In its new marketing campaign from Team One, “Emotional Sparks,” our friends at Lexus celebrates its commitment to engineering vehicles that deliver the freedom, excitement and inspiration drivers need to spark their creative visions.
To bring the campaign to life, Lexus partnered with a group of musical artists who gain first-hand experience with innovations like Lexus Teammate Advanced Drive Technology found in the new LS500h, Remote Park and Plug-In Hybrid Electric technology on the all-new NX and the exhilarating 5.0L, naturally-aspirated V8 engine performance of the first-ever IS 500.
Motivated by their in-vehicle experiences, the artists collaborate (for the first time) to create an original music track inspired by innovation and performance.
Titled No Ceiling, the track was created by three-time Grammy-nominated, American record producers and songwriting duo Nova Wav, Korean-American R&B artist Audrey Nuna and Argentinian freestyle rapper Ecko, and is available on major streaming platforms. For the music video, renowned dancer and choreographer Zak Ryan Schlegel brought the song to life. Watch below:
“No Ceiling captures that limitless feeling you have when you’re driving and your favorite song comes on,” notes Nova Wav, Warner Chappell Music songwriters. “We loved producing this track with Audrey and Ecko and seeing Zak’s moves. The energy of our collaboration comes through in the video and the commercials.”
“At Lexus, our inspiration comes from our guests, and this campaign beautifully showcases the very best of Lexus’ guest passions, energy and excitement,” adds Vinay Shahani, vice president of Lexus marketing. “Prioritizing how our guests feel while driving and owning a Lexus is critical and provides the spark for us to develop cutting-edge features like our all-new multimedia system called Lexus Interface and Teammate™ Advanced Drive technology.”
While the “No Ceiling” music video provides an overall look at the collaboration, four :30 TV spots focus on the individual artists and songwriters. Each spot features an excerpt of “No Ceiling” and its inspiration:
The first spot, “Plug In, Play Loud” shows Nova Wav listening to Audrey Nuna’s vocals while navigating city streets on electric power in the new 2022 NX plug-in hybrid vehicle.
In “Hands To The Sky” Audrey Nuna’s lyrics take shape as she gets behind the wheel of the 2022 LS 500h, activating the all-new Lexus Teammate™ Advanced Drive technology.
Here in “La Via Rapida,” Warner Chappell Music’s Ecko is invigorated by the performance of the IS 500, crafting his verses as he pushes the throttle.
Finally, in “The Asphalt Stage,” Zak Ryan Schlegel brings a dancer’s perspective as he performs movements inspired by the NX 350h’s Remote Park, a function of Advanced Park.
REELated: Leaders Acho, Pham are in new Lexus drivers seats
The campaign will air during primetime, late-night and sports, including the NFL, college football, NHL and Premier League. The campaign also includes advanced TV, digital, social, print and out of home.
A variety of media partnerships will provide content celebrating innovative creative processes. In partnership with Playbill, The Times Square Alliance and The Broadway League, Lexus will be the Auto Presenting Sponsor of Curtain Up!, a three-day celebration marking the return of Broadway to the heart of Times Square. Additional media partnerships will roll out over the coming months.
CREDITS:
CLIENT: Lexus
AGENCY: Team One
- Group Account Director: Ben Allison
- Creative Director, Art Director: Carlo Barreto
- Copywriter: Nathan Bolton
- Music Supervisor: Neil Cleary
- Executive Creative Director: Craig Crawford
- Senior Producer: Amy Gershwin
- Chief Creative Officer: Chris Graves
- Photographer/Content Producer: Matt Hartz
- Creative Director, Copywriter: Sabina Hesse
- Senior Music Supervisor: Kristen Hosack
- Associate Director of Project Management: Jamie Lau
- Chief Executive Officer: Julie Michael
- Director of Business Affairs: David Peake
- Account Supervisor: Kayla Riley
- Sr. Product Insights Manager: Vincent Scott
- Sr. Production Insights Manager: Mike Shin
- Art Director: Serda Ursan
- Director, Content Production: Sam Walsh
CREATIVE AGENCY: IW Group
- Group Creative Director: Cenon Advincula
- Senior Account Director: Sam Yoon
- Creative Agency: Walton Isaacson
CREATIVE AGENCY: Walton Isaacson
- EVP Account Services: Ayiko Broyard
- Creative Director: Diori Thomas
- Associate Creative Director: Rojelio Cabral
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Reset
- Director: Sebastian Strasser
- Managing Director: Dave Morrison
- Executive Producer: Jen Beitler
- Head of Production: John Moran
- Producer: Dennis Beier
- Director of Photography: Greig Fraser
EDIT: Cabin Editing Company
- Executive Producer: Adam Becht
- Managing Director: Carr Schilling
- Editor: Mischa Meyer
- Sound Designer: Mischa Meyer
- Assistant Editor: Kyle Behrens
- Senior Producer: Joanna Hall
VFX: Jamm Visual
- Executive Producer: Asher Edwards
- VFX Supervisor / Lead Compositor: Mark Holden
- Flame Artist: Ryland Bowen-Johnson
- Flame Artist: Tim Robbins
- Flame Artist: Adrien Servadio
- Flame Artist: Mikey Smith
- CG Artist: Fred Hopp
- Producer: Anna Dood
- Color: Jamm
- Colorist: Adam Scott
- Color Assist: Carver Moore
- Producer: Anna Dood
SOUND DESIGN AND MIX: Barking Owl Sound
- Creative Director: Kelly Bayett
- Sound Mixer: Mike Franklin
- Assistant Sound Mixer: Brad Beasley
- Senior Producer: KC Dossett
Music Supervision: Neil Cleary & Kristen Hosack
Music: “No Ceiling” by Nova Wav Featuring Ecko
