LEXUS IS 300 VISION BECOMES REALITY IN NEW CAMPAIGN
By Adnews Staff
Television viewers across Canada began catching a glimpse of the new Lexus IS 300 sports sedan this week when a 30-second teaser spot called "Mirage" began running. "Mirage" is being followed with an integrated ad campaign debuting Monday including a new 30-second commercial, print and outdoor advertising. The new spot, called "Champagne," features a female Lexus driver rescuing a stranded commuter. The commuter is played by Frank MacDonald, who first appeared in Lexus commercials last year and most recently in the "Mirage" spot this year, as a driver who's car had broken down on a deserted highway. In "Champagne" MacDonald's mirage becomes a reality. The camera opens on champagne glasses stacked on the IS 300 and someone punching the gas. As the glasses shatter, so does the image of the traditional Lexus car. The IS 300 sedan is then seen racing through winding roads and is accompanied by close-ups of the car's features and jazz music playing in the background. The new spot will be supported with a print campaign in national magazines and newspapers and outdoor backlight boards. Lexus is targeting a new generation of Lexus drivers with the IS 300 and in this campaign will place ads in publications it normally does not advertise in including Shift, Canadian House and Home and Elle Quebec.. An interactive Web site, with 12 different URL's, has been created. Interactive features allow consumers to paint the car in colours such as super yellow or auburn sky, as well as get a 360 degree view of both the exterior and interior. The outdoor backlight boards will run in the Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver markets until August and will feature the IS 300 Web site address and pictures of the car's exterior and interior features.