• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

Rivian needs to look no further than its owners for real-life stories worthy of being featured in marketing. 

Kicking off the fall season, “Bayou Country” is the newest chapter in Real Rivian Adventures—a campaign celebrating the unscripted moments owners share with their Rivian electric vehicles. 

It was created with assistance from Mojo Supermarket and media was handled by Digitas.

Unlike traditional auto ads, Rivian’s campaign is built entirely around real owner stories. “Bayou Country” transports viewers to Louisiana’s lush bayous, where everyday ingenuity turns into an adventure powered by the Rivian R1S. 

"We really think of it as a storytelling platform,” says Denise Cherry, Rivian vice president of marketing and brand experience. “[We use] our actual owners and our actual community and the amazing adventures that they have to talk about our product, to introduce people to new features, to allow them to see what this vehicle enables you to do.”

The campaign is an “organic and authentic way to talk about how the vehicle can enable your life,” Cherry tells Marketing Daily. 

This third installment was inspired by Rivian owner Ernest who, with his friends, took a road trip to go kayaking that quickly became an escape from gator country. Thankfully, his R1S was more than up to the task at hand. Rivian is promoting the creative on a blog post and on social media. 

When they first arrived at the water’s edge, the R1S and its suite of sensors picked up unexpected movement, both in the nearby brush and shallow water. From there, the vehicle’s 360° cameras became their eyes when they needed them the most.

With a bird's-eye view of the area—including what was behind and around them—Ernest could reverse out of the area, without second-guessing what might be lurking in the water below.

“Bayou Country” is a reminder that capability isn't just about muscle; it's about awareness and keeping an eye on the unexpected. It’s a reminder of how all the technology in your Rivian works together and can help equip you with what you need to stay calm in the midst of the unpredictable. 

The first two installments of the campaign were “Last Lemonade Standing” (May 1) and “Saving Summer” (June 24). The brand is already teasing “The Milk Run,” which will debut around the holidays. Cherry says. The episodes have been rolling out on a seasonal basis, she says. 

The brand’s retail spaces provided visitors with lemonade and then ice cream in conjunction with both videos, which were highlighted on screens in the spaces. 

Owners are invited to send Rivian stories, photos and videos to letsgo@rivian.com or post to their favorite social platform and tag the brand using #RealRivianAdventures.

Rivian is currently looking at ideas for Halloween creative, Cherry says. The last several years, the brand has created unique activations in which Rivian owners can download car “costumes” and other spooky content. 

“It's such a fun, joyful way to take our technology and our software and make people smile a little bit,” she says. “It just feels like something that's very uniquely Rivian. And so we’re leaning into that.”