Helping Subaru in Canada

[ddbcanada]

Hey everyone at the USMB.

 

My name is Dre and I work for a company called DDB Canada. We are the advertising agency responsible for marketing Subaru in Canada. The reason I’m here is that I was wondering if I could ask you guys for some help. We are currently developing a new advertising campaign, the first ever developed for Canada only. Because of this we feel it is important that we get feedback from Subaru owners such as yourselves.

 

What we’d like to know for starters is pretty simple:

 

Why do you drive a Subaru?

 

Your input will be greatly appreciated.

 

Sincerely,

Dre

 

PS. I also drive a 97 Legacy Outback.

[nipper]

EASY affordable AWD .. They love the snow

 

 

nipper

[mtsmiths]

1. Superior AWD performance that is 'invisible' to the driver, no matter what the conditions. Nothing goesin snow like a Subaru AWD.

2. Outstanding roadworthieness and handling in ALL conditions. I can easily lose the average Bimmer on dry windy roads.

3. Reliability, we are on Subaru No. 5, all have gone well over 150,000 with no major mechanical issues, one well over 200,000 (miles not klicks).

4. Affordability, both purchase and running (good gas mileage).

5. Good looks and styling, especially the post 2000 models.

6. Subarus are the unofficial state car of NW Montana.

7. Don't wanna drive a truck.

 

We're in lower 48, but only 60 miles from the Alberta border, so you can use our data.

[Ranger83]

I think I'd try subaruoutback.org and legacygt.com. Maybe even NAISOC. Lot more people there have purchased recently than on this forum, which seems more maintenance oriented. Albeit true blue.

 

How about, "If Pamela Anderson still lived in Canada, she'd drive a Subaru. They have big airbags."

[frag]

1. Superior AWD performance that is 'invisible' to the driver, no matter what the conditions. Nothing goesin snow like a Subaru AWD.

2. Outstanding roadworthieness and handling in ALL conditions. I can easily lose the average Bimmer on dry windy roads.

3. Reliability, we are on Subaru No. 5, all have gone well over 150,000 with no major mechanical issues, one well over 200,000 (miles not klicks).

4. Affordability, both purchase and running (good gas mileage).

5. Good looks and styling, especially the post 2000 models.

6. Subarus are the unofficial state car of NW Montana.

7. Don't wanna drive a truck.

8. Great for escaping the law while transporting contraband booze in winter.

9. Car almost drives by itself so you can sample the cargo with no problems.

 

We're in lower 48, but only 60 miles from the Alberta border, so you can use our data.

 

Hi ntsmiths,

did'nt you forget a couple of good reasons?

Hope I'm not pushing the humour too far...

Just wanted to say hello!

[frag]

Affordable and easy to repair.

Please tell you boss to keep it that way.

I'd like to think that the Brighton spirit will one day soon come back.

[nipper]

Say if you have any pull, we would LOVE dual range transmissions in north america

 

 

nipper

[zyewdall]

Affordable 4wd (mine is an '89 so it's stil 4wd instead of AWD) that's easy to repair, and almost unstoppable in the snow. I can haul lumber and stuff in the wagon and it still gets better gas mileage than all the other SUV's and trucks, not to mention loads better handling in the snow. If there were a new one available that had dual range and a diesel engine, I would go out and buy it today. Those are the two things stopping me from getting a newer one. Well, that and the fact that I enjoy not having a car payment, but I could afford one if I liked the car enough.

[Snowman]

Depending on where in Canada you're advertising, I think the biggest thing you can push is their ability to handle bad road conditions. The biggest single reason I own Subarus exclusively is that, although they are not fast on dry roads or in a straight line, they can handle snow, rain, mud, dirt roads, and anything else nature can throw at them, much better than any other vehicle I've seen.

 

For example: During the winter, I routinely make an 800 mile trip between home and school, and do it in three hours less than most people take during the summer.

[fishy]

Since Canada has so much wilderness per capita maybe subaru could feature an ad campaign along the lines of "Subaru with standard symetrical AWD: brings the wilderness to you." You could probably have some animals steal a subaru to get out of suburbia and back to their forest homes

 

Or "Subaru: all-weather performance" (this would be a great visual commercial: upper-middle class baby boomer couple comes out of a nice restaurant in a ski-resort town like Banff and hops into their new legacy GT. They give each other a frisky wink and head off straight up a skislope to their romantic, secluded cabin on the mountain)

 

well anyway it makes sense to me

[ddbcanada]

Thanks guys, this is all really great feedback ... I myself have family in northern ontario and make several winter trips, so i know all about passing bimmers I've never had an issue.

 

I'm curious about how you guys were first introduced to Subaru. What can you tell me about your first contact with the brand?

