I asked Matt what was on his agenda for the coming 12 months or so.
One item was social media. The other, which was causing him more concern, was how to "join the dots" of the many touch points between the Lexus brand and potential or existing customers.
In particular, he saw this as an issue with personalised communications – print and digital.
This conversation came back to me when I recently saw a new ad from John West.
Metal aside, posh motors and tinned fish don’t have much in common. But whoever’s in charge at John West has also been mulling over what, if anything, links different forms of communication and connects with the consumer.
In the case of John West, the three media in question are TV advertising, the website and packaging (which I know is not usually considered a medium at all).
Let’s be honest, most marketers would be quite happy if these three disparate parts of their communications train set were at least equally on-brand. But John West has been a little more ambitious than that.
Let’s start with the TV commercial, which can be seen at .
The commercial is presented on-board a fishing boat by a salty sea dog straight out of central casting – imagine an older, soberer version of Captain Haddock.
Apparently John West want us to know the story behind every can, in other words where, when, and crucially, how the fish was caught.
How? You type in a couple of codes printed on your can of tuna. I tried it and learnt the name of the boat that caught the fish in the western Indian Ocean.
OK, that’s not much of a story in itself. But I also learnt about John West’s policy on marine conservation and that is big news.
All of a sudden, John West was no longer just a staple in the larder, but an interesting, innovative brand with important things to say. I’ll be watching how their campaign develops with interest. The tuna is tasty, too.
Simon S Kershaw is a creative consultant and a former creative director at Craik Jones.