In addition to collaborating with blockbuster directors, A-list talent, and the best VFX artists in the industry to give this film true Hollywood entertainment value, we also sprinkled in some easter eggs from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you watch the long-form film closely, you’ll spot the van from Ant Man in the background of one shot, as well as an Iron Man sticker in the foreground of another. We had to push for Marvel’s approval to include these, but it paid off as excited MCU fans lit up the comment section on YouTube.

Continuing the ongoing partnership between Lexus and Marvel Studios, we were tasked with helping launch the new Eternals movie franchise with the launch of Lexus’ first-ever IS 500 sport sedan. The challenge was, unlike previous partnerships like Black Panther, Eternals wasn’t commonly known to anyone that wasn’t the most ardent Marvel fan. We had to create a buzz-worthy idea that got Marvel fans talking and Lexus fans drooling. So we did what anyone does when they need some Marvel secret sauce – we went to the masters. We collaborated with the Russo Brothers to conceive a film that belonged in the middle of any Marvel movie. We took one of the most talked-about stars of Eternals, Kumail Nanjiani, and created a story about a superhero looking to join a battle and save the world, but not before he finds a safe parking spot for his prized-possession, his IS 500.

An epic superhero battle is taking place in the heart of a city. It feels like a bombastic scene out of a Marvel movie. But as the chaos ensues, we follow one superhero as he does something very human: he struggles to find a nice, safe parking spot for his fancy new Lexus. As the universe seemingly conspires against the Eternal, played by Kumail Nanjiani, we actually feel his pain. Because finding parking sucks and we all know it.

The IS 500 overall model strategy launched a few months prior to this with the goal of getting diverse Millennials who seek heightened experiences to see IS 500 as the truest expression of a sport sedan. This was done by demonstrating how going all in on our passion leads to exhilaration. With the partnership with Marvel Eternals, we wanted to shift this to be more in line with our overarching Experiential Masters target to see Lexus as more exciting and desirable by demonstrating how the IS 500 and Eternals both go all in on their passion.

The work ran primarily in digital and paid social placements from October 2021 through the end of November 2021. The spot lived on Lexus.com/eternals and on the US Lexus YouTube page.

“Parking Spot’s” entertainment value earned it an unusual amount of media attention for a co-branded ad. Variety broke the news of Lexus’ Eternals partnership and the cinematic spot with an exclusive story. More than 60 media outlets, including many read by comic and movie fans, covered "Parking Spot" with glowing reviews and headlines such as this one from The Direct: “MCU: Eternals Battle in Los Angeles in Hilarious New Lexus Car Promo.” It was covered by outlets including Screen Rant, IGN, Comic Book Resources, CNET, Comic Book Movie, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Epic Stream, Movieweb, MCU Times, Laughing Place, Nerds of Color, Empire Magazine, ComingSoon, and many more.