H/L Celebrates Diwali with Toyota in Music-Centered Spot Featuring Bay Area Artist Fijiana

Independent full-service advertising and marketing agency H/L and NorCal Toyota welcome Diwali with a campaign starring Fijiana, a Bay Area-based rapper and singer. Fijiana’s “Welcome to the Bay” features prominently in the hero spot and reflects the experiences of young South Asians in NorCal in a way that feels personal, modern, and authentic. 

As home to one of the largest South Asian populations in the United States and a key community for NorCal Toyota, connecting with younger Asian audiences in the Bay Area was central to shaping this campaign. H/L steered away from the conservative way Diwali is portrayed in marketing, where narratives often center on religion or iconography. Instead, H/L created a campaign about the joy of being together and the role music plays in these shared moments, with a film that represents Diwali’s principles of moving from darkness to light in a vibrant, music-video-style spot. 

Watch the spot on Instagram

Created by H/L, the campaign and its accompanying film embody Toyota’s motto of “Let’s Go Places” by showing how Toyota moves with culture as it evolves, staying connected to the key elements that matter for the next generation. Diwali remains one of the most important cultural events for South Asians, and as the holiday moves towards a vibrant display of music, identity, and togetherness, H/L and NorCal Toyota moved with it. 

H/L’s VP Director of Multicultural Marketing Yunilda Esquivel says of the campaign, “Diwali can hold both memory and momentum for young Desis. Culture is never one-dimensional. It is shaped every day by the people who live it. That’s what we wanted to portray in this campaign, giving young South Asians the space to show what Diwali means to them, in their own voices and on their own terms. Being trusted to help bring forward those deeper layers of identity with such joy and vibrancy is a career-high moment for us.” 

Turning production into a moment of celebration amongst the young South Asian community in the Bay Area, H/L invited local Fijiana fans and influencers to take part in the shoot and dress in their Desi-chic best, creating a gathering where attendees could meet Fijiana and connect with one another. Select local influencers, including Aditi Bagepelli, Simi Kaur, Devi Kaur, Siri Bandaru, Devanshi Mehta, Sri Karthikeyan, and Mahika Valluri, shared behind-the-scenes and on-set experiences across their social channels, alongside an interview with Fijiana and additional social content highlighting different aspects of the spot.