Lexus Precisely Illustrates Precision

September 10, 2010 Leave a comment

It isn’t real performance, unless it’s wielded with precision.

Lexus IS Music Track

Lexus’ most recent spot, coined ‘Music Track’, features the new 2011 IS zooming around a warehouse…all the while creating a beat by using its four wheels to play the drums.  (see ad below)

To say this is just another ad would be non-sense. It brilliantly appeals to the viewer’s senses (visual and auditory) to give them a feel for what it’s like to drive the vehicle.

More than just the sheer awesomeness of this ad, what really caught my attention was its message. The IS is all about precision; its handling, the engineering that went into it, it is a precision machine.

Sure they could have shown the car zooming on the Autobahn spewing off specifications that only gearheads would be able to comprehend.

  • Engine: 60o V6, aluminum block and heads, direct and port fuel injection.
  • Valvetrain: Four cam, four valves per cylinder, with dual Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i).
  • Brakes: Four-wheel power-assisted discs, four-sensor, four-channel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist.

Performance is important to their customer, but their no gearhead. Instead of talking about these specs, the automaker illustrated them in a way that appealed to their target market.

As VP of Marketing Dave Nordstrom explains:

“We wanted to create a dynamic way to illustrate the IS’s agility on the road. Our engineers strive to develop innovative technology that provides the driver with an exhilarating experience. The concept of creating a music track using drums, levers and the IS showcases the car’s precision on the road and offers viewers both an auditory and visual feel for the excitement of getting behind the wheel of an IS.”

The lesson behind Lexus’ latest spot is this — if you are selling something complex, simplify it with an illustration or metaphor.

A behind the scenes look at making the ad.

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Acura’s ZDX is Emotionally Captivating

January 25, 2010 Leave a comment

Captivating, the one word that describes this spot for the Acura ZDX.

The reason is simple, this ad appeals to the viewer’s emotions. By themselves, the catchy music, attractive woman, and filming technique offer little emotional value. But together, they create a certain synergy, offering a seamless message that compels a sense of captivation and awe.

What emotion did you feel while watching this clip? Did you notice Carnegie Hall in the background (implying sophistication and elegance)?

Carnegie Hall

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Sensory Branding (Part 5): Sound

September 17, 2009 Leave a comment

Throughout this sensory branding series, I hope that I have convinced you on the importance of extending brands on a five dimensional level that covers the five senses. With that said, the last sense we will examine is sound. Just as smell is associated with memory, sound is associated with mood. Sound is capable of stirring up a range of emotions.

This is especially true with music. Think about it… music communicates the emotional context for your message. Just look at the movie industry; when directors want to make moviegoers happy, they play happy music. When they want to scare you they play scary music.

The power of music should never be underestimated. A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research showed that music can be a deciding factor in a consumer’s purchase decision. The study demonstrated that the pace of music played at retail locations influenced spending and traffic flow.

This idea that sound can actually influence a purchase decision has been largely ignored by brand managers. Just look at the buzz that super annoying $5 foot long commercial created.

To quickly wrap up our discussion of sensory branding, I hope that I have convinced you to at least try to identify how your brand can appeal to the senses. Clearly it is near impossible for any brand to leverage all five senses, but your brand should appeal to as many senses as possible. Not only will a complete sensory experience enable your brand to stand out, but it will decrease the likelihood of customers switching to competitors.

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Sensory Branding (Part 4): Touch

September 17, 2009 Leave a comment

The sense of touch is another sensory aspect that is often ignored. Texture, Shapes, Temperature, and other senses of touch offer powerful possibilities to create a bond with your consumers. Like taste, the use of the tactile sense is to companies which sell physical products. Even if the sense of touch isn’t applicable to your company, read on! You may be pleasantly surprised as to how easy it is to leverage this sense.

Oftentimes, consumers associate product quality with how a product feels. (do you want a flimsy sailboat or a sturdy one?) This association can go even deeper, as studies have shown that the tactile elements of a product are key components in the perception a consumer has for a particular brand.

The thing to remember is that even though you may be unable to leverage this sense with your product, your brand can still appeal to elements of touch. Tactile senses can be easily translated into your marketing material (Cold: Corona, Smooth: Apple)

I love the example Mike Moser gives in United We Brand when describing introducing the Reebok Pump: “We knew that the shoes felt different from any other athletic shoe. When the sneakers were pumped up, people said the shoes seemed to fit better…all we had to do with the ads and commercials was to create incredible awareness so the people would look for the shoes in the store and feel the actual shoe for themselves. Anything we would have said to try and convince someone that the shoe fit better or gave better support would have paled in comparison to how the shoe felt on the person’s foot, so we didn’t try.”

The power of touch.

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Sensory Branding (Part 3): Taste

September 14, 2009 Leave a comment

Taste is an obvious sense for companies that deal with food and beverages. Blue Bell Ice Cream, A1 Steak Sauce, Hennessy Cognac, KFC Fried Chicken, Coca Cola; every brand in these industries want to create a unique and specific taste to associate with their brand.

Of all the senses, taste most relies on the others. In fact, nearly 80% of taste is derived from your sense of smell. In order to get a full sensory experience with taste, all other senses but be appealed to.

Sight: appearance, attractiveness, color, shape
Smell: aroma
Touch: texture, temperature
Sound: consistency, texture

By its nature, the use of taste is limited primarily to food and beverage products. However, there are some non food or beverage products that have been able to incorporate this sense such as dental products. It is important to remember that everyone is different in which sense(s) they rely on to validate their experience. With this in mind, if you are able to associate your brand with a specific taste, do it! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to gain loyal taste-driven customers.

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