How Subaru marketing took a chance on Love

CAMDEN, N.J. — Despite love being a staple of Subaru of America’s marketing since 2008, it was no sure thing initially.

In fact, it took some visual efforts to even get the love campaign off the ground, Alan Bethke, the automaker’s senior vice president of marketing, recalled during an interview here in July.

In 2007, Subaru’s fortunes in the U.S. were far different than what they are today. The automaker sold 187,208 vehicles that year; its market share was 1.2 percent. Brand identity was not strong. The automaker needed a jolt.

And so, Subaru reached out to its customers, whom Bethke described as very loyal and super passionate, to ask why they kept coming back to the brand. Love of their vehicle was a common response.

But the marketing department’s task of selling the idea of shifting to emotion-based advertising was easier said than done.

“Everyone else is advertising price, deals, sales events, features and comparisons,” Bethke recalled. “We were telling our Japanese executives, the executives here and dealers, ‘Hey, forget about all that. We want to talk about love.’ It was like our hair was on fire. They were like, ‘You are absolutely out of your mind. You’re crazy.’?”

What ultimately sealed the deal was a video the marketing department created in 2008 that was shared internally.

In the video, real letters from customers that were filled with appreciation and love of Subarus were read.

The video was a catalyst to win over the key decision-makers, Bethke said. Love was a go for Subaru.

Subaru would go on to launch a commercial named “Heaven” that year. It was the first time Subaru used the phrase of “Love. It’s what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.”

“That was the one line that basically stuck a flag in the ground and told everybody, this is what our brand stands for,” Bethke told Automotive News.

“Subaru is the brand about love. So rather than be confused, rather than trying to follow everybody else, rather than not to have an identity, love became Subaru.”