As part of the Lexus ES 300 launch, Lexus wanted a “big” media idea that would allow Lexus to stand out and appeal to young affluent individuals who were tech-savvy and looked to make the most of their limited “free time”. With this in mind, the Lexus-TiVo Sweepstakes was created to achieve the following:Generate excitement and buzz around the launch of the new Lexus ES 300;Rise above competitive clutter;Build relationships with TiVo’s young and affluent audience;Create a prospect database from qualified traffic to lexus.com;Test and gain experience with Interactive TV technology so that Lexus would be in a better position to create new and impactful messages in the future. Because of TiVo’s young, affluent audience and it’s promise to put the power of television into the hands of the time pressed viewers, a partnership seemed like a perfect opportunity to begin a relationship with these potential Lexus buyers. By understanding and integrating into TiVo’s technology, we created a sweepstakes that made searching and recording Lexus commercials as seamless as finding and recording programs. After selecting a recording from a list of programs where the Lexus commercials would air, participants were encouraged to carefully watch the commercials to find answers to questions asked about each. Upon finding the answer, participants were directed to a specifically designed web site (lexus.com/tivo) to enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win a new Lexus. Working with TiVo, we created many new advertising elements and pioneered new ways to effectively touch consumers in an environment where they were trained to ignore advertising. Below are some highlights:Pop-Up Message – A message was sent to all TiVo subscribers alerting them to the sweepstakes and where to go for more information;“TiVo Central” Channel – Prime placement throughout the sweepstakes on the first screen TiVo users see when trying to access TiVo features;In-Box Message – A message explaining the sweepstakes and all the rules was sent to a message folder accessed from TiVo Central;Pre-Recorded Promotional Video – A two-minute promotional video explaining the sweepstakes was downloaded onto TiVos and was available for on-demand viewing;Lexus Program Listings – A listing of the programs where the Lexus commercials were scheduled to run was built into the architecture of TiVo so that participants could easily find and record the commercials;Telescoped Commercials – When TiVo users watched live TV and an ES 300 commercial aired, a small icon appeared in the corner of the screen asking them to hit “select” on their remote for more information; by doing so, users were sent to the “Showcases” section of TiVo to watch the promotional video.Overall the response by participants and the media was incredible. The sweepstakes received over 77,000 total entries – 32,000 unique.

Based on a subscriber base at the time of the sweepstakes (250,000), this represents a conversion rate of 13%. When compared to industry averages for direct mail (1%–2%) and Internet (.3% –1%), the results are outstanding.Received PR coverage in over 220 media outlets nationwide, including The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Chicago Sun- Times, Brand Week, Ad Age, etc.

Over 55 million impressions were generated. In the case of the Lexus-TiVo Sweepstakes, our media group has introduced a new premise for advertising that has been proven to work. But the sweepstakes is more than a media idea; it is about our media group’s passion to find new and better ways to touch consumers. As an idea that was conceived and nurtured by the media group, a “traditional” account team was not used to manage the project. Instead the entire process (creative development, production, legal, etc.) was managed by the media group. By taking a “media” point of view – understanding when, how and why consumers use TiVo – this campaign was more about taking “media” insights and creating a relationship with TiVo users instead of disrupting their lives. As a result, this idea is beginning to redefine the “traditional” role of a media person. The Lexus-TiVo Sweepstakes should be a winner because it is more than a media or marketing idea; it represents a paradigm shift in advertising. While devices like TiVo, with their “ad-busting” technology, were threatening to purge the world of :30 commercials, advertisers and networks feared that users would simply exclude commercials from their viewing, rendering them useless. While others were running scared, Lexus and Team One saw an opportunity to shape the future of advertising. By going to the heart of the TiVo technology, we created an integrated campaign for Lexus that played off of the very actions advertisers and networks feared most. We turned a Lexus campaign into a “scavenger hunt” where viewers actually searched for and repeatedly viewed Lexus commercials using TiVo functionality rather than ignore or skip them. While this campaign was a success in terms of meeting Lexus’ objectives, we also feel that we have pioneered a new way of marketing on television that will serve as a case study for future advertisers. By illustrating how innovative marketers can utilize, rather than fear, new technologies and how marketing can increasingly be made more interesting and powerful, we feel that the Lexus-TiVo Sweepstakes is worthy of winning.

In the case of the Lexus-TiVo Sweepstakes, our media group has introduced a new premise for advertising that has been proven to work. But the sweepstakes is more than a media idea; it is about our media group’s passion to find new and better ways to touch consumers. As an idea that was conceived and nurtured by the media group, a “traditional” account team was not used to manage the project. Instead the entire process (creative development, production, legal, etc.) was managed by the media group. By taking a “media” point of view – understanding when, how and why consumers use TiVo – this campaign was more about taking “media” insights and creating a relationship with TiVo users instead of disrupting their lives. As a result, this idea is beginning to redefine the “traditional” role of a media person.