The IS F was aptly dubbed “The Beast” due to its “beast of an engine” and the intoxicating rumble of its quad tailpipe exhaust. The fully integrated launch campaign for the IS F kicked off in early March, featuring the line “The Beast gets what the Beast wants.” That was soon followed with a cinema spot, titled “Visualizer,” which graphically demonstrated the adrenaline-fuelled emotions a driver feels as they shift through the car’s 8 gears. In the spot, which later aired nationally on TV, the rising aural crescendo of the engine going through its paces verges on the orgasmic.

The fully integrated campaign for the IS F launched with out-of-home signage featuring variations on the line “The Beast Gets, What The Beast Wants.” Soon after, a cinema spot was released titled “Visualizer,” which graphically demonstrated the raw and visceral adrenaline a driver experiences as they shift through the car’s 8 gears. This concept was further leveraged in an innovative audio CD package, titled F-Tunes – Tracks from the Beast. Various DJs mixed actual engine sounds with dance tracks and distributed them at Lexus dealerships as well as the club districts of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary and was accompanied by a wall projections of the “Visualizer” spot and the IS Series line-up on display. In an innovative, bold move to attract non-Lexus drivers, copies of the CD were placed on the windshields of competitive luxury performance vehicles. Lastly, a microsite allowed enthusiasts a simulated IS racing experience. Drivers with a perfect score were shown exclusive footage of the new IS F.

“The Beast” campaign had immediate success and added the desired exhilaration to the sexy, sporty Lexus IS line and to the entire Lexus brand. The new performance vehicle was never projected to sell more than 150 units per year; however it not only crushed the projected total with over 3,000 sales but also won the 2008 AJAC Best New Sports/ Performance car over $50K. From the consumer perspective, the overall Lexus rating for “Fun To Drive” tracked by the Millward Brown Consumer attitudinal study increased by 35% since the IS F campaign broke. The IS F ‘Beast’ Integrated Campaign proved so effective that Lexus had made plans to take the campaign around the world starting in Australia.