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w i t h E D W A R D T R I M N E L L
January 23, 2008
Less creativity, more vehicle shots
I saw the new television spot for the Lexus hybrids over the weekend. (See below.) There is a fine line between creative finesse and creative excess, and the ad agency folks stepped over it this time.
It is vaguely interesting to note that the letter “h” connects Macbeth, Hamlet, happiness, human and hybrid. However, this trivia is not likely to influence consumers who might buy a Lexus---or might buy something else instead.
What does this fixation on the letter h have to do with the sales points of Lexus vehicles? Not much, in my opinion. The commercial didn’t even show me what the Lexus hybrids look like---an inexcusable omission.
There is nothing wrong with tying vehicles to abstract concepts. (Remember the old “Like a Rock” truck commercials?) The problem occurs when someone’s idea of a neat abstract concept dominates the commercial and completely overshadows the product. This is what happened here.
Next time, Lexus, show me a car while you’re busy being creative.
