Black Panther Stars in Latest Lexus LC 500 Commercial
Posted by Kevin on January 22nd, 2018
Marvel movie superhero The Black Panther stars alongside the LC coupe in this new Lexus USA commercial:
(Have to love the fine print warning during the commercial: "Stunts depict dangerous actions and were performed using special effects and professionals. Never attempt.")
Lexus LC: First Generation
meth.ix
Really like that Lexus is starting to use their vehicles in movies, great for marketing. Especially with the new LC 500.
Lexus Cohen
I remember back in the day rappers were singing about the Lexus SC430 (Big Tymers, R. Kelly), now we have the LC and the RX making movie appearances.
mikeavelli
Great idea..good car, good color....
PeterF
I love that color! too bad it isn't available in the current range of colors for the LC.
zeusus
There was some news that came out last year that LC would get some movie star time. I believe there is going to be a movie that stars the Lexus sometime around Spring/Summer 2017 that coincides with the official launch time range.
I wouldn't be surprised to see the LC in another Marvel movie -- Thor and Spiderman are both coming this year.
Tragic Bronson
Not the first time, its just been a long while...
Oh yeah lol, but I meant an actual production car in a film. I understand since in those days, Lexus didn't have any exciting looking or performing cars to use in a film.
Ian Schmidt
That "car" I think was intended as an interpolation from the first-gen SC, or at least it looked that way at the time. Now all I can see is "Chrysler Crossfire" :)
There's also a new graphic novel with a Black Panther/Lexus teamup.
View the original article post
Is it possible they will finally release this color structural blue with the release of the movie?
I'm with you here! I love that color and have no idea why Lexus decided against using this structural blue ofrthe ultrasonic blue mica.
I hope Lexus will provide that color option for the LC. I am sure they will sell a lot.
Structural blue is my first pick, and white my second for a possible year end lease. Fingers crossed.
Yeah that color is hot.
Just read this on Holiday Reporter, good for a laugh:
For February's Black Panther, Marvel partnered with Lexus, but when the deal was done in 2015, the carmaker's LC500 did not even exist. Director Ryan Coogler "wanted a hands-on experience," says Marvel partnerships vp Mindy Hamilton. "So Lexus brought down a prototype, worth over a million dollars. Ryan jumped up and down on the hood — like [star] Chadwick Boseman does in the movie — and there was a loud gasp from the Lexus team. Ryan said, 'Yep, this is right.' "
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...de-marvel-s-black-panther-back-to-luxury-lead
Is 'Black Panther' the Superhero Lexus Needs?
Toyota brand sees potential to attract younger, diverse buyers
Lexus last led U.S. luxury auto sales in 2010 as rivals gained
In Marvel Studios' upcoming "Black Panther" blockbuster, the superhero king of Wakanda surfs through a city clinging to the roof of his Lexus LC 500 supercar as his sister pilots it remotely. The Toyota Motor Corp. brand is trying to use the excitement of that cameo to end a seven-year drought as U.S. luxury sales leader.
The prominent role in the Walt Disney Co. movie, the first major superhero film to feature a black actor in the lead role and a largely black cast, is no accident, says Cooper Ericksen, Lexus's vice president of marketing. To succeed in shifting toward a more sporty, high-performance image, Lexus needs to reach a new audience.
"We are going after a younger customer, and just from a demographic standpoint, the younger you go, the more culturally diverse the population gets," Ericksen said in an interview after showing "Black Panther"-themed clips this week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. "The task to hit our sales plan really comes from bringing a lot of new customers into the brand."
As the U.S. shifts further away from a majority white country and baby boomers age and retire, companies are scrambling to position themselves with younger buyers who are increasingly non-white. Spending by black, Asian and Hispanic consumers is growing faster than that of whites in the $19.5 trillion U.S. economy. African-Americans in particular are more frequent moviegoers.
The movie, set for release Feb. 16 in the U.S. and Canada, is expected to debut with weekend ticket sales of $120 million and take in $335 million during its domestic run in theaters, according to analysts at Box Office Pro, who have been raising their forecasts. That would make it one of the top 10 pictures of the year in the U.S. Advance sales set a record for a Marvel movie at Fandango.com. Disney's hasn't released its own forecast yet.
Marketing to minorities can be tricky, said Sonja Martin Poole, an assistant professor at the University of San Francisco, who conducts research on multicultural marketing and cited a recent H&M apparel ad that offended black customers and had to be pulled.
Lexus has long courted those customers and won't be seen as pandering, she said.
"There have been a lot of different brands that have made serious mistakes when trying to be inclusive or trying to attract African-American buyers," said Poole, who plans to take her teenage sons to see the movie next month. "You just have to be careful and you have to know your consumer and you have to come off as authentic. That's really the trick."
The idea for the Black Panther tie-in came from Walton Isaacson, the agency Lexus uses for its marketing to black and Hispanic consumers, Ericksen said. The campaign isn't necessarily targeted at black buyers as much as it is aimed at younger consumers, who are more likely to be non-white, he said. About a third of Lexus customers are non-white.
