[Marcy]

New Lexus RC F Spot to Target LGBT Community

Lexus will utilize existing footage from the general market spots to launch three additional RC F commercials geared toward multicultural audiences, including the "Flex Your Drive" for the black audience, "Shatter" for the LGBT community and "Control Power" for Latino car enthusiasts.

 

[Lex Luther]

I didn't know gay, black and latino people bought cars...

But seriously, this is good news I suppose. Nice to see that brands are trying to be more inclusive. I can't wait to hear some crazy conservative group say they are boycotting Lexus over this.

 

[spoonful]

I didn't know gay, black and latino people bought cars...

But seriously, this is good news I suppose. Nice to see that brands are trying to be more inclusive. I can't wait to hear some crazy conservative group say they are boycotting Lexus over this.

or an equally insane liberal group foisting Lexus as the bastion of inclusiveness? Lets put the label makers away shall we...

Besides isn't it the exact opposite of equal to create separate spin offs specifically for these groups? I thought the who point of the movements were to effect equal treatment... This seems like a step back if you ask me

 

[Marcy]

or an equally insane liberal group foisting Lexus as the bastion of inclusiveness? Lets put the label makers away shall we...

Besides isn't it the exact opposite of equal to create separate spin offs specifically for these groups? I thought the who point of the movements were to effect equal treatment... This seems like a step back if you ask me

I think your comments apply in a political context, but in this sales and marketing context, the point is actually very simple. Make specific groups feel like they are "included" in the Lexus brand, which will make them feel more comfortable purchasing Lexus and identifying with the brand. Luxury cars are an emotional purchase, and buyers relate luxury purchases with their self-image. Now Latinos and LGBT individuals can feel that Lexus is a "brand for them", if you will.

 

[Ross]

Good to see they're not just making general ad's on the RC but also targeting specific groups with some of the ad's.

 

[Lex Luther]

I agree with both @spoonful and @Marcy

Most commercials and media sell to males aged ~35 who are white and straight. That is seen as the norm. brands want to appeal to everyone and the way to do that is to be inclusive. Having black, gay, Latino or whatever other group of people in your commercial shouldn't be seen as specifically targeting that group. It should instead be seen as showing the diversity of the entire group of customers Lexus wants to target which encompasses far more than 35 year old white men.

A slight tangent, but relevant:

Cheerios had a mixed race family in a commercial. This appeals to everyone, not just mixed race people, but all the sudden people of different backgrounds can see themselves being accepted by the brand.

Then crazy people got bad, but Cheerios stuck to their guns so good for them.

 

[OneOfOne]

youre all ignorant. the thread itself is ridiculous because its irrelevant. its not 1968. people buy cars they want because they become aware of them. not necessarily by commercials. wtf is an 'ethnic' community in america? must be code for 'not white'. and you perpetuate this stupidity with this thread.

 

[Lex Luther]

youre all ignorant. the thread itself is ridiculous because its irrelevant. its not 1968. people buy cars they want because they become aware of them. not necessarily by commercials. wtf is an 'ethnic' community in america? must be code for 'not white'. and you perpetuate this stupidity with this thread.

I'm not really following what you are saying here. If your argument is that we are in some type of post racial, non-discriminatory utopia, I think that the ignorant one may not be the thread starter. People do buy cars because of the car, but I think advertising seeks to show people what their life could be like if they buy the car. This can be exclusive to minority groups if you never see representations of yourself in luxury car commercials. its not a huge issue, but it is still an important one, and one that I care about being a non-white person.

 

[spoonful]

I'm not really following what you are saying here. If your argument is that we are in some type of post racial, non-discriminatory utopia, I think that the ignorant one may not be the thread starter. People do buy cars because of the car, but I think advertising seeks to show people what their life could be like if they buy the car. This can be exclusive to minority groups if you never see representations of yourself in luxury car commercials. its not a huge issue, but it is still an important one, and one that I care about being a non-white person.

Slight correction, advertising shows people in group A how people in Group B will perceive thier life with the car. Its not forming your opinion of yourself, but forming other peoples opinion of you.

Thats why advertising works, because you're buying someone elses opinion, not dealing with WHY you're buying someone elses opinion...

The gentleman above who denounces advertising as so 1968 is likely one of the most susceptible ones to its effects. Its precisely because he thinks he is free that he is not (proportionately)...

 

[Marcy]

Slight correction, advertising shows people in group A how people in Group B will perceive thier life with the car. Its not forming your opinion of yourself, but forming other peoples opinion of you.

Thats why advertising works, because you're buying someone elses opinion, not dealing with WHY you're buying someone elses opinion...

I think that's a sharp observation.

 

[MilaDenverCO]

Well said Spoonful, well said!

 

[Lex Luther]

Slight correction, advertising shows people in group A how people in Group B will perceive thier life with the car. Its not forming your opinion of yourself, but forming other peoples opinion of you.

Thats why advertising works, because you're buying someone elses opinion, not dealing with WHY you're buying someone elses opinion...

The gentleman above who denounces advertising as so 1968 is likely one of the most susceptible ones to its effects. Its precisely because he thinks he is free that he is not (proportionately)...

