Well, I'll have to agree with the Shaq part. That part was clearly staged. I know the Lacrosse. There's no way that a guy his size (and I mean B-I-G) is going to have that kind of stretch-out room in a factory-spec Lacrosse. That was probably staged with optical-effect cameras.


But I'll still (respectfully) disagree on the topic-ad. A competent vehicle doesn't have to sell on a couple making it in the rain, or a bunch of loud-mouths in the back seat. I'm not saying that the Lexus F-package is not competent (it is) but that ad doesn't do it justice.

And don't kid yourself.........staged or not, both Shaq and Tiger were laughing all the way to the bank (as the actors in this ad probably were too)

 

Show me a 20-something who is smart enough to have the money to buy a Lexus, and I'll show you a 20-something that is too smart for this commercial. (Yeah I know there are trust fund kids, but they're probably going to skip on over to other "F"s and "L"s, namely Ferrari and Lamborghini)

Now if you're targeting the 20-something who wants to buy the Lexus no matter what, only to have it repossessed 8 months later by Lizard Lick towing, then yeah, this is the right commercial for that demo. Because, hey... They had a Lexus for 8 months!

 

I'll have to admit, though.....it wasn't as corny as the Nissan ads with the dogs driving. (You remember those, don't you? ) At least with the Kia Soul ads, the hamsters were little cuter.


It probably markets a Brock-Yates driving style (drifting, speed, power, etc....) more than a specific car itself.

 

No car company cares for a person's financial decisions, they care they can buy the car. In particular the new IS has really done an amazing job attracting younger buyers.

There is a very distinct change in Lexus image and it continues to change. The new spindle grill and more aggressive styling is attracting more youthful and image conscience customers. Contrarily a lot of long time Lexus fans do not like it even in non-F-sport trim.

We all used to have car posters on the wall. The LFA gave Lexus that first true car for the youth to gawk over, the IS F somewhat as well. The RC F and upcoming cars aim to continue this trend.

 

What you seem to miss from marketing and branding is that people do not just buy the car, they are buying the brand and image the brand projects.

I would be willing to bet people put more thought into how a brand makes them look from a social status than how well the car preforms.......

 

I addressed that in my last post. Ads like this, IMO, seem to promote driving styles more than the brands or vehicles themselves. Of course, I respect your opinion if you see it differently.

 

mmarshall is missing a whole lot more than just that.

Lots of buyers rarely purchase cars just on the vehicle merits alone. People generally buy cars because of the way they make them look.

The new marketing by Lexus is for the new generation of luxury car buyers. Lexus was smart to design the cars this way.

Compare the IS marketing to the LS, did anyone see the new LS ad in the current National Geographic. Totally different buyer and demographic.

 

This link is fantastic....

http://www.lexus.com/performance/#/r...through/intro/

 

It's such a stupid commercial. I'm 21 and it makes me think LESS about Lexus than anything else. What happened to the conservative brand Lexus used to be?

 

Changed with the times and catapulting back to the top in 4 years goes to show that regardless of what you, I or anyone on these boards thinks about Lexus, they are doing quite well and will continue to do so

 

.............spoken by one of those this commercial was actually directed at. Lexus marketers, are you listening?

 

MIke, it won't appeal to ALL young people.

 

I agree. No commercial appeals to 100% of the target market. It just doesn't happen. The Lexus division has people who work with the ad agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of the commercials. If it meets their expectations it stays, if not it will be gone.

 

It's probably a good thing that it doesn't appeal to most of us, because we already buy their cars. They don't need to attract us to the marque, as these ads are for other folks who have never paid much attention to Lexus.

I'm going to recommend the purchase of a Lexus no matter how silly this ad is.

 

Of course not. I couldn't agree more. I, of all people, tend to avoid stereotypes. But my point is that the stereotype marketing of sport-oriented vehicles to younger persons is somewhat overrated. And, Hey, for that matter, I've known just the opposite.....some geezers who liked some sport in their ride, too.