 

dre

[Snowman]

Since Canada has so much wilderness per capita maybe subaru could feature an ad campaign along the lines of "Subaru with standard symetrical AWD: brings the wilderness to you." You could probably have some animals steal a subaru to get out of suburbia and back to their forest homes

 

Along the same lines, you could play off the phrase, "as sure-footed as a mountain goat". There could be a shot of some people in their biga$$ SUV parked at the base of a mountain looking at some goats on the top, with the people asking, "Man, how did they get up there?" Then the shot would change to a close up of the goats, with one goat in the background driving off in a Subaru.

[zyewdall]

 

I'm curious about how you guys were first introduced to Subaru. What can you tell me about your first contact with the brand?

 

dre

 

Someone across the street had a rusted out '82 GL wagon for sale for $50. I was a broke carless college student then, and bought it to get out of town and go camping on the weekends. I didn't even know that it was a subaru when I first saw it, but I soon learned that with 4wd and lo range, I could take it up jeep trails that my friends with nice new ford explorers were scared to get their trucks dirty or dented on. And it got twice the gas mileage too. I was sold, and I've owned 6 of them now.

[mattocs]

reliable and cheap (although, I don't know about current models)

 

AWD is a big thing...and they are all attractive. (The Baja is sexy)

[mtsmiths]

I'm curious about how you guys were first introduced to Subaru. What can you tell me about your first contact with the brand? dre

 

I lived in Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii in the late '70s. Many of the folks who lived up some really horrendous coffee plantation roads started buying Subarus because they NEEDED 4WD, but gas was so gawd-awful expensive.

 

When my wife and I moved to Tucson, AZ we went scouting for a ski trip vehicle at one of those covers-the-whole-fairgrounds used car wholesale events. I spotted a nice clean '78 4WD wagon amongst all the Chevy Suburbans, Dodge Rams and Ford Exploders. I asked the salesman about the car, and he didn't even know what it was ... so, I got it really cheap. We drove that car all over the west, loaded to the roof with kids, dogs, skis, and you-name-it, in all kinds of weather, and it never let us down.

 

After moving back to Hawaii for a decade, we moved to Whitefish, Montana ... and, of course, started buying Subarus again.

[Lesbaru]

Subarus: sturdy, spry, and stable.

 

I drove a friend's Ford Exploder and thought I was gonna roll it right there in her driveway.

 

Dunno when I first found out about subies, seems like I've always wanted one. I'm on my third Subaru now, the first brand new car I've ever had. Convinced my mom and gf to buy subies also. (they got theirs new)

 

I'd sure like to see a subie diesel that is willing to run B100. I almost bought a VW instead, just so I could run biodiesel. (VW of US voids the warrantee if you run anything more than B5, even though European warrantees cover B100.)

 

(I grew up just south of the BC border, does that count? Quasi-Canadian...)

[zyewdall]

I'd sure like to see a subie diesel that is willing to run B100. I almost bought a VW instead, just so I could run biodiesel. (VW of US voids the warrantee if you run anything more than B5, even though European warrantees cover B100.)

 

Sorry, off topic. But a possible reason they will warrantee B100 in europe is the different quality certification that european biodiesel must meet. Soy bio diesel found mostly here in the US has a higher iodine number which apparently increases danger of polymerization of engine oil. The European standards won't allow soy biodiesel, and they use canola biodiesel instead, with a lower iodine number. I've used both with no trouble yet, but my truck's 21 years old too. Obviously not still under warantee.

 

Zeke

 

'89 Subaru GL touring wagon

'84 Mitsubishi turbo biodiesel truck

'90 VW biodiesel rabbit (in progress)

[forester2002s]

Why did I buy a Subaru?

 

Near to where I live, there is a steep road with even steeper driveways. Someone had put up a road-sign reading "Rue Subaru".

 

That's when I started noticing the high-percentage of Subarus around.

 

I too live at the end of a steep road, so when I was looking for a new car......

[SQ93]

My 1993 Legacy L wagon is almost to 234k miles and has been the most reliable car I know of with good gas mileage (still 30 mpg or better) and is also fun to drive.

 

 

Hey everyone at the USMB.

 

My name is Dre and I work for a company called DDB Canada. We are the advertising agency responsible for marketing Subaru in Canada. The reason I’m here is that I was wondering if I could ask you guys for some help. We are currently developing a new advertising campaign, the first ever developed for Canada only. Because of this we feel it is important that we get feedback from Subaru owners such as yourselves.

 

What we’d like to know for starters is pretty simple:

 

Why do you drive a Subaru?

 

Your input will be greatly appreciated.

