Review
Memorable
Effective
Style
Heart or Humor
Execution
Innovative
Impressive to see the ad in movie theaters.
“Immersive Sonic Challenge,” the new 107-second Lexus ad, is the first-ever U.S. 360-degree ad in Dolby Atmos, moving audio that flows all around you with breathtaking realism. It’s an experience that produces a hyperreal audio reproduction of the all-new 2018 Lexus LC 500 high-performance coupe rocketing around a test track.
Guests are then challenged to try to identify the car they just heard but never saw. The viewers have 15 options: Lamborghini, Ferrari, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Chevy, Jaguar, Nissan, Porche, McLaren, Maserati, Aston Martin, Tesla, Lexus, and Ford. The joke will surprise even the savviest performance enthusiast.
Press release
A groundbreaking cinema ad for the first-ever Lexus LC 500 luxury coupe will be mixed and released nationwide in Dolby Atmos on May 5 in select theaters affiliated with Spotlight Cinema Networks. Dolby Atmos allows for sounds to be moved or placed anywhere in the movie theater to make audiences feel as if they are inside the experience and not merely watching it.
This is the first time in the United States that a cinema ad has been released using Dolby Atmos.
The 107-second Lexus ad, called the “Immersive Sonic Challenge,” offers a high-tech sound experience that enables moviegoers to experience the raw power of the first-ever Lexus LC 500 through an immersive, hyper-real audio “test drive.” Moviegoers are invited to guess the make of the car from a list of more than a dozen luxury automakers based only on the sound of the full-throated roar of the engine. The answer is revealed at the conclusion of the spot, which was created by luxury agency Team One.
Because Dolby Atmos systems have speakers around and above the audience, the spot’s producers created a rich sonic experience by pinpointing which speakers they wanted to place the sound. For instance, when moviegoers hear the Lexus LC 500 perform a donut, they feel that they are in the center of the track with the LC racing around them at full-speed just a few feet away.
“The LC’s exhaust note is ferocious. When you hear it, you know the LC is a serious performance car,” said Cooper Ericksen, Lexus vice president of marketing. “To demonstrate this to moviegoers, we used the most advanced cinema audio technology available to best replicate its roar.”
“Spotlight is proud to be working with Lexus as they embark on this groundbreaking campaign using Dolby Atmos,” said Michael Sakin, President, Spotlight Cinema Networks.
“This revolutionary spot reinforces Spotlight’s commitment to bringing an enhanced movie going experience through innovation and technology. Lexus is the perfect match for our sophisticated and well-educated audience, who are avid luxury consumers.”
“Dolby Atmos has paved a new path for industry-leading directors and filmmakers to deliver a lifelike sound experience that has transformed creative storytelling,” said Vince Voron, Vice President and Executive Creative Director, Dolby Laboratories. “It is great to see Lexus bring this spot to life with Dolby Atmos as we are excited to see expanded use cases leveraging our market-leading immersive audio solution to engage and entertain consumers.”
