Turning the table Carlo Barreto

Carlo Barreto

A favourite project for Carlo Barreto, one of our 2023 Student Awards jurors and Creative Director at Team One, Los Angeles, CA, was the "Emotional Sparks" campaign he and his team created for their client Lexus. Artists and creatives ignited the Lexus campaign motto - "Innovation means nothing. Unless it sparks something." 

No matter what you create, if it does not connect with others and solely satisfies you, then it lacks a true spark–the magic that makes what we conjure special. We brought that idea to life for Lexus by partnering with musicians, dancers and filmmakers who were inspired by their latest technology. At the core of Lexus design, every aspect of the vehicle is engineered to inspire us in one way or another, the project was therefore called "Emotional Sparks."

“Emotional Sparks” features songwriting duo Nova Wav, Korean-American R&B artist Audrey Nuna and Argentinian freestyle rapper Ecko. The music video includes dancer and choreographer Zak Ryan Schlegel. The incomparable Sesbatian Strasser documented the creation of “No Ceiling,” a track based on Lexus performance and technology like TeamMate, an advanced driver-assistance platform that enables automatic steering, acceleration and braking in highway driving. 

We created a music track, a music video and four TV spots, each featuring our talent being inspired by a vehicle and engaging in the creative process. We also created a unique TikTok, which is Lexus best performing ever, featuring Zak.

What were the success stats or indicators?
Our efforts to “spark something” in young affluent buyers were well received. An Ad Age-Harris poll showed Lexus leads all car brands in gains with Gen Z.

Zak's TikTok had 17 million views. The total campaign had 200 million views, which led to a 110% increase in sales with our target audience. 

Why is this particular project a fave?

I love music and dance, and the opportunity to work with artists in those fields who are at the top of their game was wonderful.

Can you give us your opinion on what you think made this project a success?

At Team One, we have a great relationship with our clients, and have proven ourselves to Lexus many times. We've earned their confidence and trust, so when we brought together this incredible team of artists we agreed to let them be their authentic selves. The artists appreciated that level of collaboration and genuinely gave their best to the project. When they needed guidance as well as support, we were there. It was all about sharing good vibes and everybody doing their thing. 

We can feel those Emotional Sparks! Support, guidance and sharing good vibes create great work. Congrats to Team One, Lexus and all artists involved!