This 60-second car commercial will make you a better communicator.

This is embarrassing, so I’m going to go ahead and get it out right now: even though I worked in ad agencies for years and even wrote a number of commercials, I rarely watch TV. We rent movies, but that’s about it. We don’t even have cable. When someone wants me to comment on a cool new commercial or chat about the latest hit series, all I can do is smile and change the subject. But I do love a great TV spot. And this one is a lesson in effective communications for people who live in a world of 3000 messages.

The ad is a Toyota commercial for Yaris – one of their littlest, fuel-sippingest cars. It was created by a Canadian ad agency. Watch it closely, and you’ll learn two very powerful ways to communicate your message in a crowded marketplace.

1. If everyone else is screaming, whisper.

Advertisers used to be able to get our attention by shouting. Whether on TV, radio, or in print – they would make big, loud, colorful, noisy, claims. That worked when there weren’t so many brands screaming for our attention. Now we’re inundated with advertising. How do you get heard above the din? Do you shout louder? No. When everyone else is shouting, it’s often the quiet, simple, thoughtful message that cuts through the clutter. It gets noticed. It separates you from the crowd. And your customers will thank you for it.

Think about your PowerPoint presentation, your website, or your business proposal. Is it too loud, noisy, colorful, complicated, and salesy? Then tone it done. Make it shorter. Allow more white space on the page. Say less, and you’ll stand out more. It worked for Toyota, and it will work for you.

2. Do something completely counterintuitive.

This Toyota ad tells customers to stop using its products so much. Brilliant. In doing this, Toyota communicates a sense of self-awareness and authenticity that makes the brand incredibly likeable. This was part of a new marketing campaign about how a Toyota customer could be both ecological and economical at the same time (two things that don’t normally go together in the consumer mind). They did the counterintuitive, the unexpected. But they did it in a way that was true to their brand. And it worked like a charm.

Now ask yourself: what’s the most surprising, counterintuitive thing you could say to your potential customers?

3000MessagesBlog.com kudos goes to the creators of this ad: Montreal’s BlueBlancRouge, agency of record for the Quebec Toyota Dealers Association.