2026 Winner

Lexus set out to grow consideration among Chinese and South Asian luxury consumers, an audience already aligned with the brand’s values of craftsmanship, reliability and prestige, but not yet seeing Lexus as a brand for them. The opportunity was to close that perception gap using culture and language, not just product messaging. For this audience, luxury isn’t defined by status alone, but by the moments it enables: family milestones, shared experiences and memories worth passing on. The campaign platform, “Our craft. Your moment.,” translated this idea across cultures. The work ran across TV, digital display, programmatic, DOOH and paid social, including culturally specific placements. Messaging was delivered in English as well as both Simplified and Traditional Chinese. The campaign drove measurable shifts in perception, with a 7% lift among South Asian-Canadians and 3% among Chinese-Canadians who saw Lexus as fitting their lifestyle. An additional 5% of South Asian and 6% of Chinese consumers said the brand felt like it was “for someone like them.” Media performance exceeded benchmarks across channels, including DOOH delivering 176% above benchmark. The campaign reinforced that brands connect most when they reflect familiar moments, not just familiar language.

Credits

Gavin Barrett, Chief Creative Officer

Strategy: Sherly Mathew, Manasi Damle, Howard Tan, Nitin Bagga, Gavin Barrett

Account Management: Nitin Bagga, Sherly Mathew, Anthony Das, Chaina Gopinath, Irene Lo, Penny Yip

Creative: Gavin Barrett, Jaideep Mahajan, Praveen Balachander, Suo Cheung, Harini Kannan, Betty Choi

Media: Dawn Leung, Sonia Sharma, Gargi Modi

Photography: Hasnain Dattu
Production: Swedyl D'Souza, Chrisdin Ma