According to research and marketing firm Kantar Media, automakers spent a record $77.5 million on ads during last year’s Super Bowl. The figure is expected to be approached, if not topped this year. Among the automakers that will be part of the NBC broadcast on Feb. 5 – at a cost of as much as $3.5 million for a 30-second spot – are Volkswagen, Hyundai, Honda, Acura, Chrysler, General Motors and Kia. Companies in the auto category also on the roster include Bridgestone and Cars.com.
Despite the heavy category congestion, Toyota’s upscale division Lexus has opted in for its first Super Bowl with a commercial scheduled to air during the first half of the game. The company will feature its 2013 GS but will also herald eight other new or updated models hitting the road this year.
As a lead-in to the launch of the full spot, Lexus unveiled a 15-second teaser and several supporting spots at a dedicated YouTube site. The company also launched a social media-based trivia game, TweetDrive Engineered by Lexus on NBCSports.com, which ran during the NFL playoffs. Consumers who registered to play had the chance to win a trip to one of NBC Sports’ “premium sports events” in 2012 (excluding the London 2012 games and 2012 French Open).
Big Lead Sports spoke with Brian Smith, Lexus vp-marketing, about the challenges and rewards of being a rookie advertiser on a Super Bowl stage with an audience that should approach 100 million.
Big Lead Sports: When did the company decide to have a commercial during Super Bowl XLVI?
Brian Smith: I can’t give you the exact date. But I’d say at the point when we knew how important 2012 would be to us. With the release of nine new or updated models, we looked at ways to get that message to people. In those discussions, we were saying, ‘How can we do something different for Lexus?’ To really tell the world that not only are we launching new products, but that the brand is shifting to be more passionate with our products, better driving dynamics . . . That there is a movement taking place with Lexus. The Super Bowl last year was watched on TV by more than a 100 million people. So the Super Bowl is, obviously, a premier place to tell the story.
BLS: Was this the first time Lexus had considered a Super Bowl ad?
BS: I’ve been with Lexus for about five years, managing Lexus sales in the U.S. for four years and then last August [becoming] vice-president of marketing. This is the first time we discussed being in the Super Bowl.
BLS: What are you looking to have happen with the commercial: Raise brand awareness for Lexus and/or the 2013 models, drive consumers to Lexus dealers, attract consumers who may not have Lexus on their radar, other, a combination of all or some?
BS: I’d go for all of those. There are really three specific things we talked about. First is clearly to send a message. People have never seen Lexus on Super Bowl Sunday. So some people would say that Lexus is making a statement. The fact that there is a change in our brand is going to be clear, and that it comes through. Second is the launch of the 2013 GS. This is the featured vehicle and really the first of an all-new face of Lexus with a single-grill design. That will be very clear in this ad. Third, that there is a lot more to come. GS is just the first in what will be this onslaught of new models.
BLS: Looking at the car category and the Super Bowl, last year’s game on Fox had more than a dozen automakers and car-related companies, and this year will also have a high volume. How will Lexus stand out?
BS: That validates the great exposure you can get with a Super Bowl ad. Super Bowl ads are different from other high-profile ads. Many people will watch the Super Bowl just for the ads. That puts additional pressure on everybody. But in our case, it is probably a little bit easier. We are not usually in the Super Bowl. If you are in the Super Bowl every year, I can imagine this might be another year where you go, ‘Wow. How do we do something different?’ For Lexus, the ad is going to look different from any traditional ads you’ve seen from Lexus over the last 20 years. So I really believe it makes it a little easier for us to stand out.
BLS: The auto industry recently was in a big slump, which was reflected in the low number of Super Bowl ads from car companies. But the auto category was dominant during Super Bowl XLV and will be strong again during Super Bowl XLVI. What does that say about the auto industry and perhaps the U.S. economy in 2012?
BS: You’d be absolutely right if you’re saying that [the number of Super Bowl ads] is a good indicator of the auto industry and the economy coming back strong. We just came back from the Detroit Auto Show, really the first of the big auto shows of the year. And it’s clear that there is a positive outlook not just on the economy but all of the auto makers. They are focused on new products. That is coming through in the Super Bowl.
BLS: The Lexus commercial will run during the first half of the game. Do you have more specific placement details on when it will run? Was that placement a Lexus media planner decision or done in conjunction with NBC to keep car commercials from running back-to-back?
BS: If I knew I would give you something more specific. At this moment, I don’t know. Regarding placement, I can’t speak for NBC, although I can imagine they don’t want to run auto ads from competing companies back-to-back. I do believe that, through our media team, placement was done to be mutually beneficial to spread out the auto ads as much as possible. From our position, we would not like to see our ad follow or being followed by another auto ad.
BLS: Lexus has released a short teaser for the ad. Have you seen the whole commercial?
BS: Oh, yeah! Love it. I believe we will release the entire ad on Jan. 31.
BLS: What was the response to the Lexus TweetDrive activation?
BS: That has been very exciting. One of the things Super Bowl offers is so many ways to do integrated marketing in other areas. Lexus has long been a leader in building a social community and doing more with our social community than most companies. Lexus TweetDrive was a cool way of saying to people, ‘If you’re watching all the NFL playoff games this is a great way to engage with us.’ We don’t have the full results yet because the activation just ended [on Jan. 22], but it was a great way starting in early January to get people interested in our Super Bowl message.
BLS: What are you looking for after the Super Bowl?
BS: We will be involved with the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, as we were last year. Lexus will be the official automotive marketing partner of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. It is an exciting way to get our message out. And you’ll see Lexus ads and messages throughout the year related to sports as well as elsewhere.
BLS: Have you made a decision about Super Bowl XLVII? If not, what would confirm your decision to do it or not: GS sales, response to the commercial or something else?
BS: Obviously, we want our Super Bowl XLVI ad to be a big success. But the issue of whether we do another Super Bowl or not is really tied to where our brand is and what the message is that we want to get out. This is an unusual year for us with so many major things coming. Next year, if we again have that kind of news, we would consider it. But if is just to be in the Super Bowl every year, I doubt it.
BLS: You are based in Torrance, California. Are you OK with having the first Lexus ad run during a Super Bowl featuring two East Coast teams?
BS: [Laughs.] And also I grew up in the Bay Area and still root for the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders. So speaking strictly from a personal standpoint, the answer is no! But speaking for Lexus, we expect the game to have a huge audience. So having the New York Giants and New England Patriots from that standpoint is fine.
Courtesy of BigLeadSports
No comments:
Post a Comment