Gotta talk about the other Lexus commercial that I keep seeing. The reaction is pretty similar to my previous reaction. They’re still on this weird empathy kick, and still on this random “stuttering internal monologue” kick.
This time, even though they do mention the e-word, the focus is on looking in unusual places. Looking where we haven’t looked before. I guess Tiffany Pham is the CEO of a company that focuses on diversity hiring, so I get it. Don’t see the tie to Lexus. It also says she’s a speaker, so I wonder if she just kinda spouts this stuff and rich people golf clap and feel good about themselves, which I think actually is Lexus’s angle here.
So okay, yeah, same crap, what else did you want to talk about, Tigg?
Glad you asked. Freeze frame at 0:11 seconds in. Just a random clip of her playing the violin for half a second. Like. Why. Is this supposed to frame her as more of a talent or intellectual? Does the Lexus LS 500 also play the violin? Did they realize that just showing her talking and making weird hand gestures and sitting in a Lexus didn’t quite get them to 30 seconds of commercial so they were like “let’s also just show her existing in her absurdly luxurious penthouse apartment?”
I actually think that’s the case. But then they went even weirder. Freeze frame at 0:13 and she’s taking off her shoe. Someone made a conscious decision about this.
“Yeah, Tiffany, can you take off your shoe here?”
“My…my shoe?”
“Yeah. People are gonna love that. It shows how human you are.”
“Hmm, I guess non-humans don’t wear shoes, except maybe horses. That’s a really good point, Jeff.”
“Yep, thanks Tiff, and it in no way has to do with my foot fetish so I appreciate your not bringing that up.”
“…”
“Listen do you want the money for the commercial or don’t you?”
Cool cool cool Lexus strikes again.