Acura is getting artsy to promote its latest SUV, continuing a trend of luxury car brands partnering with visual artists to reach millennial and Gen Z consumers.
Set to debut during March Madness on national broadcast TV, the Honda-owned car marque has launched “Crafted to Match Your Energy,” from agency of record MullenLowe LA, a colorful 60-second spot that promotes its 2025 ADX model.
From stop-motion animation to digital design, the campaign features a driver moving through different landscapes, each created by five rising multidisciplinary artists: Dalkhafine, brothers Arturo and Rodolfo Ambriz, Antoni Tudisco, Xander Opiyo, and Crystal Cashmere.
Acura is the latest luxury automaker to incorporate contemporary art into its marketing.
Recently, brands such as Porsche, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, and Jaguar Land Rover have collaborated with global artists for everything from painted cars to immersive installations at art events like Art Basel and Frieze Art Fair. Last month at Frieze LA, Aston Martin unveiled a light sculpture by British-American artist Anthony James.
Statista predicts that revenue in the luxury car market worldwide will grow at an annual rate of 0.85% from 2025 to 2029 to reach $28 billion.
Tapping into the arts is a familiar move for Acura, as the car brand recently celebrated its 15th year partnering with the Sundance Film Festival on activations and events like Acura House of Energy, where it showcased the Ambriz brothers’ work and hosted interviews, panels, mixers, and premiere parties.
The new campaign also expands on a collaboration forged between the brand and French and Canadian artist Dalkhafine. In December 2024, the pair debuted a mural at the Scope Art Show designed to “invoke the brand’s fun, youthful energy” through eye-catching, bright colors, Acura’s head of brand marketing Hundy Liu told ADWEEK.
Working with Dalkhafine has helped introduce the brand to new, younger customers who share a passion for art, including multicultural customers in Miami, an important market for Acura. The brand said it has already been seeing growth with millennial buyers since 2020, though it declined to share specifics.
