Persuasion Research on the Visual Advertising Techniques of Subaru

Every auto maker (whether it’s Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, etc.) has a unique way of appealing to their customers. Chevrolet’s slogan “Like a Rock” appeals to the fact that their vehicles are built tough, and the same goes for Ford’s “Built Tough” which also appeals to that fact the their vehicles are built just as tough. Subaru, on the other hand, chose to take a different approach altogether. Ask anyone who has ever driven a Subaru and they will tell you that they wouldn’t drive anything else.

Subaru prides itself on their customer’s loyalty and their customer’s consensus is that people love their vehicles.

In 2008, Subaru tugged at the public’s heart strings with their new commercial. Instead of using the all-American family or construction workers at a site, they chose to use rescue dogs to market their vehicles. By doing their own research, Subaru found that at least 67% of their customers had a pet and that the majority were dog owners.

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Alas, their “dog-tested, dog-approved” advertising technique was born. This advertising technique also set forth the “Share the Love” campaign, which is geared towards contributing to animal causes, such as ASPCA. As the campaign progressed, Subaru has successfully transported over 21,000 dogs, donated up to $14 million towards various animal causes, and has helped to rescue and adopt over 40,000 animals. (Ingram, 2017).

Subaru uses the technique of social validation with their customers. Customers watching the advertisements could completely despise Subaru, but their love of animals and various animal causes could be their decision to donate.

This one person’s actions could validate their friends’ decisions in donating as well, even though they might not be a Subaru customer. In Subaru’s first ever video, they used their employees’ rescue dogs and it was a huge hit. That one idea helped pave the way and ten years later they are still using the dogs in their commercials.

Subaru has expressed themselves as a family-focused and pet friendly brand. Their commercials and advertisements showcase this by using a dog family to do every day human activities. Whether they are taking their kid to his first day of school, learning how to drive or attempting to get their baby to sleep by driving around at night, people can relate to that. Subaru is not going out of its way to claim or recommend something that they do not stand behind with this particular advertisement. Subaru own research of their drivers shows that a majority of their customers are pet owners, and what better way to showcase their brand than with a dog family.

The advertisements also used the peripheral route to persuasion. When customers are searching for their next vehicle, they know that each vehicle and manufacturer has their own good qualities. Subaru stands apart from the crowd in that they have relationships with various animal organizations, and that draws people in because people love animals. Back in 2008, Subaru was looking for a campaign that put the focuses back on their customers. They found that their customers were brand loyal and they wanted to give back in a way. Senior Vice President of Marketing Alan Bethke says “We knew the product side, with all-wheel drive, safety and reliability, we had the uniqueness”. (Ingram, 2017)

The Share the Love campaign helped them to become even more unique. By putting the focus on pet owners, whether they are Subaru loyal or not, they focused on something other than the quality of their vehicles. According to the Department of Transportation, people spent more than 84 billion hours driving in 2015 (Department of Transportation, 2017). Subaru’s own research shows that 67% of their drivers own a pet, so that equals a lot of pet hours in the vehicle. It was an idea that really helped guide Subaru to focus on what is important to their customers, their pets.This campaign helped them to partner with the ASPCA, The Center for Pet Safety and Southeastern Guide Dogs. While each campaign has a different focus, Subaru worked diligently with each one by helping to sponsor studies, events, etc. The Center for Pet Safety focuses on pet travel and their safety in a vehicle. Subaru sponsored studies to look at how pets are secured in vehicles via harnesses, safety belts and crates. By putting the focus on the safety and security of pets in a vehicle, customers can feel safe knowing that Subaru’s recommended safety products will ensure their pets safety, even if they do not purchase a Subaru.By choosing to use pets in their commercials, Subaru uses different techniques to portray human settings. Instead of using actors to portray a happy family, a dog family is put in their place. While the message is still the same, it comes across in a completely different tone. The use of rescue dogs, for that matter, creates a meaningful advertising campaign that almost everyone can relate to.