Ever thought about taking a trip to Wakanda?
Well, don’t forget your Lexus.

In the spirit of true collaboration, Lexus partnered with Marvel’s Black Panther in what proved to be a highly lucrative product campaign for the redesign of its flagship Lexus Sedan and other Lexus Brand vehicles.

The runaway success of the film allowed Lexus to launch a successful global marketing campaign that had the added bonus of connecting the Lexus brand to a multicultural and multiethnic consumer-base.

Writing for Automotive News, Laurence Iliff notes that Marvel has a long history of working with the automotive industry in their films, and it is a relationship that requires faith in the potential success of a film and trust in the Marvel brand to guarantee success and brand exposure.

For Lexus, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. The film premiered on February 16, 2018, which all but guaranteed a premiere Superbowl ad slot, adding to the exposure for both Lexus and the film.

The continuing success of the film, and its subsequent appearance at the 2019 Academy Awards, all but ensures that we will continue to see product collaborations like Black Panther and Lexus in the future because, as Cox Automotive’s vice president of marketing, Greta Crowly notes, “…you start to build a relationship with that audience, […] it gives you the green light to be able to start talking to them outside those platforms.”

-KRW

For more info, check out Laurence Iliff’s “LEAP OF FAITH.” Automotive News, 3/5/2018, Vol. 92, Issue 6819.