Lexus Christmas Commercials: Not My Cup of Tea

One of my favorite Christmas memories was when my Dad and Uncle got trucks for Christmas from our farm at my Grandma and Grandpa's house.  I know that you're thinking...holy crap, we must be loaded.  


What you didn't know yet is that my grandparents probably did that because they were scared for their lives.  Literally.  My Dad and Uncle's trucks they were driving around everyday were probably over a decade old.  And as I recall, my dad's truck had a rust hole rotting in the floor and my Uncle's truck had a bunch of very large cracks in the windshield.  

Yup, that looks about right.

In addition to that, they both probably inhaled 2 cups of dirt a day from the farm residue in the seats alone.  

This has nothing to do with it but I laughed so hard when I saw it that I had to put it  in.

In summary, these trucks were definitely OSHA inspected and certified.


So you can imagine when I see these Lexus commercials, I get pissed and today I asked myself a question that Andy Rooney would have asked.  


Are people really buying each other Lexus' for Christmas or is this just a big ploy to make us all feel inadequate during an already stressful season?  
To begin let's ask some other questions that you've always had about those commercials and get back to that one later.


First of all, what's with the song?
Turns out that Lexus has been using this tune called "Friends and Family" composed by a guy named Steve Kujala for 13 years.  I encourage all of you to check out the full PR release from 2010 here to find out more than you ever thought you would about a song that drives us all nuts during the Holiday season.  The picture of him and his flute is pretty priceless.  And of those of you wondering, YES you can purchase the jam on iTunes.


Do You Get the Bow When You Buy the Car?
From what I could find, yes.  I even found the company that makes these bows but couldn't find a price on them besides what people claimed on blogs as being "$300 or so".  


I almost called a local dealership to get more details but then thought to myself "Would $300 stop them from making a sale on a $30K+ vehicle?".  Answer from my 5 years of sales experience: "No.  They would just give you the dumb bow."


Is Anyone Else Ticked Off About These Besides Me?
After some due diligence and research I found out that I am definitely not alone.  There were quite a few mock videos and angry "99%" bloggers.



Here are some other blogs that went off about the commercials that I found funny:
What I Think
Jalopnick
The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit



And even Honda is hatin' on Lexus and their Christmas campaign. 


Honda is taking advantage of the cheesy and unrealistic "December to Remember" campaigns in one of their "Happy Honda Days" ads that ask "Are you a millionaire? No? Well then you probably don't give cars to people as presents."  Then go into how no matter what time of year, a Honda is a smart choice.  I recommend that you check it out here ASAP!  Also check out the other commercials that are part of the series since they are pretty hilarious as well. 

Is this Marketing Campaign Working? 

Let's just start by saying that Lexus sales in 2011 aren't doing so hot.  Apparently they are down 14.2% through October compared to last year.  Which could explain why "December to Remember" started in early November this year.

So for 2011, I have no data to confirm or deny that it's working or not this year.  But I can speak to historic trends that I was able to find below.



So, Are People Really Buying Each Other a Lexus for X-mas?
While Lexus sales overall are most likely becoming more and more rare based on our current economic situation, from what I could tell, people have indeed done this in the past and I have to assume that they are indeed still giving each other luxury vehicles as gifts. 


While I know that these findings from 2006 are outdated, it claimed that Lexus' top sales month is December and December is usually one of the lowest overall car sales months of the year, which leads me to believe that people are actually doing this.



So in summary, this isn't just a ploy people!  There are people out there that don't spend enough time with their family just buying each other luxury vehicles to overcompensate. 


Just don't plan on me or anyone I know ever being a part of it!