Lexus puts generative AI on the road for holiday content - what marketers can take from it
Lexus released a new holiday spot built with generative AI, created with AKQA and distributed across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The film, "Built for Every Kind of Wonder," leans into surreal winter visuals - a ski slope curling into the sky, fish under a frozen lake - then reveals it's the imagination of a child peering into a snow globe on a car ride.
It's a clear signal: big brands are moving from AI tests to polished, public-facing creative. The catch is the same as always - the visuals can wow, but the work still needs taste, guardrails, and a reason to exist.
What Lexus and AKQA actually did
The project ran through AKQA's Virtual Studio, a production model that blends traditional craft with AI-led effects. The film avoids a conventional plot in favor of a mood piece tied together by winter motifs and a Lexus vehicle lifting skyward like a sleigh.
For marketers, the takeaway isn't "AI makes everything cheaper." It's this: if your idea depends on imaginative, physics-bending visuals, generative tools can compress timelines and open up looks that would otherwise require hefty VFX budgets - as long as the human polish is there.
Why this matters for your team
Generative AI is maturing fast in post-heavy storytelling. You can move from mood board to test shots in days, not weeks. But inputs still rule outcomes - creative direction, prompt strategy, style references, and a strong edit are doing the heavy lifting.
Expect savings on complex shots, not on strategy or craft. Treat AI like a collaborator in pre-viz, concept exploration, and effects passes, then finish with experienced designers, editors, and color.
Consumer reaction is mixed - and that matters
We've already seen both sides this season. Coca-Cola has leaned into AI-enhanced holiday ads that rework classic spots - some viewers say the work lacks warmth, even if brand testing looks solid. McDonald's in the Netherlands pulled an AI-driven ad after backlash, a reminder that sentiment can swing fast and context matters.
The lesson: your audience can feel when AI is a gimmick. Use it to serve the idea, not to show off the tool.
Practical playbook for AI-led video
- Start with the story. Define the emotional beat and brand role before touching prompts or models.
- Prototype visually, early. Create AI mood reels and still frames to align on tone, texture, and movement.
- Mix methods. Pair AI shots with live action, 3D, and traditional VFX to keep consistency and quality high.
- Lock a prompts library. Standardize style cues, brand assets, and negative prompts to reduce drift.
- Plan for legal and rights. Clarify usage rights, model licenses, likeness risks, and data handling up front.
- Set brand guardrails. Define what's off-limits (faces, logos, cultural symbols, safety claims) before production.
- Test for "human warmth." Run quick qualitative checks to spot uncanny moments, then refine with human artists.
- Be transparent when it helps. A light disclosure can preempt confusion without stealing focus from the story.
- Measure like you mean it. Track lift in recall, sentiment, completion rate, and save behind-the-scenes content for retargeting.
- Budget for finishing. Color, sound design, and compositing can make or break AI-generated sequences.
Context: Lexus, AKQA, and WPP
Lexus asked AKQA to explore how AI could fit its winter promotions and was encouraged by the outcome, calling the film a strong fit for its "built for every kind of wonder" positioning and signaling more projects to come. The brand kept its long-running "December to Remember" in the U.S., with family-focused spots set to "Landslide," showing a split strategy: experimental in EMEA, familiar in the States.
AKQA has seen leadership shifts and a reorg across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. Parent company WPP is pushing AI innovation as part of a broader return-to-growth plan, so expect more AI-led work as the tech becomes part of standard production pipelines.
What to borrow for your next brief
- Use AI where wonder and visual abstraction lift the idea - not as a shortcut for weak concepts.
- Build a separate "AI pre-viz" sprint to pressure-test looks before committing full production resources.
- Create a cross-functional review: creative, legal, brand safety, comms. One missed frame can tank sentiment.
- Pair the hero film with behind-the-scenes content showing the craft. It adds credibility and feeds social.
- Pilot by region. If sentiment is uncertain, launch in a test market and scale based on performance.
Want to skill up your team?
If you're building an AI-ready creative pipeline, these resources can help:
Bottom line: Lexus shows that AI can expand the canvas for holiday storytelling. Keep your foundation strong - brand truth, taste, and tight production - and let the tech do what it's good at: visual ambition, delivered faster.
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