This voice is automatically generated. Please let us know if you have any feedback.
Diving overview:
- According to a press release, Lexus has launched its holiday marketing efforts using generative artificial intelligence.
- The luxury automaker's “Built for Every Kind of Wonder” video shows surreal seasonal images, including ski trails soaring into the sky like ocean waves, before revealing that these fantasies originate from the mind of a child gazing at a snow globe and imagining the world inside.
- The brand film, developed in collaboration with AKQA, will be featured on Lexus-owned digital and social channels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Although consumer sentiment toward the technology remains mixed, more marketers are testing the limits of generative AI in video content.
Dive Insight:
Lexus and AKQA leverage generative AI in an effects-heavy holiday storytelling piece. “Built for Every Kind of Wonder” was developed within Virtual Studio, a shop owned by WPP. It's being touted as a “next-generation content engine” that blends cinematic craft with cutting-edge technology.
The video has an abstract feel to it, and although it's themed around the snowy season, it depicts scenes that don't fit into a traditional narrative. In between shots of fish swimming under a frozen lake and a surreal swirling ski slope, there's footage of a Lexus car emitting magical sparks and rising skyward in a manner similar to Santa's sleigh. The story ends with the reveal that all of these fantastical images were imagined by a child staring at the slow Earth while riding in a car.
According to press materials, Lexus challenged AKQA to see how much AI could be incorporated into the automaker's winter promotions and was impressed with the results. Generative AI is positioned to help brands deliver complex and potentially expensive shoots in a more efficient way, but the output often still requires human intervention.
“The film does a great job of leveraging the strengths of AI to create a magical world that perfectly aligns with our 'Built for Wonders of All Kinds' positioning,” Lexus EMEA brand and communications manager Rudy Bowman said in a statement. “We are already looking forward to our next project together.”
In the U.S., Lexus is reprising its long-standing “Decerce to Remember” campaign with emotionally-charged ads depicting different generations of families united by the brand during the holiday season. The spot is set to Fleetwood Mac's classic “Landslide.”
Other marketers have incorporated generative AI into their holiday marketing, with mixed results. For the past two years, Coca-Cola has aired a spot at the end of the year that recreates classic commercials with an AI touch. Critics see this approach as lacking the warmth often associated with soft drink brand marketing. Coca-Cola defended the initiative, claiming the campaign had performed well in tests. Earlier this month, McDonald's ran an ad in the Netherlands that used generated AI to portray how hectic and stressful the holidays can be, underscoring how intense the backlash against AI can be and the brand risks associated with the restaurant.
Lexus agency partner AKQA has experienced a number of high-profile executive departures, following the departure of founder and CEO Ajaz Ahmed last October. The company recently announced a revamped global leadership team, with realignment focused on three key markets: the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific. Parent company WPP has put AI innovation at the forefront of its turnaround strategy as it struggles to return to growth following a series of painful customer losses.
