• by Karl Greenberg , February 5, 2008

Lexus is introducing its first campaign touting all of its hybrid-powered vehicles. The effort, running through April, is Lexus' first to showcase all of Lexus' hybrid vehicles - the RX 400h, GS 450h and LS 600h -- at the same time, under one banner: "The Power of H."

Lexus' hybrid campaign began in 2004 when the luxury division of Toyota launched the RX 400h, the hybrid version of its popular RX crossover SUVs. The company did likewise when it launched GS 450h and LS 600h hybrid cars. "However," notes a spokesperson for the division, "This is the first time we have created a campaign that grouped all three hybrid vehicles and focused on 'the power of h' for the group."

While it won't be the case for long, Lexus is the only luxury car maker with three hybrid vehicles. Cadillac last year launched a hybrid version of its Escalade SUV. Audi plans a hybrid Q7 for the 2009 model year; Mercedes-Benz is focusing on diesel as an alternative power train via its Bluetec program.

This effort, via Lexus' long-time ad AOR El Segundo, Calif.-based TeamOne, includes a TV spot that plays on the idea that all of the letter h's have jumped ship to work for Lexus vehicle badges. In the spot, h is missing from landmarks, computer keyboards and the alphabet in schools.

The ad shows a classroom where a teacher suddenly pauses as kids are doing the alphabet because the h has gone missing; a guy looks quizzically at a sign for a "otel"; a woman typing on a computer finds that the H key is blank, as is the h in Yahoo; a pickup truck in the desert passes a sign reading "Welcome to Uta"; a TV announcer reports a story sans the letter h.

Voiceover says, "It wasn't that the h's felt unappreciated ... that's not why they left their homes, deserted their posts, skipped out on dictionaries, alphabets. They simply found a better place to live; one that looks forward, not back." Cut to a shot of the Lexus name plate on a car, denoting Lexus hybrid with the letter h.

Besides the TV spot, which runs on network, cable and cable sports networks through April, the campaign includes online, print and out of home. TV and print ads will direct consumers to ThePowerofH.com, as do a pair of banner ads. A print spread will run in lifestyle publications, and an advertorial will run in GQ.

Lexus is running hybrid vehicle-themed sponsorships under the aegis of its lifestyle campaign, "Lexus Hybrid Living," that promotes Lexus hybrids through association with luxury-market green engineering in home and appliance design. The program includes relevant events and sponsorships, and stand-alone events, per the spokesperson.

TMS posted January sales of 18,652 hybrid vehicles, up 30% over last January. Toyota division posted sales of 17,272 hybrids, up 34% over January 2007. Lexus Division posted sales of 1,380 hybrids.