Lexus Launches Smart Billboards in Australia
You may not be able to pilot your own flying car yet, but in Australia you can still have the science fiction experience you crave. Lexus’ new smart billboards went live in five different high-traffic areas of Australia on January 19, exposing consumers to the type of advertising only seen so far in sci-fi movies like Blade Runner and Minority Report. Drive your car past 142 Gouger Street in Adelaide or King George Square in Brisbane and you’ll be greeted: “Hey red Audi driver – It’s never too late to cross over.”
The billboards are part of Lexus’ ‘This is the New Lexus’ campaign via M&C Saatchi in collaboration with APN Outdoor and TMS. The goal is to cater to a broader, younger, and more progressive audience in light of the launch of the NX Crossover model. They’re also designed to appeal to current Lexus owners who might be ready for the sleek, new upgrade.
According to the project’s press release, the billboards are outfitted with a series of cameras on high rotation that capture all passing traffic. “The images are sent to the APN Outdoor Classifier, a bespoke, hi-tech device that matches them to its large database of vehicle makes, models, and colors in addition to other variables,” the release explained.
The algorithm then triggers a response from over eighty different configurations of “dynamic messaging” and even takes into account the time of day, weather, and traffic conditions. All of this takes place within seconds, flashing a message like “Hey blue Mercedes driver, the heavens have opened. This is the new Lexus NX,” before the driver can speed past.
M&C Saatchi Executive Creative Director Ben Welsh called the smart billboards “direct messaging on steroids”. Adrian Weimers, Lexus Australian Corporate Manager of Sales & Operations, explained the approach further, noting, “Our job doesn’t simply start with telling everyone ‘This is the New Lexus’, it’s also about how we say it. Using innovative technology such as this activation helps us to further reinforce that there is a change at Lexus.”
According to an APN spokesperson, this is only the beginning. There are plans to refine and upgrade the technology to target ads with even more precision. The next step is to use information about individual vehicles to target drivers who are more likely to purchase a new luxury vehicle – like people who are already driving one that is older than three years.
We encounter targeted ads daily through internet usage, but this sort of outdoor application is entirely new. It continues a long-standing tradition of innovation and foresight at Lexus that we are proud to be a part of.
Our use of cutting-edge technology doesn’t just apply to advertising, though. Our vehicles are equipped with the top-of-the-line navigational and entertainment technology that you’ve come to expect from Lexus. Stop by Lexus of Highland Park today to take any of our great Lexus models for a test drive to see it all in action.
