usual exclusive September Club Luncheon, Toyota Fleet, Southern Region and Internal Staff were invited to a ‘Virtual October Club’ where Toyota Ambassador Brad McEwan chatted to A-Grade footy stars such as Tom Mitchell, Erin Phillips and Nic Naitanui.

Inside the Gabba stadium, it was the Toyota HiLux Fan Zone that provided an unforgettable hospitality experience for some very lucky fans. Gemba worked closely with the AFL, Geelong and Richmond to identify 62 ‘Super Fans’ to join us and watch their teams play for premiership glory. The exclusive, boundary-side space allowed us to integrate HiLux product into the experience, with some lucky fans watching the game from the back of a HiLux tray. We had special appearances from AFL players and a Premiership Cup for guests to take some snaps with. To ensure extended media and social support, there were multiple Channel 7 crosses to the Toyota Hilux Fan Zone in the lead up to the game. Meanwhile, eight influencers shared the excitement of being there across their personal networks.

Toyota was even giving once-in-a-lifetime experiences to footy fans on the field! Representatives from one local footy club who raised the most money with the Toyota Good For Footy Raffle this year got to toss the coin before the match. And one deserving Geelong fan from the Toyota Hilux Fan Zone delivered the match ball to the field!

The Toyota Countdown featured on the big screens in the final minute before the bounce; a high-energy montage of AFL highlights featuring the two final teams was just the right amount of hype for our fans in the stands to remember all the amazing moments that it took to get there from fans, players and coaches.

The only downside to this year’s incredible climax to season 2020? The Gemba Team and many of our wonderful clients at Toyota were unable to be there in person, locked down in Melbourne for the entirety of the finals! But it’s still our favourite day of the year and we’re very proud to have been a key part of the team leading yet another successful Toyota AFL Finals campaign.