Buying my first car, I remember taking the truck out for a test drive. As we pulled out of the parking lot, the salesman made sure to point out the credit card holder on the back of the visor.

And that caught me off guard.

Was that really the one thing he thought would sell me? Would I jump at the chance to finally have a car with a credit card holder?

The answer, of course, was ‘no.’

Twelve years and three cars later, I heard a radio spot promoting the new Lexus lineup. It went something like this:

“Turn up the volume on your radio. Good. Now change the channel without looking. Were you able to do that without reaching? On the new Lexus class of vehicles, the controls are literally at your fingertips.”

There were two immediate problems.

First, while driving my Saturn (it’s no Lexus), I was easily able to adjust the volume and change the radio channel, as the radio spot asked me to, using the interactive controls on my steering wheel.

Second, if I were taking this spot literally, and if I were to actually change the radio channel, you’ve lost a listener.

But the real problem was Lexus’ decision to make steering wheel radio controls the differentiating factor between their brand and other vehicles.

Are steering wheel radio controls that rare? If I already have radio controls “literally at my fingertips,” why would I want to shell out another thirty grand? Is there nothing else a luxury automaker wants to promote?

Focus on those features which actually differentiate your product. That’s it.