Can movies move Mazda cars? The automaker is betting it can.
The automaker is launching a new version of its CX-5 SUV, and used this year’s Oscars to launch a film-themed campaign that it plans to bring to video platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Hulu, CMO Brad Audet said. Hollywood Reporter She is thinking of bringing it to cinemas as well.
Hypothesis? 5 Sides of the CX-5, in which director Paul Hunter develops five short films (plus shorter trailers) based on five classic film genres: romance, action, sci-fi, musical, and horror. Jessamie Waldon-Day stars in each film (besides the CX-5, of course).
It’s an interesting campaign that leverages the reach of broadcast during a high-profile event (the Oscars), the breadth and depth of digital distribution, and the familiarity and emotional resonance of film.
“The CX-5 competes in a highly competitive segment, where something completely new is introduced about every two months,” Audet says. “So we couldn’t just come up with another record setting for cars, we really needed to do something that was a hit.”
Audet says the target demographic for the CX-5 is female and multi-dimensional, which led to an “aha moment” as his team honed in on film genres as an anchor point for the campaign. The timing of the release coincided with the Academy Awards and allowed members of the Film Academy’s Gold Mentorship Program to assist in the production, which was coincidental.
But with any marketing effort, especially one that relies on creating original programming that can stand on its own, it’s complicated and risky. The brand and product must be prominently featured (the CX-5 campaign includes a different feature of the car in each film), and Audet notes his initial hesitation toward the horror genre.
“I think first and foremost, we had to have entertainment value, so it was clear that the car and its features had to be prominent in every one of those stories,” Audet says. “I think it was a bit of an iterative process.”
He says credit goes to Hunter, who designed the films and their trailer counterparts.
“I think most importantly, he saw the potential of the idea and brought the idea to life in the five stories, and did a really great job,” Audet says. “He understood the role of the car in telling the story, as the heroines’ companion and enabler.”
“You have to really commit to the story,” Hunter says. “What was important was that everything felt, and it was important that everything felt real and honest in every moment, so that every kind of turning point or every scene had to force you to move forward to a new scene.”
“No matter what kind of stories, or genres, we never wanted to feel like we were asking for more or pushing too hard,” he adds. “The stories were built around Mazda, but we didn’t want to feel like they were necessarily pushing like in traditional commercials.”
Mazda has already released action and romance films, with horror and music films premiering below.
So what does the automaker do now that it has five short films representing five of the main genres in filmmaking? Well, he goes to the movies. Audet says the automaker is considering shoring up what looks to be a strong film slate for 2026, placing its films in previews, likely ahead of titles that share similar genres or themes.
“There’s definitely a lot of interest in movies during the summer, and this looks like it’s going to be a good summer movie season,” he says. “So I think this will be one of our key initiatives.”
You can watch the “5 Sides of CX-5” movies below.
