Infiniti: Brush-stroke ads to get 5 years

Infiniti has told its national dealer advisory group that it is committing to a five-year run for the new "Way of Infiniti" advertising campaign -- a long-term pledge intended to reassure retailers that the brand will have a consistent message.

"We are saying that this ad campaign is going to be set in stone for a long time to come," said Kyle Bazemore, senior manager for Infiniti product communications.

The ads, which began running on TV and in print in January, play up Infiniti's Japanese design heritage and craftsmanship using a traditional Japanese brush-and-ink style of painting called sumi-e.

The strokes spread across the TV screen and burst into images of Infiniti vehicles and product features.

"The brush strokes have become a very strong symbol for us," says Ben Poore, vice president of the Infiniti business unit.

But more important than the imagery is the long-term pledge, says Rick Cowart, executive manager of Sewell Infiniti in Dallas and chairman of Infiniti's National Dealer Advisory Board.

"What Ben's telling us is that this is going to be a consistent message for consumers," Cowart says. "That's very important for Infiniti. We've gone through different messages in the past, and I think it's important that we focus on consistency."