Car companies are not known for their modesty.

Any accolades, awards, superiority claims or other achievements they attain are loudly celebrated. Especially comparative claims that overshadow their competitors. Which is why so much automotive advertising is an exercise in chest beating.

We saw a problem with that. 

Research (and our own instincts) told us that consumers were, at best, apathetic to this overabundance of self-congratulation. And, at worst, highly skeptical of all these claims.

That human insight unlocked our strategy, and our creative idea.

We realized that if we explained how thorough and comprehensive the comparison process was before revealing the outcome, then the results would be impossible to ignore, and harder to dismiss.

And to do that, we had to do the bravest thing of all–remove our own branding. Then intrigue the reader long enough for them to discover for themselves what we discovered through this testing: The Lexus LS is the Finest Luxury Sedan in America.

Unsurprisingly, the ads were as impressive as the accolade.

And on the subject of awards, this work won big at Cannes and The One Show.

Irony is alive and well.