This is not the way to differentiate

There are some unmistakable signs that the holiday season is upon us.  The days get shorter, the air a bit cooler (for those of us living in the North), and the stores display Christmas decorations, although lately that’s been starting around Labor Day.

And there’s one more that anyone who watches TV will recognize.  No, not Christmas specials like The Grinch or Rudolph.  I’m talking about the Lexus “December to Remember” ads.  You know, the pretentious ads where yuppie couples with apparently way too much money surprise their spouses with a new Lexus with a giant bow?

These ads started to get annoying a few years ago, so they started to get clever.  This year’s ads are pretty well done, though given the state of the economy, perhaps a bit off the mark.

So it’s just another year, right?  Another holiday season, another round of Lexus “Giant Bow” ads.  Then I see the ads for Acura.

They’re nearly identical.  Sure, Acura doesn’t have the giant bow, but both ads are based on the concept of capturing the childhood joy of Christmas morning.  I find this to be most unfortunate for Acura and Lexus.  It’s likely to be a coincidence, but still unfortunate.  As nice as Japanese luxury cars like Lexus and Acura are, they are criticized by car enthusiasts for their homogeneity.

It doesn’t help that their ads are nearly indistinguishable.