INDEX EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Objectives & Methods 3 You are standing on top of a Yosemite trailhead after a day of uphill
travel. Your friends surround you as you breath in the fresh air of
Market Insight 4 the great outdoors. These friends are more than just friends, they
are the kind you bring on a four hour road trip, because you gained
a national park pass. These friends are your Subacru.
Brand Insight 5

Consumer Insight 6 Our campaign amplifies the environmental friendliness of the 2019
index
Crosstrek and Ascent by offering a year-long national park pass
Competition 7 to car buyers. By offering personable items to consumers upon
purchase of these vehicles, the car buying experience will be
SWOT Analysis 8 altered to become a more personal interaction between Subaru
and it’s consumers. Creative strategy with a clean and nature-
Creative Strategy 9
friendly attitude is utilized to advertise to generation Z on platforms
that matter to them.
Target Audience 10

Our tagline “Love Your Subacru” creates a friendly community

Creative 11-16 for Subaru drivers to feel included in a unique group of
environmentally-conscious people. Research shows that our
Media Strategy 17 target audience will happily take part in this group of people, and
feel inclined to join such a welcoming community. This maintains
Media Plan 18 the positive and welcoming brand attitude of Subaru’s history,
progressing forward to reach a younger demographic and fulfilling
the client’s interest in improved car-buying experiences.
Results 19

Index 20
OBJECTIVES & METHODS

Subaru wanted us to make a campaign that fit within the current “Love” campaign. Many of
their campaigns in the past focused on loving the planet or loving your family, so we took Surveys Recorded
inspiration from that when we were coming up with ideas.
73

DEALERSHIP EXPERIENCE
Databases Used
Subaru wanted to understand and alter the experience one has at a 15
dealership and asked us to find a new way to make going to a dealership
more appealing.

Subarus Seen
LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP
73
Subaru wants to not only gain new customers, but they are seeking to keep
the customers that they already have. They are looking for new ways to
remain connected with their loyal consumers.
Articles Read
“MORE THAN A CAR COMPANY” 57

Subaru is more than just a car company. Their efforts in social issues and
environmental issues is substantial and they want to emphasize these points.
Videos Watched
68

METHODS
There are many things that make Subaru stand out from it’s competitors and this variation
on the Love campaign that we created for them will give them a new standing in the mind
of consumers who are considering buying a new car. By emphasizing their loyalty to their
customers, their unique features and their stance on many issues, we are sure to be at the
top-of-mind of many new consumers.

3
MARKET INSIGHT

The car market is saturated with different features and ideals that are all essentially the same thing with different names. Many brands boast
with having extreme levels of horsepower or the newest technology features, but what makes Subaru stand out? Subaru cares about the
environment in a way that seemingly no other car brand does.

IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

THE FACTS

Subaru has been concerned with

how they can impact the environment
for over a decade now.
67%
67% of the people we surveyed responded
that they cared about the environement and
THE OPINIONS

The people we surveyed were

concerned about environmental
other social issue factors. issues but were unsure about buying
a more expensive, greener car
Currently they are concerned with because of it.
Many of these same people responded that
zero-waste landfills in and around
a car brand being environmentally aware
national parks. They want to ensure The cars that are typically good for
was a large reason for their decision of
that nature stays pure and clean and the environment cost considerably
purchasing a vehicle.
want to emphasize that they actually more than their less earth-friendly

care rather than just claiming that
they do.
They also do things like recycle their
own car parts and reuse them to
prevent additional waste.
45%
45% of those surveyed said they would be
more likely to buy a car if the brand was
environmentally friendly.
counterparts.
When they were informed of all
that Subaru is doing to help the
environment in multple ways, the
people surveyed told us that they
would be more willing to buy a
Subaru over other brands because of
it. This also supports our upcoming
brand insight.
4
BRAND INSIGHT

Subaru is very involved in being a brand that supports their current consumers while also looking to gain more by showing how they love.
Subaru wants to show that they love what their consumers love. Things like the environment and being open is important to consumers.

