When a luxury auto brand like Lexus takes its most successful vehicle, throws caution to the wind, and does a complete redesign, they’re taking a major risk. Such was the case with the all-new 2023 Lexus RX. They chose to take a bold stance to lean into this redesign and developed the concept of "Never Lose Your Edge" about seizing risk as an opportunity.
As an Art Director at Amazon's Brand Innovation lab, I was challenged to create a campaign inspired by this concept and include three other very specific tie-ins: Whole Foods, American football tailgating, and Michelin-starred chefs.
The insight: Once Lexus customers are at the point in their lives when they can afford a Lexus, they’ve probably already begun to lose their edge. So, let’s show them that growth and creativity require a bit of risk and that bravery is rewarded.
From this insight, I developed "Tailgate On the Edge", a first-of-its-kind campaign that connected areas of the Amazon Canvas with the brand, featuring two Michelin-starred chefs: LA-based Ludo Lefebre and Dallas-based Dean Fearing. My team and I filmed two short documentaries challenging each chef to use unique ingredients and techniques to reinvent and elevate football tailgate cuisine. The documentaries draw risk-taking parallels from the chefs to the Lexus brand and detail the importance of “keeping your edge,“ even at the height of success.
From this insight, I developed "Tailgate On the Edge", a first-of-its-kind campaign that connected areas of the Amazon Canvas with the brand, featuring two Michelin-starred chefs: LA-based Ludo Lefebre and Dallas-based Dean Fearing. My team and I filmed two short documentaries challenging each chef to use unique ingredients and techniques to reinvent and elevate football tailgate cuisine. The documentaries draw risk-taking parallels from the chefs to the Lexus brand and detail the importance of “keeping your edge,“ even at the height of success.
Watch Chef Ludo Lefebre's documentary, filmed in Los Angeles at Ludo's famed restaurant, Petit Trois.
Watch Chef Dean Fearing's documentary, filmed in Dallas at various locations.
Next, I designed and built a custom landing page for the campaign on Amazon.com and the Amazon mobile app where customers could watch the documentaries, explore the Lexus RX, download the chef's recipes and order ingredients directly on Whole Foods with one click. Check out Chef Ludo's recipe and Chef Dean's recipe.
To take the content to the next level, my team and I built an interactive experience on Fire TV where customers could also watch the Tailgate on the Edge documentaries and explore Lexus RX features, change vehicle colors, and navigate full screen images using the remote on their home’s biggest screen.
Watch the Lexus RX Experience on Fire TV video.
Finally, to top it off, my team and I produced bespoke tailgating events at flagship Whole Foods locations in Austin and Los Angeles where customers could meet the chefs, sample the food, and experience the all-new 2023 Lexus RX in person.
Watch the case study video from the Tailgate on the Edge event held in Austin, TX.
I've got a ton of heart for Tailgate on the Edge. This project allowed me to showcase a wide range of skills, from documentary art direction to event production to website design and beyond. The campaign was massively successful, with overall media impressions reaching 2M+ viewers and attendees. And as seen in the case study video above, the client was absolutely thrilled.
Lexus / documentary, website, Fire TV, case study, event, digital, print / art direction, graphic design, UX/UI design
