Lexus IS-F TV Commercial

Though the Lexus IS-F’s national advertising campaign is limited strictly to movie theaters, dealers were also given a commercial made up of three of the 15-second ads. Here’s one for Lexus Stevens Creek, located in San Jose: They work really well sewn together like this, the end result is very impressive.
Kevin · April 17th, 2008

Japanese Commercial for Lexus GS Passionate Black Edition

I have a great love for the Japanese Lexus GS with the Passionate Black interior, so I was excited to discover its commercial on Youtube today. Too bad it’s just recycled footage from a previous advert: This is a stark reminder of the cultural differences between Japan and North America, no way this commercial would …

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Kevin · April 9th, 2008

Lexus LS 460 Commercial: The Life of a US Open Tennis Ball

I remember hearing about it last year, but this is the first time I’ve seen this Lexus commercial detailing the life of a US Open tennis ball after its day in the spotlight: Quirky and cute, it’s a neat take on the standard sponsorship advertisement, and makes you think, what really does happen to all …

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Kevin · April 8th, 2008

Lexus IS-F Commercials

A couple weeks ago, when it was announced that Lexus would be promoting the IS-F strictly through movie theaters rather than a traditional TV campaign, it had me doubting just how soon the adverts would show up online, but as it turns out, the wait wasn’t very long at all: If I had to choose, …

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Kevin · March 26th, 2008

Lexus ES Commercial: Touch

I noticed earlier this week that Lexus was featuring the ES 350 heavily on their US site, and it seems to have extended to TV as well:
Kevin · March 21st, 2008

The Lexus IS-F: Coming to a theater near you

Rather than a national TV campaign, Lexus has decided to bring the IS-F to the big screen, using movie cinemas to advertise the new super-sedan: Brian Bolain, national interactive automotive events manager, says the F campaign will not use national TV ads at all. He says the cinema focus was appropriate because in no other …

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Kevin · March 12th, 2008

It’s Alive: A Lexus GS Commercial from Down Under

Here’s an absolutely brilliant commercial from Lexus Australia introducing the 2006 GS redesign: I wasn’t all that sure what was going on in the first ten seconds, but once the car started bleeding and sweating, it all came together. The thing that impressed me the most, though, was that although it’s a fantastic concept, the …

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Kevin · February 21st, 2008

Lexus & Team One are looking for your Lexus photos

Team One, the company behind Lexus’ advertising in the US, recently contacted me about a great opportunity for Lexus owners to show off their cars. Right now, they’re looking for photos of you and your Lexus for an upcoming project, here are the details: The photo has to be of you with your Lexus, not …

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Kevin · February 18th, 2008

New Lexus Power of H Commercial

The new Lexus Power of H commercial debuted yesterday, and today has surfaced on Youtube: After reading the synopsis released a couple days ago, I wasn’t sure how the commercial was going to pan out, but the idea is fairly strong and well executed. Most important is that Lexus has moved away from touting the …

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Kevin · February 8th, 2008

New Lexus The Power of H Marketing Campaign

Focusing on the importance of the letter H, the new Lexus hybrid marketing campaign starts today. Here’s the synopsis, from Lexus’ press release: The multi-platform campaign, which debuts today, communicates Lexus’ hybrid leadership and highlights the significance of h on a Lexus vehicle—which distinguishes hybrid from non-hybrid vehicles and symbolizes Lexus’ commitment to alternative power …

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Kevin · February 5th, 2008

1996 Lexus LX 450 Commercial with a Surprise Twist

It turns out the IS-F isn’t the first time Lexus has marketed a vehicle as the opposite of what you’d expect from the company, take a listen to the tagline of this 1996 LX 450 commercial: “It’s everything a Lexus is, and everything a Lexus isn’t.” sounds pretty close to the IS-F’s “Everything you thought …

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Kevin · January 29th, 2008

Lexus LS 430 Commercial: The Rear-View Camera

Here we have a commercial for the revised Lexus LS 430 that debuted in 2004, demonstrating the then-new backup camera option: That crazy spin at the end is icing on the cake.
Kevin · December 20th, 2007

Lexus Rakes Up Their New Yorker Advertising

Included in the latest issue of the New Yorker was Lexus advertising of a different sort — mixed among the pages were leaves from the Salal bush, printed with slogans like the one above. NPR’s MJ Davis decided to investigate: Each leaf was unique, smelled like something derived from the earth and tasted — yes, …

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Kevin · November 15th, 2007

Lexus LS 460 Commercial from The Middle East

While I’m certainly no expert about what it’s like to be wealthy in the Middle East, this Lexus commercial really captured my imagination — beautiful homes, giant yachts, private jets and LS 460s all round: As strange as it is to say, they picked a great actor for this ad, who carries it with his …

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Kevin · November 8th, 2007

Two Crazy Spanish Lexus IS Commercials

I tried to total up number of insane moments in these two Spanish Lexus IS commercials, but lost count at the Lexus surfboard: I’m seriously having a hard time writing this through the tears of laughter. Surely, we’re looking at the first time the Lexus V6 engine has been compared to a pregnant woman’s belly. …

