Normally when I write an article, I try not to be biased. Recently however I’ve come across the ad campaign for Subaru that I can’t help but gush over. I’ve had the opportunity to drive not one, but two Subarus. Not only can I vouch for these vehicles saying how reliant they are as well as safe, the Subaru Forrester I drove is one of my all-time favorite cars. I’ve always liked a sporty vehicle, but this Forrester was an awesome vehicle. It really plowed through the snowy Buffalo climate.
Getting back on track, there’s something about this campaign that stands out from the ads previously made by Subaru, and many of those currently being displayed by other brands. After watching these ads, I felt the need to really analyze them to help explain why they are well done.
So what makes a good ad? Many people see an ad and can identify that it’s good, but they can’t tell you why. It’s always on the tip of their tongue, but they can’t articulate what it is that they know makes it a good ad.
According to Agama Advertising, there are a few things that make an ad good. These concepts are as follows:
- Connecting with the audience
- Memorable and easy to recall
- Information is clearly extrapolated
- The ad isn’t confusing
- The ad calls the viewer to action
In the first category, Subaru has nailed who their target audience is. Subaru breaks down the needs of their consumers on their web page under a tab titled “Enthusiasts.” To learn more about the target audience, you can visit this Enthusiasts page. One of these audiences is a pet owner, and specifically a dog owner. The ads really play on the viewer’s emotions towards their pets. For Subaru, they see their owners are people who love their pets and want the best for themselves and their fur babies.
When looking at the impact made on the viewer, for the last week every time I’ve mentioned these commercials, people have known exactly what I’m talking about. With this kind of response, it’s easy to say that these ads are doing the job they set out to complete.
In the next category, we have to do a little bit of inferring. If you’ve never owned a Subaru, or known someone who is an “Enthusiast,” this may be all new to you. But when you see a car commercial focusing on dogs, there must be a large population of buyers who are pet owners. Otherwise why would they use pets? Ultimately the simple tagline of “Dog Tested. Dog Approved.” at the end sums up the target audience. With ads so simply crafted, the message isn’t easily confused.
As far as the rest of the categories, Subaru has easily scored high. They’ve fulfilled all the needs of what is typically a good ad. The last category, the call to action, is the only part where they may fall short. There is no blatant call to “Visit a store for more details” or “Sale going on now.” These types of taglines bring to the viewers attention the need for them to take action based off the ad they’ve just viewed. But does Subaru really need to?
This ad does something very interesting. It is targeting a specific audience in such a way that it’s not looking to bring them rushing through the door immediately, but to keep them in your mind. If a year from now you are in the market for a new car, and you’re a pet owner, will these dog-friendly ads pop back into your mind? Subaru must be fairly sure that this is the case to take on this kind of approach. But with such lovable ads starring man’s best friend, how could you not be ready to buy a Subaru for you and your dog?
To see the ads discussed in this article, visit http://www.subaru.com/pets/our-videos.html.
