America's Cup: Join the love triangle in Bermuda

Toyota fires its own America's Cup shot across the bows with ad campaign.

A Team New Zealand sponsor has paid for a cheeky ad in Bermuda's major newspaper suggesting the locals cheer for the Kiwis over Oracle Team USA in the America's Cup showdown, which starts today.

Toyota New Zealand, a long standing sponsor of Team NZ, has launched a campaign in the small Caribbean island nation's media.

The campaign concentrates on the many parallels between Bermuda and New Zealand under the heading: "Hey Bermuda we look great together."

What follows is a cheeky request for the island nation's allegiance against the Larry Ellison-funded American defender.

"We're wondering if we can count on your support? We're underdogs and frankly compared to Larry we're not exactly made of money."

It's the latest dig fired in the build-up to the finals, ignited last week by Oracle's Aussie skipper who posted to social media on Thursday a cartoon of an eagle carrying away a hapless Kiwi, before claiming Team New Zealand was spying on his syndicate.

Team New Zealand's cool-headed skipper Peter Burling responded yesterday, saying his syndicate had one thing on their side that Spithill's team couldn't count on; a sense of patriotism.

The first two races in the first-to-seven battle for the Auld Mug will have sailed by the time you read this - hopefully Team NZ is ahead. The next two races are tomorrow.

Toyota's cheeky campaign notes that both Bermuda and New Zealand are island nations originally colonised by Britain, with a liking for fishing and that both happen to have a city called Hamilton.

It also suggests that if Team NZ wins the "Auld Mug", New Zealand will gift Bermuda the North Island, subject to Prime Minister Bill English being "cool with it".

The campaign will appear as a full page ad in Bermuda's main newspaper the Royal Gazette (Bermuda) and across social media as well as in New Zealand papers.

Toyota enlisted former All Black, Kiwi and television personality Marc Ellis to supply an accompanying video message to the people of Bermuda.

Toyota's General Manager of Marketing Andrew Davis said the company wanted to do something a little different to show their support.

"The exciting, action packed racing of the 2017 America's Cup has New Zealanders on the edge of their seats," said Davis.

"We know New Zealand is behind the team. We thought it would be fun to recruit the support of Bermuda too."

"We believe in Emirates Team New Zealand and the way they have gone about the campaign.

"The team has achieved remarkable success in a short time driven by imagination, experimentation and innovation - like the cyclors - and it is the people who have gone the extra mile to deliver an outstanding result."