• by Karl Greenberg , March 5, 2010

Lexus is talking about its history in the technology avant-garde in a new brand campaign that supports Lexus' hybrid lineup. The new effort touts the RX 400h, GS 450h, LS 600h and HS 250h. The recently announced Lexus CT 200h -- not featured in this current campaign -- will represent the fifth Lexus hybrid. The campaign, via El Segundo, Calif.-based TeamOne, may also be the first ad push for hybrids that invokes the competition, though not by name.

The new TV spot has Lexus hybrids doing marching-band type formations that make shapes like a computer cursor, a gas nozzle, a landline and finally, the letter "h" -- illustrating how much the world has evolved during the five years that Lexus has had hybrids in its lineup.

The ad will run during prime time on network television and cable, during NCAA March Madness and throughout Major League Baseball programming and in conjunction with Google TV, an auction-based television-buying platform. Additional media programs, currently in development, will launch as the hybrid campaign continues throughout 2010, per the company.

The TV ad touts the distance Lexus hybrid cars have gone since the company introduced such vehicles. Voiceover says: "When we built our first hybrid, YouTube didn't exist and Facebook was still run out of a dorm room. When we built our first hybrid, more people had land lines than cell phones. And now, when other luxury carmakers are building their first hybrids, Lexus hybrids have traveled 5.5 billion miles ... and that's quite a head start."

Lexus will run a national print campaign, online banners and out-of-home advertising in 12 markets. Two print ads titled, "Close Your Eyes" and "Roads" will appear in books like Men's Health, Women's Health, People, Sports Illustrated, Vogue and USA Today.

The hybrid campaign also includes a partnership with Current TV around a viewer-created ad contest that asked participants to demonstrate Lexus' "actions speak louder" ethos through a profile a person or organization. The producers of the four ads, selected by Lexus, get $2,500 each -- and their ads will air on Current TV and Current TV online, as well as social media spaces and Lexus.com.

The automaker sold 6,366 cars last month -- a 4.5% improvement -- and 7,421 light trucks, up 5.8% over last February. While sibling Toyota sold 9,318 hybrids for the month, Lexus Division posted sales of 1,639 hybrids in February.