The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

Author

By Kendra Barnett, Associate Editor

August 9, 2022 | 3 min read

The Japanese automaker has kicked off a new cross-channel campaign developed in conjunction with creative agency Zulu Alpha Kilo.

To promote its newly-unveiled BRZ, a rear-wheel-drive sports coupé, Subaru has unveiled a playful campaign entitled ‘Ignite Your Senses.’

The campaign’s hero film likens the experience of driving the BRZ with overdosing on hot sauce. A man dining in a pizzeria becomes enraptured with a Subaru BRZ parked outside. When the chef provides the man with a bottle of BRZ-branded hot sauce, things really kick up a notch. Soon, our protagonist is immersed in an intense fantasy in which he’s whipping the BRZ through dark city streets. “Introducing the all-new Subaru BRZ,” a powerful voiceover announces. “So scorching it’ll ignite your senses.”

“This latest BRZ model launch had to make drivers feel something visceral and fun,” Gary Sappleton, director of marketing and brand management at Subaru Canada, said in a statement shared with The Drum. “Delivering uncommon experiences that capture the thrilling performance and style of the all-new BRZ will help rally our passionate fanbase.”

And to give consumers a taste of the heat, Subaru is manufacturing a limited-edition real-life BRZ-branded hot sauce. Consumers can participate in social media competitions for a chance to “taste drive” or pick up a bottle of BRZ Hot Sauce at select car dealers.

A special code printed on BRZ Hot Sauce bottles will take consumers to a special Snap AR lens, where they can play a new mobile driving game. Players drive the new BRZ through a series of winding roads, collecting as many chili peppers as they can along the way within 60 seconds. Participants use their own heads to steer, looking at themselves in the Snap lens while they drive.

The campaign is targeted primarily to younger audiences who are likely to enjoy gaming.

Zulu Alpha Kilo and Zulubot, the agency’s production arm, lead the strategy and creative development for the integrated campaign. “Hot sauce has become a cultural phenomenon in recent years,” said Wain Choi, the agency’s executive creative director, in a statement. “By tapping into that rich culture, we can push the boundaries on how to spark interest and trial of a new vehicle.”

The work spans online videos, a Snapchat AR lens, social content, OOH, digital takeovers and package design. Unique Quebec-market creative was also developed in partnership with Agence Rinaldi, and media planning and buying was spearheaded by OMD Worldwide.

The campaign builds on Subaru Canada’s ‘Welcome to Uncommon’ branding and messaging platform, which rolled out last year.

For more, sign up for The Drum’s daily US newsletter here.

Creative Works Brand Strategy Snapchat

More from Creative Works

View all