Toyota Debuts Heartwarming Annual Holiday Ad During NBC’s Sunday Night Football “Thanksgiving Special”

A troop of military service members are welcomed home with a surprise greeting in Toyota’s new :90-second holiday spot

With the holiday season in full swing, Toyota continues to highlight the importance of family and friends coming together. This year’s holiday spot, “Yellow Paper,” features military service members returning home for the holidays to a touching homecoming surprise.

The :90-second spot premiered during NBC’s Sunday Night Football “Thanksgiving Special,” with a live throw coming out of Toyota halftime. To continue spreading the message of togetherness and holiday spirit, the spot will also air on NBC’s primetime special, “Christmas in Rockefeller Center,” on December 4 with a personalized setup from a show host.


“We’re looking forward to sharing a message that brings people together and speaks to the joy and spirit of the season,” says Ed Laukes, group vice president, Toyota Marketing, Toyota Motor North America. “Homecoming surprises are a great example of this message and one that we are honored to share in this year’s holiday spot.”

Military service members are welcomed home with a surprise greeting in Toyota’s new holiday spot, “Yellow Paper.”


“Yellow Paper” shares a familiar story of service members returning home for the holidays after a military deployment. The group is welcomed at the airport with a special heartfelt greeting – the recognizable yellow ribbon – displayed in the terminal by excited family and travelers, bringing everyone together. The greeting evokes pure emotion from the uniformed service members, many of whom are actual veterans, reminding viewers what’s most important this holiday season. 

The spot was created by Saatchi & Saatchi and directed by Sean Meehan of Arts & Sciences.

This year’s holiday spot, “Yellow Paper,” features military service members returning home for the holidays to a touching homecoming surprise.

A mix of :30 and :60 versions will air on television November 28-January 2. The spot will also air :30-second and :60-second versions on FOX Thursday and NBC Sunday Night Football halftimes throughout December. Viewers can also see the spot in theaters nationwide with a :60-second version for in-cinema play in National CineMedia (NCM) pre-show and Screenvision in more than 3,600 theaters from December 13-26. The Toyotathon December Sales Event offers incentives through January 6, 2020. View the “Yellow Paper” spot HERE.