Dive Brief:
- Lexus is celebrating 25 years of its “December to Remember” campaign with the debut of two new commercials meant to evoke holiday nostalgia, according to a press release.
- “Letter” shows the great lengths a family — aided by their Lexus vehicles — goes to in order to help a young girl deliver a letter to Santa. “Forecast” tells the story of a meteorologist stuck at the office due to a winter storm before being surprised by unexpected guests.
- In addition to the spots, Lexus will team with content creators to share Lexus-themed creations for their social media audiences. The broadcast spots will air across cable, digital broadcast extensions and sports programming including Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football.”
Dive Insight:
Lexus is marking the 25th anniversary of “December to Remember,” a campaign that has served as a staple of the automaker’s marketing strategy since its 1999 inception, with the reveal of two nostalgic holiday spots. The effort arrives as a sea of others similarly look to nostalgia to strengthen their marketing strategies and strike a chord with consumers.
In addition to “December to Remember” serving as a key contributor to Lexus’ brand identity, the campaign has also set a standard within the automotive industry to focus on not just marketing products, but on creating memorable moments, per release details.
“At Lexus, we believe that when we truly understand people, we can create amazing products and experiences for our guests,” said Cynthia Tenhouse, vice president of Lexus marketing, in a statement. “This human-centric approach guides our ‘December to Remember’ campaign each year, pushing us to create compelling stories for our audiences.”
The first 45-second spot, “Letter,” follows a mother-daughter duo as they arrive at the post office to deliver a letter for Santa, only to realize the location is closed. Using the Lexus NX’s Intelligent Assistant, the mother makes a phone call to Uncle Bryan, who arrives in a Lexus RX to help keep the letter moving. Finally, the family is seen pulling up next to the daughter’s grandpa in his Lexus GX. A gust of wind blows the letter away before she can pass it on, however, upon waking the next morning to a new piano, she exclaims, “He did get my letter!”
The second spot, “Forecast” begins with a meteorologist declaring to his listeners that he will be stuck in the office due to an enduring winter storm. However, he is then surprised as friends and family bring the festivities to him with the help of their Lexus GX, TX and LX vehicles.
Additionally, the brand is bringing back its “Stranded” ad, which follows a woman and her furry friend as they race in her Lexus GX to save the dog’s owner and other stranded companions. Lexus’ broadcast spots began airing Nov. 18 and will span cable and high-visibility sports programming including “Sunday Night Football,” “Thursday Night Football,” the NHL and the NBA. Supporting media will be rotated across digital broadcast extensions including ESPN, Hulu NHL, the NFL Network, Bleacher Report and more.
Lexus will round out its campaign later this season by partnering with content creators to develop “unexpected Lexus creations” to be shared with social media audiences, including edible designs by Marian Sarkisian and life-size ice sculptures by Marco Hernandez.
Lexus has often attempted to strike a more emotional connection with its target audiences. Last fall, the automaker sought to connect with the “new modern family” by running eight different broadcast spots, each catered to different demographics. Competitors of the brand have similarly looked to emotion to balance their otherwise product-heavy campaigns, including Hyundai and Ford.
