Toyota Motor Company is joining a retinue of super Bowl auto Advertisers as the brand gets ready to cough out roughly $5 million for a 30-second worth of time on the premium Super Bowl broadcast.
The new 30-second ad during the game will feature jookin’ dancer Charles ‘Lil’ Buck’ Riley. The leading auto manufacturer said it intends to air a 30-second spot during the big game that will promote Lexus’ new LC 500 coupe and its LS 500 luxury sedan according to agency report.
“Lexus won’t only be seeking to bolster overall Lexus sales after vehicle sales for the brand fell 3.9% in 2016, but it will also be trying to do something broader: bring some cool factor to a brand that some see as boring”throught the TV commercial tagged “Man and machine”
Lexus is looking to bring a “bigger sense of modernity” to the brand, said Brian Bolain, general manager of Lexus marketing. The company introduced the LC 500 in an effort to give the overall brand “a halo affect” and help improve how consumers view the entire lineup of Lexus cars.
To help drive up the cool factor, Lexus has enlisted jookin’ dancing phenomenon Charles “Lil’ Buck” Riley to appear in its big game spot. He will be shown dancing and flexing his body to match the curves and the design of the cars, as music from recording artist Sia plays in the background. Actress Minnie Driver has been tapped to do the voice-over in the ad.
Toyota is releasing a 60-second version of the ad today but will air a 30-second cut down of the spot, called “Man and Machine,” during the second quarter of Super Bowl. The ad was crafted by Team One, an agency in the Publicis Groupe.
Lexus points out that enlisting well-known celebrities and performers is critical when it comes to Super Bowl commercials because viewers expect ads in the game to be entertaining.
“Automakers have had the largest footprint each year since 2010, a stretch that coincides with increasing sales of new vehicles and a steady stream of marketing launches for new or redesigned models,” according to ad tracker Kantar Media.
Last year, nine auto manufacturers were part of the game, accounting for 23% of all ad spending in the broadcast. Combined, the companies shelled out $89.4 million on Super Bowl ad time in 2016, Kantar estimates. That figure only includes the airtime and not the millions each auto company pours into creating each commercial.
Lexus will have plenty of competition this year. A long list of car brands including Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Buick, Honda and Kia are set to peddle their products during the game. “It’s definitely a challenge and we don’t take it on without a lot of thought,” added Mr. Bolain.
With reports from WSJ {fcomments}
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