Lexus Hoverboard. Engineering a Brand Moment

Lexus builds a hoverboard. On purpose.

Lexus does not build a hoverboard to sell it.

They build it to show what the brand stands for.

The Lexus Hoverboard is a real, rideable board that levitates above the ground using magnetic levitation. It is not CGI. It is not a concept sketch. It is engineered, tested, and demonstrated.

This is brand storytelling executed through engineering, not advertising copy.

How the hoverboard actually works

The hoverboard uses magnetic levitation technology.

Superconductors inside the board are cooled with liquid nitrogen. When placed above a specially designed magnetic track, the board locks into position and floats.

The result is controlled levitation. Not free roaming, but stable, directional hovering that makes riding possible.

The constraints are part of the point. This is not science fiction. It is applied physics.

Why Lexus created it anyway

Lexus positions itself around precision, control, and advanced engineering.

The hoverboard compresses those values into a single, highly visual artifact. You do not need to read a brochure to understand it. You see it.

By placing professional skateboarders on a levitating board in a custom-built skate park, Lexus turns engineering into a cultural moment.

This is not a product launch

The hoverboard is not a prototype for future mobility.

It is a brand signal.

Lexus shows that it can take complex technology, make it work in the real world, and present it in a way that feels controlled rather than chaotic.

That matters in categories where trust in engineering is everything.

What this says about modern brand building

Brands increasingly compete on what they can demonstrate, not what they can claim.

When technology is real, visible, and difficult to fake, it carries more weight than messaging.

The Lexus Hoverboard works because it is unnecessary. It exists only to make a point.


A few fast answers before you act

Is this a real hoverboard?
Yes. It levitates using superconductors and magnetic tracks, not visual effects.

Why can it only be used in specific locations?
Because the magnetic infrastructure is part of the system.

What is Lexus really selling here?
Confidence in engineering, precision, and control.

Pay Per Laugh

In mid-2013, the art industry in Spain suffered a big blow. The government decided to raise tax for theatrical shows from 8% to 21%, resulting in a great loss of audience. So independent comedy theatre company Teatreneu decided to launch a comedy show that you paid for only when you laughed.

Entrace to the show was totally free. But for every laugh during the show the spectator had to pay 30 euro cents, with the maximum amount being 24 Euros for 80 laughs. This unique way of charging for the show was made possible by fitting each theatre seat with a facial recognition system that detected the smile of the spectators.

As a result, the average price of the ticket increased by 6 Euros. The technology used was the talk of the town and it increased the show viewership by 35%.

Homeless Fonts

When you walk by a homeless person on the sidewalk holding a cardboard sign, you see an anonymous face struggling to survive. So to help the homeless in Barcelona, Cyranos McCann teamed up with the Arrels Foundation to launch HomelessFonts.org. The website featured fonts created using the handwriting of local homeless people, ready for purchase by marketers aiming to personalize their brands.

The money raised from the website is to be spent on accommodation, food, social programs and health care of the homeless. For more information visit www.HomelessFonts.org.