The enlightened car ad
Lexus
Why it’s a contender: Thoughtful, engaging, almost profound, this campaign dared to place intelligence over fuel efficiency and pricing.
The fourth TV spot, ‘Frozen Moments,’ launched last month for the ES350. But it was the :45, which launched the strategy last fall, that started it all. A new take on auto advertising, the initial insight actually came from the car brand itself.
Reveals Glen Hunt, Dentsu’s creative catalyst: ‘Lexus designs something trying to create moments for the driver. That seemed like a radical shift in design philosophy – especially for a car. They weren’t just thinking about the technical engineering, they were thinking: ‘How can we ensure that people’s lives are enriched by owning this vehicle?’
Length of campaign:
Started last fall and is ongoing
The target:
‘Everybody who is thinking about buying a luxury vehicle, but the demo for Lexus is about 35 to 65,’ says Hunt. Buyers tend to be male.
The insight:
‘The definition of luxury used to have to do with status, now it’s the importance of time.’
The goal:
To talk about cars in a completely different way that will boost the bottom line
The execution:
Print work
Four TV executions to date; one cinema spot
Events. The launch of the IS model last fall even included the unveiling of a drink,
the Momentini
Radio
DM pieces
The results:
It’s been presented in Japan, Belgium and China to be used in those markets, Hunt says. ‘The U.S. has expressed an interest as well, which is reverse marketing for the vast majority of Canadian work – especially automotive.’
The players:
Dentsu:
Glen Hunt, creative catalyst
Bill Parker, CD
Deborah Prenger, senior art director
Amanda Loughran, producer
Mark Russell, VP, director of account service
Emma Hall, account director
Scott Morden, account supervisor
Kathryn Long, account executive
Lexus:
Stuart Payne, director, Lexus Division
David Brimson, national manager,
advertising & PR
Jeff Powell, manager, advertising & PR
