Turtle Wax Gives Car Lovers a Big Head in Surreal Spots

'You Are How You Car' turns heads and cars in an imaginative global launch.

A bold new campaign from Turtle Wax has hit the road, quite literally, with cars that sport oversized human heads cruising confidently through city streets. Directed by Aidan Gibbons and Nate Robinson of global production company Not Just Any, the campaign brings to life the idea that when your car gleams, so do you.

Titled 'You Are How You Car,' the campaign made its debut across the US, UK, and India with two vibrant TV spots, 'Pamper' and 'Face It.' Each film captures car lovers radiating pride in their well-kept vehicles, with a surreal twist: seamlessly composited human faces on car bodies.

Developed by creative agency Running Toward Giants, the campaign takes a daring departure from traditional automotive advertising.

“This isn’t your typical automotive industry creative concept,” said Jeremy Bersano, executive creative director at RTG. “We got to help reimagine car care and help reintroduce an iconic brand as something metaphorical, magical and weirdly wonderful. The result? Cars with faces, and a campaign you can’t look away from - because several car-faces are quite literally looking right back at you.”

The spots fuse cutting-edge VFX with striking design, blending humour, personality, and originality to reframe Turtle Wax as more than a car care brand. It’s a celebration of self expression on four wheels.

“Scripts like Head Turner rarely come our way - and when it did, it instantly grabbed our attention. Nate and I knew we had to be involved”. Director Aidan Gibbons shares. “Its unique tone and concept hit all the right marks. Collaborating with Jeremy from RTG and the client team, we quickly developed concept art and 3D previs for both TVCs. With just two shoot days, precise planning was vital. The previs evolved into a technical blueprint, guiding our shots and lighting. We created VFX BMW references and full-scale foam cutouts of the Head-Turners for set use. Covert’s early 'Gaussian Splat' test proved transformative, enabling dynamic 3D mapping of performances. After fine-tuning and rendering, we created something delightfully strange and we’re excited to keep building with the teams at Running Towards Giants and Turtle Wax”.

Turtle Wax CMO Daren Herbert comments, “This campaign is for the ones who care, who show up with intention and a microfiber cloth at the ready and for anyone who just needs a little motivation to start, because no matter what you drive, it’s about taking pride in how you show up. There’s power in pulling up in something that should ultimately be a reflection of you.”

Later this month, the brand will invite US fans to imagine themselves as cars, via drawings, paintings, and mixed media for a special prize. Ten winners will receive branded bobbleheads with their own faces grafted on.