“Lexus announces the launch of the all-new NX with a campaign that reaches through time to capture the emotions of a generation and kickstarts a new chapter for one of the brand’s most successful models.”
Well, that’s what it says here, so who are we to argue? A rough translation from the marketing garbage goes something like this: “Lexus is launching a campaign to promote its new NX model, backed by a remix of Donna Summer’s 1970s’ disco classic I Feel Love, featuring the car, a horse, and a sky diver. We’re thinking it’s by The & Partnership, but it doesn’t say…”
What a minute, there’s so much more to this though: “Drawing parallels with the vehicle and its Vitality x Tech concept, I Feel Love was selected because it was a breakthrough hit, using the latest technology to elicit emotion in the listener. The electronic composition redefined a genre and today Lexus has evolved the track using innovative sound production techniques to reimagine one of the world’s best love songs.”
And that’s not all: “Crafted with the intention to make the audience feel, the story has been carefully constructed to deliver a rich sensorial and immersive experience, creating an ASMR response (tingling sensation through the head and spine) from the audience.
“Shot to showcase the driver’s connection to the all-new NX, the viewer is transported into the campaign and made to feel like they are breathing the air, cutting through the water, part of the rhythmic movement of the horse rider and gripped to the road.”
Who writes this stuff?
Whoever it is seems to have impressed Spiros Fotinos, head of Lexus Europe, who said: “Every aspect of the all-new Lexus NX has been engineered to allow you to feel more in every moment by creating multiple layers of experience. We have done the same with the launch campaign, starting with the iconic track I Feel Love. By applying cutting edge audio design we elevated the acoustic experience to combine nostalgia with spine tingling excitement.”
So, what is the consensus around the Decision Marketing office?
Well, cut back the puffery and just view the ad and it’s not bad at all; in fact it’s way better than most car ads at the moment. Gone are the days when every agency craved a car account; the advent of pan-European campaigns has put creativity firmly in the boot, with dubbing that makes Spaghetti Westerns look perfectly lip-synched.
Maybe we didn’t quite feel “multiple layers of experience” and “spine-tingling excitement” but hey, it’s way, way better than the write-up.
Decision Marketing Adometer: A “nice ad, shame about the PR” 8 out of 10
