Crosstrek ad feels ‘kind of familiar'

CAMDEN, N.J. — Subaru marketing has its dogs. And the brand has its history of owners keeping their vehicles for a long time.

To promote the Crosstrek subcompact crossover, Subaru of Am- erica plans to combine the two.

An ad that was to launch Monday, Aug. 19, on TV and digital video in 30-second and 1-minute versions combines the love of dogs with old Subarus and the brand's other go-to ingredient — the outdoors.

"It should feel kind of familiar," said Alan Bethke, Subaru's senior vice president of marketing, in an interview at Subaru's U.S. headquarters before the spot's launch.

The commercial, titled "Old Friends," begins with a curious puppy who makes its way across a field, interrupts a gruff neighbor's work and is shooed away. The dog's owner notices its absence and drives over in her Crosstrek to retrieve it.

The scene then repeats, but time has gone by. The dog and the neighbor have aged, and the neighbor's feelings toward the dog have warmed, as they play a game of fetch. Again, the dog's owner retrieves it in a Crosstrek.

In the last scene, the narrator remarks that 10 years have passed. This time, the dog, slow to move, is driven to see the neighbor by its owner in the same Crosstrek, now also aged. The dog and the neighbor, who is noticeably older and using a cane, share a tender moment.

"It's an all-new spot," Bethke said. "But dogs, Subaru, love and longevity all go together."

Subaru worked with longtime agency Carmichael Lynch on the commercial.

Subaru is pitching the Crosstrek at younger customers. It was redesigned for the 2018 model year.

"It's a nice complement," Jeff Walters, Subaru of America's senior vice president of sales, said of the nameplate. "It fits very well in our lineup when you think about how we're set up from Crosstrek to Forester to Outback to Ascent. If you're thinking about the first SUV someone's going to purchase, that's a good candidate for them."

Crosstrek sales were down 19 percent in the U.S. this year through July.

For the 2019 model year, Subaru has added the Crosstrek Hybrid, a plug-in variant that went on sale this spring in California and the nine states that have adopted California's zero-emission vehicle regulations, Walters noted.

"We've kept the supply quite low," Walters said of the imported hybrid. "We don't have more than a month's supply on the ground right now."

Subaru plans to start rolling out the plug-in hybrid to retailers in other states on a voluntary basis by year end, he said.

"I don't think we'll get too much in the Midwest, but you have states like Colorado, Washington, kind of fit that mindset," said Walters.