automotive

Lexus Super Bowl Ad: Big Changes

Lexus-GSF

Lexus will debut its first-ever Super Bowl commercial for Super Bowl XLVI. The automaker will use its buy to tout its 2013 GS car and talk about its raft of products to come this year.

The 30-second ad, via San Francisco-based Attik (whose main task for the automaker is the Scion division), will run during the first half of the game. The launch campaign for the GS, which goes on sale next month, will be handled by AOR El Segundo, Calif.-based Team One.

The automaker is also doing a lead-up social media campaign called TweetDrive Engineered by Lexus during NFL playoffs. The game, on NBCSports.com, lets players earn yardage, move a virtual “team” down the field and score a touchdown during the actual playoff games and throughout the week.

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The idea is to gain enough yards to score a touchdown, with yardage accumulated by tweeting correct answers to trivia and predictive gaming questions using #LexusTweetDrive. The grand prize is a trip for two to an NBC Sports Premium Event. NBC Sports, and Lexus social media outlets and NBCSports.com is promoting the game during the playoffs.

Brian Smith, VP marketing at the Torrance, Calif.-based automaker, tells Marketing Daily that the ad, while it will only run on the Super Bowl, sets the tone for a new creative direction for the company,

"The GS is the focus of the spot, but it is the beginning of a change for the Lexus brand, with more exciting and dynamic products,” Smith says. “While we are going to continue to be leaders in product quality and ownership experience, we are adding more 'emotional' and performance products. The Super Bowl is the beginning, and a great time to get that message out. The ad will surprise a lot of people that it's Lexus." 

The 30-second commercial is scheduled to run during the first half of the game, with a 15-second sneak peek of the commercial on Lexus social media channels, including Facebook.com/Lexus and YouTube.com/Lexus.

While the GS will be the only vehicle in the spot, the ad will hint at things to come, Smith says. "There is a plan in place for a teaser ad,” he says. “We have already gotten lots of coverage about it; our goal is to build up maximum anticipation and excitement."

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