The big red bow and holiday jingle are back as Lexus and Team One launch a new integrated marketing campaign for the annual “December to Remember” sales event.
Anchored by five general market commercials, the ads aim to rekindle adults’ love for the holidays and encourages customers to embrace the childlike sense of wonder that accompanies the season. The spots – with a voiceover that states, “If you’re going to wish, wish big” –position Lexus vehicles as the ultimate object of desire and feature families working together to put in their request to Santa Claus.
The first spot, “Forgery,” shows a mother and father writing a note to Santa in red crayon, mimicking a child’s handwriting. Their nine-year-old son walks into the room and catches them asking Santa for a Lexus RX F SPORT on his behalf. He relents to the forged letter, but only if they’ll also ask Santa for a puppy. The spot cuts to the boy chasing a puppy around the SUV on Christmas morning; both the puppy and the RX are adorned with the iconic red bow.
The second spot, “Auntie,” features an aunt coaching her precocious niece to ask a mall Santa for a Lexus RC F. The aunt slips the girl a twenty-dollar bill as a trade, and the two high five when the vehicle appears in the family’s driveway.
The third spot, “Santa Letter,” opens with a young girl writing an elaborate letter to Santa at her kitchen table. Her mom dictates from across the room, directing her to ask for a Lexus GS F. When the girl struggles, the mom dashes across the kitchen to continue the letter. The two celebrate together when the GS F is delivered.
The fourth spot, “Mall Santa,” shows a boy on Santa’s knee at a shopping mall as he shares what he’d like for Christmas. He looks up to catch his dad’s eyes, and his dad mouths the words “Lexus LX 570” along with his desired wheel and tech specifications. His son dutifully repeats the words aloud to Santa, and both give each other an excited thumbs up. The whole family runs outside the house the following morning to find the LX parked in the snowy driveway.
The last spot, “Santa Cam,” opens with a girl video chatting with Santa from her living room. She requests a Lexus IS F SPORT sedan, since she’s been “really good this year.” Santa, skeptical, questions her gift wish. Her dad jumps in from off-camera, using a stuffed toy and a high-pitched voice to answer him. They slam the laptop screen shut in hopes Santa believed her request, and the two celebrate together when the bow-topped car appears. All five spots end with the iconic “December to Remember” jingle and a voiceover that states, “If you’re going to wish, wish big.”
CREATIVE CREDITS:
Lead Agency: Team One
Chief Creative Officer – Chris Graves
Group Creative Director – Craig Crawford
Copywriter – Mike Yagi / Patrick O’Rourke
Art Director – Matt McFaden / Jim Darling
Executive Producer – Sam Walsh
Producer – Reilly Park
Group Account Director – Jim Ryan
Account Director – Amy Oars
Account Supervisor – Jay Thongnop
Account Executive – Kellen Laker
Associate Director Of Business Affairs – Janet Anderson
Mix: Juice Studios
Sound Engineer – Bruce Bueckert
Executive Producer – Dawn Redmann
Music: Barking Owl
Executive Producer – Kelly Bayett
Producer – Kc Dossett
Vfx Studio: A52
Vfx Supervisor – Patrick Murphy
Head Of 3d – Kirk Shintani
Flame Lead – Hugh Seville
2d Vfx Artist(S) – Urs Furrer, Matt Sousa, Steve Wolff, Cameron Combs, Richard Hirst, Michael Plescia
3d Artists – Joe Chiechi, Mike Bettinardi, Michael Cardenas, Ian Ruhfass, Manny Guizar, Dustin Mellum, Tom Briggs
Colorist – Paul Yacono
Color Assist – Chris Riley
Matte Painter – Marc Samson
Online Editor – Kevin Stokes
Flame Assist – Gabe Sanchez
Roto Artists – Cathy Shaw, Robert Shaw
Producer – Heather Johann
Color Producer – Jenny Bright
Head Of Production – Kim Christensen
Executive Producer – Patrick Nugent
Managing Director – Jennifer Sofio Hall