Toyota has fired up a new digital push to whet appetites for two high-end Lexus models in China a month before the cars are launched.
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Lexus' IS sportscar and ES sedan are scheduled to launch in China in the second half of July, with marketing handled by Saatchi & Saatchi in Beijing.
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The interactive element of the campaign, in which Saatchis was assisted by digital specialist The Hyper Factory, contains a substantial mobile element unusual for automobile advertising in China, with mobile-friendly content available for download on two microsites.
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The content includes a video clip, as well as shorter vignettes, vanity shots of the cars that can be used as screensavers and engine sounds that can be used as ringtones.
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The IS engine makes a "great growl", said Charles Sampson, managing director of Saatchis Beijing.
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Banner ads placed on the major portals and specialist automotive websites in China promote the microsites, which also serve as pre-qualification and registration engines. Media has been handled by ZenithOptimedia.
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Potential car buyers in China are going online in increasingly large numbers to research their purchases, Sampson noted, making the web an ideal platform to start the campaign. Above-the-line channels will be added at the time of the launch.
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Toyota has used mobile marketing to promote Lexus elsewhere in the world but this is the first time Lexus has used mobile as a marketing medium in China.