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Kevin · October 20th, 2007

More on the New Lexus RX Pop-Up Book Commercial

Creativity Online has posted up an interview with the art director and copywriter of the Lexus RX Pop-Up Book commercial that I featured yesterday, which explains exactly how the advert was made: What was the ratio of real footage versus VFX [Video Effects]? DH [Dave Horton, Copywriter]: It was really important to keep everything looking …

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Kevin · October 18th, 2007

Lexus GS Commercial: Etiquette

It would be easy to write off the new Lexus GS commercial as a late reply to Audi’s Parking Assist mockvertisement, but in truth, it’s a much bigger statement than that: What a great distillation of Lexus — it may be a lot flashier than the ES 350 commercial I featured on the weekend, but …

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Kevin · October 17th, 2007

Lexus RX Commercial: Pop-Up Book

I’ve been waiting to see this RX commercial ever since I was sent some behind-the-scenes photos of the filming, and the final cut doesn’t disappoint: It’s hard to imagine the amount of planning necessary to pull off something like this, which doesn’t seem to use any digital effects at all. I’m surprised by the factory …

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Kevin · October 17th, 2007

Lexus ES 350 Commerical: Slice

On the face of it, this Lexus commercial is a statement of the obvious, highlighting an undoubtedly common number of sensors as though it was unique. Yet, at the same time, it manages to accurately sum up what I find so appealing about Lexus itself: “Behind every detail, there’s a detail” will now be my …

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Kevin · October 13th, 2007

Lexus Commercial: H is for Hybrid

I don’t know about the rest of the world, but here in Canada, the Lexus commercial Moments was in heavy rotation for quite some time, and was incredibly received (I know this, because people actually talked to me about it). In light of that, it comes as no surprise that the ad execs went for …

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Kevin · October 12th, 2007

Lexus Japan’s IS-F Special Site

Watching the revving Flash loader of the Japanese IS-F “Special Site”, I thought I was about to see a varation of the US version, but that wasn’t the case at all. Instead, I was treated to something really special, in what could only be described as a bad soap opera, right down to the camera …

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Kevin · October 10th, 2007

Lexus LS 460 Commercial: Anechoic Chamber

As a companion to the commercial I posted on the weekend, the message in this LS 460 advert is certainly much clearer: Something about this pair of commercials fails to impress me, the cabin isolation and ultra-quiet engine are definitely features to promote, but I found the sound in both to be incredibly abrasive. It’s …

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Kevin · October 8th, 2007

Lexus LS 460 Commercial: Pin Drop

I’ll admit, the first time I watched this commercial I actually felt confused: I understood the concept, the LS 460 being so quiet while running that you could hear a pin drop, but the commercial is muddled enough that I had to watch it a couple times to really get it. I blame it on …

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Kevin · October 6th, 2007

Lexus IS 350 Paddleshift Mini-Game

I found a neat little Lexus IS 350 mini-game today after clicking on a banner while reading the New York Times article on the BMW M Division. There isn’t much to it, you’re only in control of up/down shifting as you race other IS 350’s through a super short course, but there’s a leaderboard and …

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Kevin · October 5th, 2007

Another Look at Lexus’ IS-F Marketing

It was my supreme hope that with the introduction of the official Lexus IS-F website, we would see a change in direction in the way it was marketed, but it’s remained the same: Overly flashy Ultrasonic Blue Mica exterior color and the tagline F is everything you thought we weren’t. Clearly, Lexus wants to emphasis …

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Kevin · October 1st, 2007

Lexus ES 350 Commercial: Panoramic

This Lexus ES 350 commercial highlights my favorite feature of the car, and perhaps one of my favorite optional features of all time, the panoramic glass roof: The glass roof is perfectly suited to the overall design of the ES, and really the only Lexus I could picture with it. Perhaps it’s only because I’ve …

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Kevin · September 24th, 2007

Behind-The-Scenes of a New Lexus RX Commercial

Yesterday, I received an anonymous email containing photos from the production of a new RX commercial being filmed in Los Angeles, with the following information: The commercial filmed in Los Angeles in August and will feature the giant pages of a pop-up book being operated by actors playing stage hands.  I believe the ad is …

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Kevin · September 20th, 2007

Lexus LS 600h Commercial: Hybrid Drive

The Lexus 600h is available only in Japan and Europe, which might explain why this commercial hasn’t made it to North American shores: It’s funny, because the invisible digital effect featured here reminds me of the car option I’m looking most forward to: the portable force field. Sure, there’s deeper, more important applications for the …

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Kevin · September 3rd, 2007

Lexus IS 250 Commercial: The Valet

There’s something about the sound in this Lexus IS 250 commercial that really commanded my attention, the overprocessed blues music, the paddleshift click, the breathlessness, it all comes together so well: I wonder why the IS 250 and IS 350 have separate commercials, wouldn’t it make more sense to market them as a single model?
Kevin · August 27th, 2007

Lexus SC 430 Commercial with Andy Roddick for the U.S. Open

This SC 430 commercial featuring Andy Roddick and Christopher Fairbanks defies the usual Lexus formula of heightened drama and takes an altogether different route: This went completely over my head, with such a strange combination of elements. A famous tennis player, a comedian, a tree frog story and a sixties era green-screen, how could these …

