Lexus collab with digital leader Will.i.am to entice younger consumers

Lexus has launched an alternative and experimental marketing campaign for its new NX model, in collaboration with digital leader Will.i.am, in an attempt to appeal to a younger demographic and grow European volume sales.

Will.i.am revealed a one-off specially designed bespoke Lexus NX F Sport at the launch event in Paris, driving it on stage before an exclusive DJ set. The campaign, which kicks off 1 October with a TV ad featuring Will.i.am, will be Lexus’ biggest ever digital campaign.

Head of European marketing, Chris Taylor, said:

“This is a game changer for the Lexus brand and it’s significantly important to us for two reasons, from a business perspective next year in Europe [the NX] will represent about a third of our volumes, secondly we’re trying to attract this new audience to Lexus – it’s an urban car aimed at younger people and it marks a threshold for the brand.”

He continued:

“From a brand perspective, it’s a great product that marks a new step in design direction for us – it’s much bolder, more innovative. The campaign idea is ‘striking angles’ and we thought long and hard about getting a celebrity who was relevant and credible and from a value perspective had empathy with the brand. Will is a champion of design, creativity, innovation, it’s exactly what Lexus stands for.”