I'll agree that advertising may be about buying something so that other people think something in particular. If you believe that conspicuous consumption exists then it is only natural that advertising would play to the desires of those who are conspicuous consumers. In some ways we like to believe that we don't care what other people think of us, but really we all take time to create an image of ourselves that we broadcast to other people and that image says something about who we are.

That is just some comments on advertising generally though. The more important point that I was trying to make is it is nice to see that underrepresented groups are being included in the media more, whether that is in tv shows or in commercials. I think it is important for everyone in a diverse country like the US to see representations of themselves in the media.

 

[spoonful]

If conspicuous consumption didn't exist there wouldn't be advertising. Thats what a BRAND is, a product with a conspicuous symbol attached to it. Semiotics work for a reason, I recommend The System of Objects by Jean Baudrillard for a better understanding (should you be interested)

Fords are Cars, Lexus' are Cars, the brand is the conspicuous difference.

If you want to break free of the sickness, adhere to one simple policy. You are the sum of your actions not the sum of your images. You don't get to be who you are because you said you are, you are who you are because your actions have defined you as such.

Value of the object is greater then value of the image (it should be in healthy humans, advertisings goal is to invert this)

 

[O.L.T.]

It's too bad a lot of people just follow the image portrayed, like blind sheep, and do little, if any, thinking for themselves. Thankfully it helps with marketing

 

[spoonful]

It's too bad a lot of people just follow the image portrayed, like blind sheep, and do little, if any, thinking for themselves. Thankfully it helps with marketing

Indeed, marketing is helpful as a double mastectomy is to breast feeding...

 

[Lex Luther]

I think that there is a balance between the image and the function in how it should be important to people. At a certain level people should just be concerned about finding products that work and work well. No-name medicine is the same as name brand so why go for the name brand?

On the other hand, image, personality and style aren't bad things necessarily. It helps people express their individuality. In some ways it is art. It is a fun thing to engage in.

So there has to be balance between the two.

Design these days is moving towards form as function. Items are being designed to function without a bunch of bells and whistles attached to it. I like that direction for design.

 

[soarer]

yeah image, personality, style and even the feeling a product creates are good things

the good thing with ads about a product that specific images, personalities, styles and feelings is it builds the connection between that product and a person, helps them to see if it's "them"

 

[spoonful]

I think that there is a balance between the image and the function in how it should be important to people. At a certain level people should just be concerned about finding products that work and work well. No-name medicine is the same as name brand so why go for the name brand?

On the other hand, image, personality and style aren't bad things necessarily. It helps people express their individuality. In some ways it is art. It is a fun thing to engage in.

So there has to be balance between the two.

Design these days is moving towards form as function. Items are being designed to function without a bunch of bells and whistles attached to it. I like that direction for design.

If you need product to project individuality, personality and style then you as a person do not have individuality, personality nor style.

IF you need individuality, personality and style to buy a product then you're not an individual, you're certainly not stylish and your personality is compatible with cardboard...

If your product cannot sell without individuality, style and personality as its wingman, you have a bad product, or at least one that does not function on a higher plane than equal products. IF it quacks like a duck, looks like a duck and walks like a duck then it is a duck, what is different is easily discerned as different if it is in fact different. If you need to tell me you're different for me to KNOW you're different, you're not different, I would know you were different if you were sufficiently different...

Let me sum it up succinctly, its the difference between "I fish, therefore I am a fisherman" and “I am a fisherman, therefore I fish.”


Where you've gone wrong is you've included/associated individuality, style and personality with branding. You've bought exactly what they're selling, a euphemized version of identity only available in 4 low low payments of $9.95.

As I said above branding is the differentiator, its the semiotic of difference between product X and Product Y. A short cut if you will. As a consumer you don't have to know the core differences between a Ford and a Lexus, you have the semiotics to tell you that one is X and the other is Y. The short cut enables you to know the difference between X and Y without actually knowing what the difference between X and Y is...

Again, highly recommend the System of Objects if you're interested in this motley mess...

 

[Lex Luther]

I understand what you are saying and don't disagree with you. I just think that you are speaking fro one extreme and not leaving much room for a grey area. Individuality comes from more than just buying branded things. Its your personality, its things you acquire (buying or otherwise), its how you present yourself -- it's complex and much more than the brands you choose to buy.

Looks are not meaningless. Design and aesthetics matter, but so does the hardware, quality and core of what the item is supposed to do for you.

I would again bring up form as function. It is about designing an object as minimally as possible so that the design and form of the object is combined with the function.

 

[spoonful]

Identity= total sum of actions. PERIOD.

And no purchasing/acquiring goods do not constitute 'action'. You can buy all the fishing gear you want but that doesn't make you a fisherman...

I can buy a REPSOL Fireblade, a SHOEI MM93 replica helmet and full alpinestars jump suit, but that doesn't make me a professional racer, no matter how I look, no matter what I say my identity is if I can't ride the bike, I can't ride the bike... Projected identity shattered.

but we've gone off the rails here, this is no longer a conversation about advertising...