Toyota Dealer's Association
Toyota wanted to demonstrate its commitment to the Philadelphia community in a way that felt authentic — not a check-writing PR moment, but a genuine, ongoing partnership. The challenge was telling a story about hunger and poverty without it feeling heavy-handed or performative for a global brand.
My Role
As a writer, producer, and director at Mnemonic — Comcast's in-house creative agency — I led this campaign end-to-end, from creative concept through final delivery. Toyota was one of our most significant advertising partners, investing millions annually, and I was the creative lead on this relationship from 2018 to 2025.
The Approach
The instinct to simply document food donations felt too surface-level for what Toyota and Philabundance were actually doing together. Their partnership went deeper — addressing the roots of hunger, not just the symptoms. That distinction became the creative anchor. By shifting the lens from the brand to the people and the cause, we gave audiences something worth caring about, and gave Toyota a story worth telling.
The Work
The long-form format was a deliberate choice. Short ads can raise awareness, but this story needed room to breathe. The content lived on Toyota's dedicated Comcast X1 channel, meeting viewers in a lean-back context where they were already open to longer storytelling — and could act on what they saw by getting involved directly.
The Outcome
The campaign gave Toyota a meaningful presence in the Philadelphia market beyond product advertising, reinforcing community trust through storytelling rather than promotion. The relationship spanned seven years while I was with Comcast, and continues today — a testament to the trust built through consistent, high-quality creative work. You can watch some examples of the produced videos below.