The brief
The objective was to sell 1,000 cars in one year, which would be a 180% increase in sales, despite most facts indicating this was not possible. The luxury car market was dominated by the German manufacturers Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Lexus had no new models to drive the increase and there weren’t enough showrooms, so it seemed like an impossible feat.
The idea
Creating a media and marketing strategy that would rejuvenate the brand. Reaching a younger, less formal audience would bring in “new blood” – buyers who currently perceived Lexus as intended for an older, conservative population. The move consisted of utilizing social media, using the slogan “I am Lexus”, holding an “all-nighter” event sponsored by the company with various performances, and supporting all of this leverage by expanding the sales teams and changing the brand language at every interface with the customer.
The result
1,001 cars were sold by the end of the year.
Marketing lesson learned
Sometimes all that’s needed is to set an impossible goal and enlist every available resource to achieve it.