 

Sincerely,

Dre

 

PS. I also drive a 97 Legacy Outback.

[fnlyfnd]

reliable and cheap (although, I don't know about current models)

Get some dual ranges in North America

[gbhrps]

Yeah.... AWD, dependable, frugal with fuel .... and no other car looks like it. Bought my 97 OBW LTD because it looked so great in the two tone paint, and had more features and far better gas mileage than the Pathfinder it replaced. Bought my 02 OBW LTD for the same reasons ..... but really bought both vehicles because where I live there are very, very few Subarus around ... and it stands out in the crowd. A week doesn't go by when I'm not queried by someone as to how I like my Subaru, and get complimented on its good looks. (Now, if I could only convince my wife that I really deserve to have a new 06 OBW LTD!!!!)

[D-Cal]

I wanted a comfortable 4 door car.

I wanted AWD for crappy weather since I commute on rural highways a lot.

I wanted something with "fun factor". Decent power. Stick.

I wanted something that was dependable.

I wanted something that wasn't like what everyone else was driving.

I wanted something that was easy to service.

I wanted something that was decent on gas (IE. I didn't want a truck).

[TheSubaruChild]

Thanks guys, this is all really great feedback ... I myself have family in northern ontario and make several winter trips, so i know all about passing bimmers I've never had an issue.

 

I'm curious about how you guys were first introduced to Subaru. What can you tell me about your first contact with the brand?

 

dre

 

Hey Dre,

 

I'd be happy to give you my input for some primary market respearch.

 

How was I first introduced to Subaru?

 

Well, I'm pretty young (20) and I have a 1990 Legacy L station wagon that will turn 16 next month. My parents bought it brand new the first year the Legacy was introduced.

 

While this was the first Subaru vehicle we owned, this was not our first exposure to the Subaru brand. A colleague of my fathers had a mid 80's Subaru DL wagon, which we babysat the year before we got our Legacy. At the time my parents weren't overly thrilled with Subaru - my mom rode in it one time when she was driven home from the hospital she says she remembered thinking that it wasn't particulary comfortable or nice in any way... not one that they would have considered buying for themselves, anyway.

 

A few months later this family went on an extended vacation to Europe, and they left their DL with us for good 6 months or so. Again my parents were not really interested in it - I don't have any outstanding memories of going for rides in the car while it was in our possession, I think my dad just drove it around the block every now and then to make sure it's battery was charged.

 

That was summer 89, and by the fall of that year my parents were in the market for a new vehicle. After dragging me to every car dealership in Fredericton (not fun when you're all of 4 years old) we went to the Subaru/Volvo dealer (we also had a volvo at the time). My parents first test drove a Loyale, which of course they did not like because it was very similar to the DL (replacement model perhaps?). The salesman showed us a blue Legacy wagon in the showroom, and my parents decided to take it out for a test drive. They were pleasantly surprised with it, as the Legacy was more cushy and luxurious than the previous Subarus. For a base model, the L was pretty much loaded with features, which they liked as well (not a lot of extra $ to get a fully loaded car). In January of 1990 they bought a bright red L wagon, for about $22 000 (in 1990 dollars). It, so far, has been the only car we have ever bought brand new.

 

What do we like best about Subaru, and what made us choose this car over others?

 

Direct quote from parents:

 

The Subaru Legacy had the best interior design (fit and finish - still an excellent feature of Subaru to this day), best handling (great in snow and bad waether), price point with respect to comparable cars (Passat, Camry, Accord, and Nissan at the time). Overall intelligent design, market share reflects this vehicle assciated with white collar enlightened intellegencia. Disappointed at present with some of Subaru's current offerings - fuel economy (where is the hybrid?), increased price point, warranty not as good as Toyota's (we currently own two).

 

Sorry this was a bit of a long one!

I'm glad you have taken the time to read this far,

 

Sarah

[ddbcanada]

Sorry this was a bit of a long one!

I'm glad you have taken the time to read this far,

 

sarah, thanks so much for all the detailed information ... and thanks again to the rest of you for being so accommodating.

 

I have another question.

 

What are your thoughts on current Subaru advertising (TV, Print, Internet) in Canada (or anywhere else for that matter)? Are there any features or characteristics that you feel need to be added or emphasized?

[D-Cal]

I'm thinking you should do what a few companies have done, have a "drive it day". Rent a parking lot somewhere. Make sure it's loaded with snow. Bring 3 vehicles: a mix of competitors FWD, RWD, and AWD Subaru. Have curious people drive each one in turn around a simple course with pylons. The results should be pretty obvious.

 

While all this is going on, bring a camera crew to shoot it. Would make a very convincing commercial, air it next year starting in November.