Jon Pearce creative director of Team One steps up to answer five questions.
1. What are you working on today?
We’re finishing a campaign to bring people into Lexus dealerships. It’s the first big effort outside of the two sales events we have each year to be so focused on getting people to try out a Lexus.
2. What have you found is the best tool or innovation that has come out in the last year?
There are tons of online innovations to consider, but one "old school" advancement that is filling the pockets of the outdoor media companies is the electronic billboard. Here in LA, you see them popping up everywhere. It allows a company that may not have been able to afford outdoor to get their message out there, since they're paying for fractional ownership of the board. And it allows the companies to pull in a lot more money from multiple advertisers rather than just one. The jury's out as far as how annoying/distracting they are. It all depends on where they're placed.
3. The project (film, television, commercial or music video) that most impressed you in the last year? Why?
I thought the takeovers of the 7-11s for the Simpson’s movie was the best out of home effort. It got press, major buzz, and literally created lines out the doors of 7-11. That, and all the merchandise being offered for a premium on eBay, made it not only a really great return on investment, but very integrated as well.
4. The best or favorite project that you worked on in the past year? And why?
Actually, this "power of h" campaign has been both the biggest challenge and the most rewarding. It's different than a car launch, where you need to get across certain new features and a general positioning of the vehicle. This is a platform that expresses a point of view from Lexus. It's how they developed the three hybrids they have today, and how they will continue to develop alternative power solutions for the future. We're approaching it in stages: the first is to sensitize people to the existence of the little "h" on the backs of the vehicles. The next will be to bring that "h" to life in terms of what it represents and how Lexus as a company behaves when it comes to technology and the future.
5. Name the top 4 artists on your iPod?
Peter Bjorn and John
Arcade Fire
Andy Bey and the Bey Sisters
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Team One Puts the 'H' in Hybrid for Lexus Press Release
Team One Los Angeles recently finished a powerful
and innovative campaign for Lexus Hybrids that
examines what the world would be like without the
letter ‘h’. The :60 spot directed by MJZ’s Dante
Ariola takes us through a series of humorous and
visually vexing scenes looking at what major
landmarks, news stories, classrooms, and typical office environments would look like if all the h’s were
mysteriously missing. We see Los Angeles’ ‘OLLYWOOD’ sign, outdoor signage for a local ‘otel,’ and
the naked keyboard button one spot removed from our
left index finger’s starting perch. In the story, the h’s
have abandoned our society after simply finding a
better place to live—on the back of Lexus’ lines of
hybrid cars. Naturally, these h’s deserted their previous
posts in favor of zipping around town on the rear
badging of an environmentally-friendly luxury Lexus vehicle.
The Power of h campaign showcases Lexus’
three hybrid vehicles—the RX 400h, GS 450h,
and LS 600h—which have been on the road since
2004. Jon Pearce, Team One’s Group Creative
Director for the campaign notes, “Lexus has
been at the forefront of alternative power train
solutions for a long time, but the awareness of
their line of hybrids has been relatively low. The focus of this campaign was to build this awareness, to
bridge the informational gap between the luxury of Lexus and the advanced technology of these three
hybrid vehicles, which offer a 70% reduction in emissions. We also wanted to deliver that message in
a really new and entertaining way—creating something that would make car buyers stop, notice,
laugh, and think.” The campaign takes a different approach to showcase the uniqueness of the Lexus
hybrids, highlighting the fact that these are technologically-advanced luxury hybrid vehicles. The spot
also adds a touch of realism and pop culture by featuring actual brands such as Yahoo!, the Wheel of
Fortune, and Hollywood’s walk of fame and landmark sign to add credibility to the storylines. The
multi-platform campaign debuts this week, with the Missing h spots running on network, cable and
cable sports networks through April in conjunction with a fully-integrated online, print, and out-of-
home campaign.
Gavin Lester, also a GCD on the project, comments on the creative process, “We wanted to set the
stage with each scene, showing the viewer typical situations that we take for granted, yet with one
thing missing that throws off the entire picture. With each storyline, the viewer would ponder what
was going on with the h’s. As the scenes unfold, they see that the spot’s unlikely principals had moved
to a better place—a place that looks forward and believes in positive change. There really is no better
place for an ‘h’ to be.” The Power of h campaign is the latest in a long line of award-winning, highly-
successful spots that Team One has created for Lexus. Memorable campaigns surrounding Lexus’
pursuit of perfection have helped propel Lexus into the top-selling luxury car brand in the United
States for each of the last eight years. Team One’s broadcast and print work for the national campaign
also drive consumers to a microsite (www.thepowerofh.com) where they can find additional
information on the Lexus hybrid vehicles, as well as details and tips on incorporating a more hybrid
lifestyle. As a core part of Lexus’ hybrid-awareness campaign, the ‘h’ character is showcased on the
site and will be built upon and further brought to life as the campaign unfolds.
CREDITS
Client - Lexus National
Title - "Missing H" - :60
Airdate: 2.4.08
Agency: Team One, Los Angeles
ECD - Chris Graves
GCD(s) - Gavin Lester, Jon Pearce
EP - Jack Epsteen
AP - Erin Finch
Production Co - MJZ
Director - Dante Ariola
DP - Toby Irwin
Editorial - Rock Paper Scissors
Editor - Andrea MacArthur
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