Influx

Lexus is currently running a campaign running to launch its new ES350. The campaign has all the expected media elements like print and television, but has one additional tactic that is somewhat revolutionary.

The campaign idea is all about engineering desire and how Lexus engineers know how to make this happen. In the revolutionary part of the campaign the brand uses long-form television spots to tell the story; these spots can be seen at the dealers, on interactive television systems and through Tivo.

However, while the use of long-form infomercials is nothing new, Lexus’s content is truly original. Instead of doing the predictable and spending time exhaustively pointing out all of the new car’s features, Lexus uses documentaries to tell stories of other “desire engineers.”

There are two films, one featuring a Parisian fragrance maker and the other, a Belgian chocolate maker. The films explain the process and art that goes into making these luxury items. The films are subtle, informative and for a perfect fit for the target audience who are looking to be seduced, rather than sold.

Deborah Meyer, who runs Lexus’s marketing, explains how the approach is driven by the desire for consistency between brand, product, messaging, media and an understanding of its target audience.

“We’re committed to the same high quality approach in developing our marketing efforts as we are in designing and building our vehicles. It’s important that our efforts be purposeful — that is, always created with the consumer in mind. We want to make sure our marketing efforts aren’t just adding noise in the consumer’s environment, but are aesthetically appealing, entertaining and informative.”

Experts are often talking about how ad agencies need to experiment more with the length of spots. Lexus is a great example of what can be done in 2 minutes and at the other end of the scale, GE is doing something really interesting with just 1 second.