67%
IMPORTANCE OF IMPORTANCE OF ECO-
RELATABILITY FRIENDLY CARS

I prefer companies that “I think so. I don’t think

don’t mess up the world. I’d buy a car that was
Whether that be pollution or known for being bad for
through targeted marketing. the environment.”
-John, 39 -Lacy, 19

82% of the people we surveyed responded Yeah, it’s one of the

In general, that is something
I look for. Companies that are
mindful of their place in the
world and listen to what their
customers have to say.
-Jackie, 28
that they feel distant from the brand they
reasons i wouldn’t buy
bought cars from and that it is hard to certain hybrids. It’s
communicate with brands.
because of how dirty
their production is.
They reported being more open to buying -Kyle, 27
a car if the company was more open to
listening to what they had to say.

33%
33% of those surveyed said they would be
more likely to buy a car if the brand was
“friendly,” and listened to their problems.

5
CONSUMER INSIGHT

We are aware that the brand cannot really change the dealership business because Subaru has no hand in it, but we can promote the love
campaign by maintaining a relationship with the consumer which can potentially get their business in the future as well.

PEOPLE DON’T TRUST STRANGERS

“I did buy it from a
dealership actually. It
was somebody that
They, more often than not, bought a car based on a we knew, so it was a
suggestion from someone they knew or even bought very easy experience.”
it from them. They trusted those close to them rather -Jeff, 34
than a dealership.
“I did buy it from a
dealership actually, but
it was from somebody
that I knew, so it was a
very easy experience.”
-Alex, 34

Because consumers prefer a more distant shopping experience, they will appreciate having personalized items sent for them while also not
having to deal with a dealership until the very end.

“Dealerships make “It was stressful in PEOPLE DON’T TRUST DEALERSHIPS

me nervous because
buying a car is
stressful and I am
never sure of what is
happening
-Anne, 25
figuring out which car
to buy because it was
at a dealership and I
felt pressured.” When we surveyed people, the majority didn’t like either
-Charlotte, 25 going to a dealership, or even the thought of having to
deal with one. It seems to make people nervous.

6
COMPETITION

Subaru has many competitors and that is no surprise considering the depth of quality and brands within the automotive market. In order for Subaru
to advertise it’s two focus vehicles, the brand must strive to increase their market share to become more relevant in the minds of consumers.

3% 3% IS THE PERCENT OF MARKET SHARE THAT

SUBARU HAS IN THE AUTOMOTIVE MARKET

MARKET SHARE OF: MANY CAN’T RECALL ALL-WHEEL DRIVE

MUCH ABOUT
Toyota 15% SUBARU WHEN ASKED Subaru, unlike its’ competitors, has
all-wheel drive available in every
Honda 11.3% ABOUT IT. single one of their cars.

Ford 10.8% This supports their current marketing

of them being an outdoor and rugged
Chevrolet 10.3% car, and their stance on supporting
environmental issues.
Nissan 6% “I know they are like
a mountain car. That’s
Competitors of any other brand
Hyundai 5% about it”
cannot claim to have all-wheel drive
Anna, 25
POTENTIAL TO PASS: in all of their cars.

Dodge 3.9%
“Not much. It’s not one
Kia 3.5% I would look into.”
Nick, 25
Jeep 3.1%

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SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
- Loyal fan base
- Safety Awards- IIhs- top pick +
- Do a lot of charity work
- Only one with all wheel drive
- Good mileage
- High resale value
- Technologically savvy vehicle
OPPORTUNITIES
- Love campaign is successful and
they need to continue to branch out.
- Changing customer preferences
have led to a consumer base willing
to pay for more features and services.
- People are very concerned about
social issues and Subaru can
emphasize that they are as well
WEAKNESSES
- Small product variance
- Its 2.0-liter engine and
152-horsepower rating are both on the
low side for the compact-crossover
- Slow acceleration
- Cars are expensive
- Certification issues
- Many people don’t know too much
about the brand according to surveys.
THREATS
- Low market share of 3%. This
could prevent them from gaining
market share to the companies that
already have a large portion of the
market.
- Competition is high in the car
market.
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CREATIVE STRATEGY
In Subaru’s 50 years, it has prided itself on being “More Than a Car Company”. This campaign will expand
TAGLINE that idea by creating a friendly environmentally-conscious community for Subaru owners. We invite the
consumer to join our community and welcome anyone else the consumer loves, whether that be family
Love your Subacru. members or friends.

HASHTAG Our “Love your Subacru” keeps all the values of previous “Love” campaigns and creates an inviting
culture that emphasizes brand loyalty.
#WithMySubacru

COLORS

OUR STRATEGY

To create a friendly environmentally-conscious

community for Subaru owners.
ICONS

BRAND PROMISE
FONTS

Proxima Nova Subaru loves the things you love.

