Who: Subaru Canada with Zulu Alpha Kilo (Agence Rinaldi for French-language creative), Zulubot for editing and online, Animals for production, Eggplant Music & Sound. OMD Canada for media.

What: A new national campaign, “Made to be a Subaru.”

When & Where: The campaign broke this week, running into 2021 across TV and online video.

Why: The campaign is about making the case to Canadians that there is no better vehicle to own than a Subaru. It addresses everything from Subaru vehicles’ longevity (96.7% of Subarus sold in the past decade are on the road today), to their high resale value and reputation for safety.

How: Much of Subaru’s recent marketing has relied on mild comedy, but this campaign feels like a continuation of the more heartfelt tone it struck during the height of the pandemic (an approach that garnered a lot of attention).

All of the 15-second creative executions in the new campaign seamlessly transition from a sepia-coloured past to the present-day, showing both older and current Subaru models while speaking to the various brand attributes.

The “Made to grow” spot, for example, opens on newlyweds kissing in their Subaru, before transitioning to the present day—where their three children in the back seat react with an “ewwww” to the sight of their parents kissing. Another spot, “Made to be safe,” shows a young girl riding her tricycle towards her father in the driveway before transitioning to the present-day, where she’s now grown-up and pulling out of the driveway when the Subaru’s EyeSight Driver Assist Technology detects an oncoming street cleaning machine.

And we quote: “This campaign is intended to be provide people with compelling reasons to put Subaru on their list of vehicle to consider. We put so much effort into the quality, safety and durability of our products that we wanted people not to just take our word but also to see what the industry experts have to say as well.” —Ted Lalka, senior vice-president, marketing and product management, Subaru Canada