Super Bowl Ad
In addition to offering a special model of the Lexus LC with a color inspired by the Black Panther, the automaker has the superhero appearing in a Super Bowl commercial for the upcoming LS sedan. Lexus aims to triple sales of that model this year, Ericksen said. Lexus trailed Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz brand in U.S. luxury sales in 2017 and hasn't led the category since 2010.
Movie tie-ins for car companies are nothing new. James Bond has been driving Aston Martins since 1964, amid dalliances with other models. General Motors Co. vehicles, particularly the Chevrolet Camaro, have benefited from starring roles in "Transformers" pictures, and Audi, which is gaining on Lexus in U.S. sales, was Tony Stark's mode of transportation in three "Iron Man" movies and "Avengers: Age of Ultron."
And with spending by minorities growing faster than outlays by the white population, it makes sense to work with Hollywood studios on movies that appeal to those groups.
PepsiCo Inc. and International Business Machines Corp. partnered with 21st Century Fox Inc. in 2016 with "Hidden Figures," about three black women at NASA struggling to be recognized for their engineering work on the space program. The small-budget movie was a hit at the box office and was nominated for three Oscars.
Microsoft Corp. got great exposure for its Surface Pro computers, mobile phones and Bing search engine in the 2017 Universal Pictures hit "Get Out," a horror film about a young black man heading off for the weekend to meet his white girlfriend's parents. The picture has taken in $254.7 million in worldwide ticket sales.
African-Americans are also bigger cinema fans, accounting for 15 percent of frequent moviegoers in 2016 but just 12 percent of the population, according to the Motion Picture Association of America. In 2017, black buying power hit about $1.2 trillion, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business.
"I could see this being an investment in the younger market," said Poole, the marketing professor. "Even though the 15- and 18-year-olds aren't going to be able to buy a Lexus, by doing this you are implanting this aspiration. It's a mythical car, and something that young boys are going to desire."
Is the tie-in a move to grab the luxury minority buyer?
I have no idea. I'm one of the just over 60 Lexus buyers. However, I like the video depicted in the commercial. It appears that movie tin-ins helped audi and chevy, so why not try. One thing, though, is that the movie has to be a hit or something close like Transformers or Iron Man, yah need a big audience.
Shredding roads, destroying tires.
Lexus Releases Super Bowl Commercial with Black Panther and Lexus LS 500
The Black Panther is just like you and me!
GSCT
I bet it will be an LC F color.
I have a lot of feelings about this - much less for a Super Bowl spot. Lexus has a legacy/history of doing cutting edge, quality spots for LS introductions. This?
Someone should inform Lexus USA that rap videos aren't a great influence when advertising executive, luxury automobiles.
A refresher:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsLNNkfSoYI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhUyaSb1wBM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRceqJt9Ysg
LarryT
The only thing that's "trashy" is your dense, misguided commentary. Please explain how the Lexus advertisement featuring the cast of Black Panther is a "rap video?" Or maybe the REAL problem is that you don't like Lexus featuring blacks in their commercials?
Why Lexus would decide to promote the LC 500 & all new LS 500 in one the biggest anticipated movies of 2018 & possibly one of Marvel studios largest movies ever is beyond me.
Black Panther most anticipated Marvel film ever according to advance ticket sales
Black Panther is on track to become one of the biggest ever Marvel films going by its ticket pre-sales.
Fandango has reported that in its first 24 hours alone, the film - directed by Ryan Coogler - overtook Captain America: Civil Warto sell more advance tickets than any other film released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In fact, so hectic were the opening day sales that one of the film's stars - 12 Years a Slave Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o - failed to acquire tickets.
While the record has only been smashed on Fandango, it should be noted that previous record holder Civil War went on to acquire the biggest ticket sales for any superhero film of all time on this particular site.
Black Panther's pre-sale success will most likely be emulated on other sites signalling that, upon its release, it could smash opening weekend estimates of $90m (£66.8m). If this is the case, the film may even soar past Deadpool's $132m (£97.9m) to become the highest-grossing February release of all time globally.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...sdleditorrepresentationchadwick-a8152906.html
corradoMR2
I actually liked it and it's in line with this gen' sportier-themed LS that Lexus clearly wants its audience to know about.
Different times and new direction for Lexus which will likely alienate the traditional buyer but gain (they hope) the younger ones.
@LarryT @Gecko
I'm inclined to delete these comments, but believe this can be resolved amicably. Please remember that Lexus Enthusiast has a strict policy on personal attacks -- any further move in that direction, and I'm going to boot you both from this thread.
I've deleted comments in this thread in order to get it back on track.
I like the ad. It did a good job selling both the sportiness (at the start) and the luxury (when he smoothly pulls up to the conference). Long live the king!
Trexus
The LFA was in one of the Fast n Furious movies. I remember the LX 570 was in another movie and 9 Lives with Kevin Spacey and Jennifer Garner had lots of Lexus including an LFA.
"long live the king!" I love it. Now I am going to have to see that movie, just for the cars. I bet I'll get pumped up though. LOL! They did an excellent job. Nice post and nice going Lexus! I am very impressed
I think I'll take my LC out and drive it like that with my wife. she will love it, chuckle. that's some pretty tight cornering. Lots of energy in these ads. I'll be watching the Super Bowl too
This is pretty cool -- Chadwick Boseman showed up for the Black Panther premiere in a black LS 500