For Lexus, F is for sell

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

SoCal cinema-goers (particularly those headed to an AMC theater) may soon be treated to a series of six 15-second advertisements made especially for the big screen — and the big speakers that now come with it. The product in this case is the 2008 Lexus IS F sport sedan (the one with the 5.0-liter V-8 and an eight-speed gearbox). They all start with the question: What is F? The answers are things like: F is zero to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, F is a 170-mph top speed, and so on.

“We wanted to launch [the high-performance IS F] in a way that captures the car’s speed and sounds,” says David Nordstrom, Lexus vice president of marketing. “The best way we can give people a feel for that performance is by using the full sight, sound and motion impact of cinema.” In one spot, the distinctive noise from the car’s dual-stage intake is center stage as audiences hear the vehicle approaching on one side before they get a glimpse of the car speeding across the screen and roaring out on the opposite side. In another, the car is larger than life as the camera flies into and around the vehicle to showcase the interior.

“By creating this campaign especially for the cinema, Lexus is making a bold statement,” says Cliff Marks of National CineMedia, which produces and distributes cinema advertising and pre-feature programming. “The impact a creative campaign like this can have on movie audiences is significant, because it’s something exciting and original that people have never seen before.” Click here to see the first four spots.

Marks goes on to declare that cinema advertising recall is high. Which is all well and good, but the timing could be better. With the Oscars over for another year, there probably won’t be a notable film out for a while that could really draw in the high-earning, high-IQ types that Lexus would love to reach.

— Colin Ryan