Lexus’ Electric Future: Leveraging Black Panther to Reach Millions of Multicultural Millennials
Lexus collaborated with the iconic Marvel Studios as the exclusive automotive sponsor for the highly anticipated film, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” an ideal followup to its support of the box office record-breaking “Black Panther” in 2018.
Synergistic themes around science, technology, and innovation created an authentic alignment for Lexus to position itself as a pioneer of electrification within the auto industry and introduce its first battery electric vehicle, the RZ 450e. The collaboration connected the Lexus brand across a broader consumer segment, reaching all races and ages, especially its target demographic, millennials. After all, 60 percent of adults 18-44 years old consider themselves fans of Marvel Comics.
Strategies:
Connect Lexus with a new, broader, younger consumer base, transculturally, by leveraging strategic communications vehicles that reached their demographic; establish collaborations tapping Marvel’s gargantuan fan base; align the futuristic world of Wakanda with Lexus’ technological innovation, positioning it as an aspirational vehicle for the next generation of buyers; offer “An Electric Future” themed-moments showcasing the brand’s and reinforce a future world of electrification
Objectives:
Enhance Lexus brand image among a younger generation of consumers — affluent, diverse millennials (25-40 years old); increase and broaden media coverage of Lexus’ sponsorship by five percent over 2018 PR efforts; drive traffic to Lexus.com to view the Black Panther-themed “An Electric Future” commercial revealing the all-new Lexus RZ 450e.
Tactics:
- Earned media relations kicked off with an announcement of Lexus’ sponsorship of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” offering exclusive behind-the-scenes video, images, and interviews of the commercial shoot featuring actress Danai Gurira; offered limited interview opportunities with Gurira and Lexus executives.
- The digital marketing campaign incorporated a hybrid approach of utilizing paid social media influencers and earned posts; a 3D, lenticular Black Panther and Lexus co-branded promotional gift box was produced and delivered to 200 influencers to share Lexus’ announcement of the sponsorship and encourage viewing of the commercial; personal deliveries to Los Angeles-based content creators provided opportunities for influencers to produce custom content, including unboxing and real-life interaction with the technologically-advanced, commemorative Black Panther-themed Lexus LX 600.
- Closing digital and traditional media efforts relied on the official premiere of the movie in Hollywood, where a Lexus vehicle was strategically on the “purple carpet” for celebrities, including Gurira, to pose for paparazzi photos; retained an AP photographer to distribute images nationally.
Results:
- 98 million media impressions, a 10% increase over 2018 PR efforts
- Coverage appeared in national general news, entertainment, (automotive, marketing) trades, African-American and U.S. Hispanic outlets
- 8 million social media impressions
- 29 thousand views of the commercial on Lexus.com
