Lexus In 1991, a Japanese luxury car was considered an oxymoron. In 1994, Lexus advertising had completely changed that perception. Consequently, rival Infiniti, which launched simultaneously with a campaign of rocks and trees, struggled to grab market share. Lexus also had the German luxury brands reconsidering their efforts. As a result, BMW and Mercedes changed ad agencies and Lexus advertising was held as the gold standard in the car category. The case has been taught at Harvard Business School.