Copperplate
Gothic Bold
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TARGET AUDIENCE
Based on the client brief we received, we are choosing to have the age range of our target audience as people aged 20-40. To increase positive
feedback from the campaign, we did additional psychographic research to further seperate our target audience from those who may not react or
care about the campaign we are making.

MEET THE EXPERIENCE SEEKER

PSYCHOGRAPHICS DEMOGRAPHICS

Mark is a 33 year old happily married
father of two. His demanding job at
IBM makes for a busy lifestyle, but he’s
still able to drive the kids to school
in his new Subaru Crosstrek. Mark is
generally unconcerned about his health
and eats what he pleases.
Mark and his wife’s stylish new Subaru
Crosstrek is used to get to work, but
also to take weekend road trips with
the kids. Mark would describe himself
as a hard worker who enjoys spending
time with his family. Mark is seen by
others as a respectable, kind and
successful individual.
The individuals in our target have a
median household income of $92,655,
the majority being employed, married
MEET MARK homeowners with children in the
household. 86% of these individuals
have graduated from college or more.
94.6% of these individuals are non-
hispanic, with a 42.5% Asian and 56.8%
white racial break down. 56% of these
individuals are currently between ages
25-34, 39% are 35-44 and 4.5% are
18-24.
The gender breakdown is 48% female
and 52% male. 43% of Subaru owners
have an annual income of $100,000 or
more.

10
PRINT - MAGAZINES

MAGAZINE INSERTS
Print advertisements for the individual cars Crosstrek and Ascent visualize the
opportunity to visit different national parks and ask “where to next?” This print ad will
draw interest in the opportunity to visit national parks, with appealing factual qualities of
the Crosstrek to pair.

7%
Our target is 7% more likely than
the average person to read News
and Entertainment Weeklies.

9%
Our target is 9% more likely
than the average person to read
Women Magazine.

The print advertisements will be dispersed in

magazines that are guaranteed to reach our
target audience: National Geographic, News and
Entertainment Weeklies, Women, and American
Way.

The clean look accentuates the sleek features of

the Crosstrek, with copy that forms a mental image
of experiencing a variety of national parks with
your own Subacru.

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BILLBOARD & SEARCH

BILLBOARD

Subaru will use traditional and digital

signage to reach our consumer on the road.

Billboards will be placed at locations

highlighting scenic areas for photo
moments. Each Billboard will contain the
direction of the photo area, the hashtag and
the Subaru logo.

Highlighting photo moments will encourage

the target to document their travels, thus
increasing online engagement.

SEARCH

Search offers a unique opportunity to reach consumers readily interested in purchasing a

new vehicle.

We will place the Subaru website on the top of google’s search page using search engine
optimization and specific keywords.

When consumers search for “National Park road trip”, “Eco-friendly cars”, “Crosstrek” or
“Ascent” the Subaru website will appear at the top of their feed.

12
HULU AND YOUTUBE

HULU & YOUTUBE

We will utilize Hulu and Youtube with a short 30 second

commercial to reach our target audience via online
streaming, which they have been proven to use more
frequently than alternative options like television. These ads
will play prior to the start or in between sections of the show
or video they are watching.

Simmons data proved our target

20%
audience to be 20% more likely than the
average person to listen to electronic
music, so a fun pop beat was used to
create an uniquely fun commercial.

This commercial matches style of Subaru’s archive of

previous commercials with drone shots of the vehicles. The
national parks are visualized to complete this upbeat and
entertaining 30 second spot in a cohesive fashion with the
rest of our campaign.

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INFLUENCER BOX

Our campaign will send

influencer boxes to popular
influencers on YouTube and
Hulu. Consumers will have the
chance to follow their favorite
influencers on a road trip of
their choosing. Influencer
boxes will contain everything
the direct mail boxes
contained.

We expanded the influencer

box by including keys to a new
Subaru Ascent or Crosstrek
and a GoPro to document
their experiences. We will
encourage them to engage
with their followers by using
our branded hashtag.

Partnering with social media

influencers will take the
Experience Seekers on a
journey to a national park in a
Subaru and then prompt their
followers to possibly do the
same.

