Here at PostAdvertising.com, we love brands that turn themselves into media channels. Lexus* has taken this to heart and launched LStudio, a lifestyle and entertainment broadband video channel. If you've been wondering what Lisa Kudrow has been up to recently, wonder no more.
She’s here—headlining in a very funny series called Web Therapy—a fifteen part show featuring a quirky, dubiously qualified therapist whose philosophy on three minute web-based psychological sessions are summed up in the first episode: "Fifty-minute sessions involve a lot of self-indulgent talk about thoughts and feelings...there's only about three minutes in there where some real work is being done."
Similarly quirky and funny is a series of short films called Puppy Love, launched last month at New York’s 60 Thomson hotel. This series was created by Sex and the City’s Amy B. Harris and the central theme is dog lovers and their tangled love lives. I thought the accepted wisdom was that babies are the best way to meet chicks, but apparently dogs take the biscuit. Cast members include Famke Janssen and Kristen Johnston.
There are many things to like about LStudio. For a start it really uses the medium to its best advantage: Each episode/film/clip is short, but long enough to have a beginning, middle and end. There are plenty of opportunities to comment, contribute and engage with other visitors to the site and join in with the community. Lexus has built a considerable authority with its owners when it comes to recommending luxury-like experiences and its brand equity easily stretches to travel, culinary, cultural and musical recommendations. It's quite a leap to move into entertainment, especially humor. It’s a bold move and Lexus will have to be careful it doesn’t overextend its authority and dilute its story platform. Nonetheless there is no shortage of content genres Lexus owners will be familiar with and the comedy here is good, which always helps.
What also helps is that LStudio has lined up an impressive array of talent and collaborated with them cleverly. Lisa Kudrow made the talk show rounds (like in traditional media launches) and it probably didn’t hurt that Puppy Love made a major donation to the ASPCA at its launch (Amy B. Harris is a renowned dog lover and active in canine causes, lending this move a ton of authority). There is no way that broadband channels can compete with Hollywood fees for these stars, but co-collaborating with them so that there is shared 'ownership' or aligning with causes that resonate with the artists is a smart way to attract talent and build an audience.
Overall the site needs more organization and navigation is still a little tricky. The iTunes-like roll is fine for browsing but it feels like the site could do with an alternative navigational flow for those who know what they’re looking for and want to get there fast. But it’s early days, and Lexus should be applauded for the way it has leveraged other rich content assets from Lexus.com and its Lexus Magazine site.
Too often we’ve commented on brands publishing good content, but then delivering it in a splendid silo, disconnected from every other content initiative they produce, sending mixed brand messages to audiences and diluting the brand as a result. With LStudio, Lexus has made an innovative, bold and entertaining move that integrates well with its other content. LStudio is a big step in the right direction and we hope other brands follow in these footsteps.
*Full disclosure: Lexus is a cliet of Story Worldwide's, parent to PostAdvertising.com