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Kevin · August 16th, 2007

Classic 1992 Lexus LS Commercial: Money in the Bank

As an LS 400 owner, I always get a kick out of seeing the old commercials pop up on Youtube: It’s interesting that Lexus has maintained a very distinctive look to their advertising over the years. Save for the grainy VHS look and the car featured, this commercial could easily appear on TV today. Now …

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Kevin · August 15th, 2007

Wild (but Formal) Japanese Commercial for the RX 300/Harrier

I’m unsure exactly how this commercial would have been pitched, “You see, there’s this lion-man, ok, and he rescues this damsel in distress, all while driving a Harrier! Wild but Formal!”: Seriously, a lion-man? (Thought it was very cool to see a body kit advert at the end of the commercial, though.)
Kevin · August 7th, 2007

Analyzing the Chemical Properties of the Lexus RX 400h Advert

The new Lexus RX 400h print ad may be a good looker, but according to the Chemist’s Laboratory Notebook blog, it’s just a pretty picture: Whenever I see chemical information or structures in real world situations, it makes me excited that non-chemists are getting a little exposure to what I work with every day. Usually …

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Kevin · August 1st, 2007

Lexus IS 250 Commercial: Ball Bearing Precision

The IS 250 may lack the IS 350’s power, but it definitely has a trump card if you need traction, namely All-Wheel Drive: The IS series is a confusing one, the IS 250 has the option of a manual transmission and AWD, while the IS 350 gets the bigger engine (with an extra 100hp) but …

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Kevin · July 23rd, 2007

Lexus ES 350 Commercial: Goosebumps

The opening shot of this commercial is pure gold, though I have to admit a crash-test dummy getting goosebumps is a bit freaky: One of my favorite things about the new ES 350, which you can only catch of glimpse of in this commercial, is the optional Panorama Glass roof. It almost folds up like …

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Kevin · July 18th, 2007

SC400/Soarer Commercial from Japan

All in all, this Japanese SC400/Soarer is so dull it almost doesn’t bear mentioning, save for a tagline that could stand as one of the greatest ever: Seriously, “Mind Cruising” is something that could only come from the Land of the Rising Sun.
Kevin · July 12th, 2007

Lexus Commercial: Which Golfer Will You Be?

It’s starting to feel like an everyday occurrence to find something linking Lexus with golf, and today’s no exception. As part of their U.S. Open sponsorship, three commercials were made, one of which I’ve already posted about, and here’s another: I’ll admit, at first this commercial confused me, as I searched for some connection between …

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Kevin · July 7th, 2007

Classic Lexus SC 400 Commercial

Old Lexus commercials have been popping up on Youtube non-stop — First was the LS 400 double shot, and now we have the inaugural SC 400 ad: The snapshot camera effect has to be my favorite part, it just screams of the nineties.
Kevin · July 4th, 2007

Lexus ES 350 Commercial: Instinct

The most impressive aspect of this Lexus ES 350 commercial is how real the situation feels: The different perspectives of the same accident, the unavoidable crash, the skittering truck, the click-whirr of the advanced safety system, all make for a very immersive experience. Before impact, I actually recoiled in my chair.
Kevin · July 3rd, 2007

New Interactive Lexus Web Adverts

Broadband TV is really coming on, and ABC has launched a service through their website that allows US viewers to watch full-length episodes of last season’s shows. Lexus is taking advantage of this high bandwidth stream to push insanely detailed interactive ads, based around their current print campaign. Four of these ads are available for …

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Kevin · July 1st, 2007

The Lexus IS Holographic Display

In 2005, Lexus created an holographic installation in a rented Times Square storefront, and even two years later, it’s an absolute marvel: This is an amazing application of technology, spectators were able to rotate, change the hologram’s color, set it in motion. Created quite a scene, by the looks of it. I wish I had …

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Kevin · June 27th, 2007

Classic 1990 LS 400 Commercials

Someone must have been digging through their old VCR tapes, because here’s two VHS quality commercials from the LS 400’s inaugural advertising campaign: Funny story about the first commercial, taken from the book Lexus: The Relentless Pursuit: What the ad didn’t say — and what Team One [Lexus’ Advertising Agency] members didn’t know until later …

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Kevin · June 26th, 2007

Unaired ES350 Commercial Discovered on Youtube

I stumbled upon this never used Lexus ad for the ES350: How totally bizarre. As for background info, it was created by Walter Robot, an animation studio in Orange County, California, and was to be a series of commercials featuring the full Lexus lineup. The idea, according to Christopher Louie, one of the principals, “was …

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Kevin · May 31st, 2007

Elvis Costello & Beethoven Star in Lexus Commercial

There’s always backlash when a musician sells his music to be featured in a commercial, but is that really necessary with Elvis Costello’s Lexus ad?: It’s a rather innocuous celebrity endorsement, but that doesn’t stop some people from taking offense. A fantastic concept, famous musicians talking up their favourite music — that it’s an commercial …

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Kevin · May 30th, 2007