14
DIRECT MAIL INSERT

The brochure
demonstrates the
contents of the box as
well as how to immerse
oneself into the Subacru
community.

It also contains five fun

facts about the Ascent, or
Crosstrek depending on
which car was purchased,
that the consumer may
not have known about the
car.

With the design of this

brochure, consumers
are sure to recognize
the brand and it’s values
and hopefully continue to
support the brand in the
future.

This insert supports the

Subacru campaign by
making sure that people
with Subarus will be loved
by not only their friends
and family, but also the
company itself.

15
DIRECT MAIL

Each Subaru owner will receive a box containing the pass through direct mail. The box will also contain a welcome brochure, a keychain, and a road
trip Spotify playlist -- created by Subaru.

The direct mail encourages our target to participate join the Subacru community physically as well as virtually by listing the campaign hashtag. Using
the hashtag will increase online engagement with the brand and create interaction within their own social media circles.

16
MEDIA STRATEGY

Our media strategy employs vehicles that Experience Seekers use frequently in order to seamlessly integrate campaign messaging
into the buying experience. Subaru asked us to alter the buying experience, which we fulfilled by including unique vehicles like
direct mail, Spotify playlists and influencer boxes for a personable experience.

While we cannot alter the dealership experience, we feel we have successfully altered the overall buying experience by making use
of personal interactions with Experience Seekers through strategically placed campaign messaging.

I MPRES S ION S EX PECTE D

YouTube and Hulu Direct Mail

46M 60M

Radio Outdoor
87M 465M

Print Search Digital

524M 146M 47M

17
MEDIA PLAN

Our media plan strategically allocates the $20 million budget among vehicles that our target is proven to be using. These vehicle selections are
backed up by research from databases like Simmons, University Reporter and Mintel among others. he client brief suggested we spend between $15-
20 million to fulfill client objectives.

Our plan suggests using the full allowance of $20 million to exceed campaign goals. We decided to allocate 3% of our budget towards a contingency
fund ($600,000), meaning we spent $19.4 million on our various vehicles to appropriately reach our target. We utilized a pulsing strategy to make the
most of the summer travel season. National parks are most often visited during the second quarter of the year (May, June, July and August), so a large
60% of the budget will be spent during this peak travel period, when National parks will be a very appealing selling point for consumers. Quarter 3
(September, October, November and December) received 30% to accommodate for the spike of car purchases during Christmas season. Quarter
1 (January, February, March and April) was given a low 10% of the budget due to low national park visitation and low average unit sales for Subaru
during that time period.

18
RESULTS

You asked us to identify the ideal wants and expectations of emerging new car buyers as they move through the consumer journey and to design a
comprehensive marketing communications plan that effectively reaches these buyers.

With the “Love Your Subacru” campaign, the consumer journey will be altered by personalized presents upon purchase of a Crosstrek or Ascent.
The marketing communications plan will successfully reach our target, backed by data found on Simmons, Mintel, and University Reporter among
others. Subaru will create an attractive and welcoming community with the Subacru.

A N TICIPATED OU TCOME S

152% 1,375,566,593
Return on Investment Estimated Impressions
19
INDEX

8. https://trends.google.com/trends/
explore?date=all&geo=US&q=subaru

1. www.redbooks.com
2 https://crimsonhexagon.com
3. Simmons Insights database.
4. Spotify Ad Studio. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://
adstudio.spotify.com/
9. Https://trends.google.com/
trends/explore?date=today%20
5-y&geo=US&q=crosstrek,subaru%20ascent
10. https://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/
throwback-thursday-50-years-subaru-
ads/307997/
11. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/
archive/2016/06/how-subarus-came-to-be-seen-
as-cars-for-lesbians/488042/

5. https://www-consumerbrandanalytics-com. 12. http://marketingtherainbow.info/case%20

studies/cs%20cars/subaru.html
6. http://www.adspender.com http://www.carmichaellynch.com/work/subaru-
love/
7. www.statista.com
13. https://www.forbes.com/sites/
dalebuss/2018/09/10/huge-subaru-ascent-
debuts-with-advertising-campaign-declaring-
love-is-now-bigger-than-ever/#38c2e0991821

14. https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/
news/local/south-jersey/2019/01/04/subaru-
america-crosstrek-ascent-sales-record-legacy-
impreza/2479538002/

20