• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

Scout Motors is writing a love letter to its new factory's hometown. 

In 2024, the company broke ground on a $2 billion factory in Blythewood, South Carolina, a small town of just 6,000 people.

The hiring process is already underway to fill the thousands of jobs the factory -- capable of producing up to 200,000 trucks and SUVs a year -- will bring to this region. 

To highlight this commitment, Scout Motors and its AOR, Venables Bell & Partners, partnered with  directing duo The Malloys and Alpen/Superprime to create “Have A Great Day.”

Shot entirely in Blythewood without any actors, and with a cameo from South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, the film aims to capture the spirit that drew Scout to the town. McMaster has been a vocal supporter of the company and attended the October 2024 reveal of the Scout Motors’ Traveler SUV and Terra truck concept vehicles in Franklin, Tennessee.

While the vehicles won’t be on sale until 2027, the agency is working on building brand awareness and anticipation. 

The spot shows the factory and the two concept vehicles. It ends with text superimposed over that image: "It takes a company to build a truck" followed by "It takes a community to make it an icon." 

Creative will continue to highlight natural stories, says Matt Keats, group creative director at Venables Bell & Partners

“We just continue to follow and find the moments that feel like they really stand out and capture bringing stories that are real, that are coming out of what's actually happening on the ground,” Keats tells Marketing Daily. “And I think it's paying dividends in terms of the type of brand we're trying to build and being honest to it.”

The campaign launches today, greeting Americans as they head back to work after the Labor Day holiday.

It’s supported by a series of local initiatives, including newspaper ads thanking the hometowns of around 30 of Scout’s earliest employees and handing out 4,000 free cups of coffee to workers across Columbia and Blythewood.

The 60-second video will run online and across social media, with cutdowns appearing on TV, primarily during football in priority markets, along with some broader coverage, as well as online and social.