Lexus dumps brand's signature voice over talent; picked up by Mitsubishi

In a surprise branding move, Lexus has dumped its voice over pitchman of 20 years in favor of younger talent. Although changing voice overs is usually not a big deal in television advertising, the actor who launched the Lexus brand and its "relentless pursuit of perfection" slogan had become a key element of the brand and its identity.

James Sloyan's soothing, elegant, but firm voice became as recognizable as the Lexus car itself. You didn't have to see the ad to know it was for Lexus.

Then imagine my surprise the other day when I heard that same famous voice saying the words, "Lancer by Mitsubishi". I was incredulous. How could that be? I wondered if Sloyan wanted too much money during contract renewals or someone at Lexus had lost their mind? I even wondered if the voice for the Mitsubishi ad was a close copy and not the real thing, but after repeated hearings it was clearly Sloyan's.

Building instantly recognizable brands that transcend the actual media in which they are promoted is not an easy task to achieve and Lexus had made that happen.

So what gives here?

Here's what I learned today from an online automotive industry forum.

February 10, 2009 - A fresh voice narrates the latest commercials for Lexus. Continuing on that path of "The Pursuit of Perfection", Lexus has made that change, most recently with the latest blitz of new commercials for the 2010 RX. There is a new voice in town and like the previous voice over actor, his name happens to be James too.

Who is this new James you may ask? His name is James Remar. Some of you may know him as one of Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) boyfriends on the popular HBO show, Sex and the City. He was also casted in movies such as 48 Hours, The Phantom and also 2 Fast 2 Furious. Remar has narrated the latest commercial ads for the new RX spots. He will also be the voice for future Lexus ads.

For 20 years since the inception of Lexus, we have seen, heard and lived the many "Relentless" and "Passionate" evolutions featuring that distinct voice. That distinct voice belongs to actor James Sloyan. Although we will miss the original Lexus voice, we will never forget those original Lexus benchmark commercials and the regal narration that Sloyan established for the industry. Think LS400 commercials and the infamous champagne glass smoothness test. Thank you Mr. Sloyan for all the years of Lexus pursuits.

"Thank you Mr. Sloyan for all the years of Lexus pursuits"?......wait a minute. This might have been a major mistake for the Lexus brand and a smart move for Mitsubishi. Now, the Mitsu brand gets instant attention for the confusion and increases  awareness of its new sportier Lancer model. Yet, Lexus loses a valuable asset especially since this automaker isn't about radical changes it is about evolutionary improvements to a great automobile...staying the course...consistently delivering...so why would one risk undermining the brand strategy by dumping a brand component as golden as the product itself?

I plan to investigate further, but believe this was not a smart branding move.

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli