San Francisco, CA, September 08, 2025 — Independent Bay Area agency H/L has launched its latest campaign for the Northern California Toyota Dealers, starring San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Designed to unite Toyota with Purdy, the 49ers, and Northern California fans, the work pushes boundaries—melding cinematic filmmaking with AI-powered visuals and conversational fan tech to capture both Purdy’s intensity on the field and his natural charm off it. The result is classic H/L: in-house creative, production, and media teams firing together to make technology feel human, and global brands feel local across Northern California and the Central Valley.
From concept to launch, the campaign was driven by H/L’s Creative, Production (Wolfhouse), and Data & Innovation teams working as one—pushing the boundaries of how technology and human craft can collide. Executive Creative Director Dallas Baker and Wolfhouse Director & Cinematographer Carlo Silvio led their teams in blurring the line between real and AI, developing AI-generated scenes, scaling them to massive proportions, and animating them, using more traditional graphics tools to complete the merger with live action production.
“We actually had full access to the 49ers facility for shooting,” said Baker. “But we wanted to challenge ourselves and our Wolfhouse team to elevate our ethereal aesthetic in the controlled environment of a sound stage, while remaining true to Brock Purdy and some badass Toyota models.”
“That’s where Wolfhouse comes in and our collaboration shines,” added Silvio. “We embraced the AI component as a tool, rather than a shortcut. We made it a point to employ the technology and combine it with advanced lighting and camera techniques in a way we hadn’t done before – not to reflect the tech, but to amplify the storytelling.”
Joe Madden, owner of Goal Line Studios and son of NFL Hall of Famer John Madden, called the Wolfhouse team’s prep and production “a masterclass in how to use the LED screen technology.”
Alongside the films, the campaign introduces a slate of fan activations designed to turn attention into participation. Guided by the campaign’s creative vision, Tim Schatz, H/L’s Director of Data & Innovation, led the development of conversational AI experiences—including a 49ers-themed game show and a playful “4Runner Dreaming Chat”—that give fans a direct, interactive connection with both Purdy and Toyota. Built to capture Purdy’s easygoing persona, these activations let his voice and character shine through, forging a connection that feels authentic to fans and elevates Toyota’s role as part of their everyday culture.
“Our goal in this effort was to drive a new type of engagement with the Toyota brand and Brock Purdy,” said Schatz. “And when the conversational AI voice technology literally took a major step forward as we were developing and testing the concept, we knew we were on the leading edge of something great.”
The campaign launches as Toyota and the 49ers enter another highly anticipated season, giving fans a fresh way to experience one of the NFL’s brightest stars through one of the world’s most recognizable brands. For the Northern California Toyota Dealers Association, the work underscores the value of pairing local insight with innovative execution.
“This campaign is a perfect example of what makes our partnership work,” said Dave Johnston, President of the Northern California Toyota Dealers Association. “H/L knows how to take the scale and power of Toyota, combine it with the star power of Brock Purdy, and translate it into something that feels authentic to Northern California fans. That’s how you build both brand strength and community connection.”
