A very functional ad! Though it has the characteristics of a "traditional" looking online advertisement, links actually operate independently and smartly take you to unique content. Nice! I also like the compare vehicles options and PDA brochure options. Hey, if you are going to drop 60 large on four wheels and a motor, you might just have a PDA. This "spot" defiantly takes advantage of available technology in allowing the user to interact with the vehicle without leaving the website. Still, I would have liked to change the color of my car, and why do you need my zip code? Bravo!
-- Kevin M. Ryan, search editor, iMedia Communications, Inc.
I always think that usability trumps design, and here the information strategy is highly usable and effective. At all four entry points -- "Build Your GS," "Find A Dealer," "Order A Brochure" and "Vehicle Comparison" -- the user can get two or three clicks into a desired course of action before being taken away from the creative and into http://www.lexus.com/. That will reduce traffic but increase quality and how involved the user gets pre-click, which, to me, is positive. I longed for more pictures of the car in question, and think that it would have been a good idea for the ad to have different angles and colors. Finally, I must confess that I didn't understand the Parkinson's-shaking of the car when the ad first loaded. It seemed a bad fit with the Lexus brand of stability and elegance.
-- Brad Berens, executive editor, iMedia Communications, Inc.