Lexus frees car buyers from the maze of dealerships

May 31, 2018

Lexus leads consumers out of the dealership maze. Image credit: Lexus

Toyota Corp.’s Lexus is paralleling the disconcerting experience that can be had at dealerships to a maze in its latest creative campaign, as the automaker looks to revolutionize the car-buying experience.

“The Maze” is Lexus’ latest spot made in creation with agency of record Team One that touts the debut of its new dealership experience named Lexus Plus. The concept has been established in 12 different markets and promotes transparency and negotiation-free pricing.

“Lexus Plus is about bringing Lexus innovation out of the car and into the car-buying process," said Geoff Vreeken, creative director at Team One. "It is about adding simplicity. To that end, we opted for a simple allegory, told beautifully."

Finding a way out
Lexus’ film shows a woman traveling through a hedge maze as a deep fog settles around her. She turns corners, hoping to make her way out, before pausing.

The angle widens to show where the woman is placed in the maze. She is right in the middle with no hope of escaping.

“If you could reimagine the way you buy a car,” the voiceover says, “what would you do?”

Nearby the maze, a Lexus revs its engine as its headlights flash on. The woman hears the roar and turns toward where the sound is coming from with a determined look on her face.

She begins running towards it, smashing through the hedges that have caged in her in.

“You would make the complex simple, demand transparency for the entire process,” the narrator continues, “and make negotiations disappear,” as the woman barrels through the final wall in slow motion.

She finally lands on the other side in front of the Lexus, before opening the driver's side door and breathing a sigh of relief.

Lexus' spot to promote Lexus Plus

The video promotes Lexus Plus, a dealership concept that embodies the values mentioned in the ad.

Lexus believes it is revolutionizing the dealership experience, which has been known for being confusing, aggressive and outdated.

The automaker claims the model follows its continual strategy in changing luxury automobile manufacturing and car buying.

While some believe that negotiation- or haggle-free pricing could be detrimental for customers, allowing dealerships to get away with higher prices, Lexus insists its valuations are highly competitive.

Each Lexus Plus dealership looks at market conditions and average price paid in each specific location, for all products, including parts and merchandise.

A Lexus Plus dealership. Image credit: Lexus

Another new feature of the brand’s dealership program is that when buying a vehicle, customers will interact with one qualified personnel for all aspects of the buying process. Instead of having to see a different employees for financial aspects and purchasing, it limits the process to only one person.

Transforming retail
Various sectors within retail have been transforming thanks to digital and customer behavior.

But some industries such as the vehicle dealership market remains largely unchanged, despite consumer frustrations and transformations in retail.

However, a few luxury automakers, like Lexus, are making strides towards a new future in car buying.

German automaker Mercedes-Benz dramatically emphasized the launch of its A-Class in a series of preemptive teasers, but the brand reveals why, as the car comes with industry-changing launches.

The entry-level Mercedes was recently revealed at an event in Amsterdam broadcasted on Facebook Live, following a variety of video teasers and images on social that heightened the news. However, hype surrounding the A-Class is warranted, as the vehicle will usher in car-sharing features that could reshape the industry (see more).

BMW brought its vehicles closer to consumers with a new augmented reality platform as part of its ongoing strategy to provide more information to interested customers wherever they are.

Leveraging Google’s smartphone AR technology and the mobile application Tango, BMW is allowing users to get to know its i3 or i8 vehicles without leaving their homes. In its beta testing phase right now, the AR Product Visualizer will rollout to all consumers who have a tango-enabled device through an app on the Google Play store (see more).

"We wanted our audience to not only understand the benefits of Lexus Plus, but to feel them as well," Mr. Vreeken said.

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