It's only November 3rd and the big, red joke that is the Lexus brand's bow-bedecked "December to Remember" sales event has already started. Yes, the now time-honored tradition of luring middle class consumers further into debt by gifting a Lexus began yesterday, with financing and lease specials now available on a slew of overstocked 2011 and 2012 models. We only wish we were joking.
Sure, we're used to seeing winter holiday decorations hit department store shelves earlier every year, but the fact that Lexus is starting a sale named after the month of December in the beginning of November shows just how much consumerism is trumping reason or logic this holiday season.
The thing is that this ridiculousness totally works. As copyranter said on Gawker back in 2006:
"By turning a non-gift luxury item into a surprise $50,000 holiday present, Lexus now sells more cars in December — traditionally the slowest car-sales period of the year — than any other month. That's because their December To Remember "sales" event is actually a "more lenient financing" event (which leads to more curbside repo man events). Also, because Pavlovian consumerist zombies drool when they see that perfectly-tied BIG RED BOW, kinda like on The Simpsons when the Malibu Stacy doll's new hat caused a Black Friday-like stampede.
Knowing how lazy and unoriginal people are in my industry, I'm really surprised more carmakers haven't shamelessly copied Lexus and shot similar commercials, maybe with a different style knot on the red bow. Or with a green bow. Or a red, white and green bow."
Historically, thanks to this ridiculously annoying ad campaign, Lexus has sold more cars in December than any other month of the year.
And boy does Lexus need it to work again this year. Kicking Tires tells us sales were down 14.2% for October compared with a year ago, and sales remain off 16.2% for the year. They'll need a lot of big, red bows if they're going to dig out of that hole.
But seriously — starting this campaign in November? That's just a joke.