Subaru Ascent marketing stresses third row

"You'll see & # 39; three-row & # 39; very close to the word" Ascent "in a lot of marketing communication, and that is not inadvertently.
Alan Bethke Subaru or America Photo credit: AUTOMOTIVE NEWS ILLUSTRATION

Consumers will get the idea that "three rows" are officially part of the name Subaru Ascent of 2019.

Subaru of America plans to say that phrase over and over again, because it brings the new Ascent to the market.

Whether it is a TV commercial of a minute or an online advertisement of six seconds, the phrase 'the brand new Subaru Ascent'. in three rows is pronounced in every place, in case a store misses the point.

Bethke: Building awareness

"We wanted to be very clear in our communication, not just what the name of this vehicle is, but that it is a three-row vehicle," said Alan Bethke, Senior Vice President of Marketing of Subaru of America. The Ascent marketing campaign started last week.

"You'll see & # 39; three-row & # 39; very close to the word" Ascent "in a lot of marketing communication, and that is not inadvertently.

The ascent, which was launched in June, meant that Subaru returned to the fiercely contested cross-overs with three rows. The last submission of the brand in the segment was the Tribeca, which ended the production in 2014.

The Ascent will fight in a segment dominated by the Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander and Chevrolet Traverse. The Ascent has been eagerly waiting at Subaru stores to turn existing Subaru owners into a bigger crossover instead of losing them to bigger competitors.

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"We are coming out with a new model, with a completely new name that people did not know, in a segment where everyone is located and where we have been absent for a long time," said Bethke Automotive News. "And the last time we were there, we were not overly successful.

"We have done very well in this market, but we still go against Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chevy and everyone in the segment," he said. "Building awareness with the name and the fact that Subaru has such a large vehicle, and in this segment – that's really work number 1."

Subaru believes it now has a nameplate suitable for moving families to a larger product, and that is reflected in the amount of family-friendly outlets highlighted in the campaign.

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This includes focusing on seats on the second row of the captain and the standard EyeSight safety system of the vehicle. Captain's chairs are available on all trims except the basic model.

"Many competitors do not have a captain's seat at all, and if they do, they might just be in the upper-end models," he said. "That's a great option for families."

Subaru has made Ascent's marketing message consistent in advertising media.

"You will see children in the third row, you will see a car full of people," said Bethke. "You will notice the same things in some of the short form content: usability of the third row, usability of the captain's seats and the functions that are important in a family vehicle, such as Wi-Fi and 19 cup holders."

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Subaru sold 10.721 Ascents in the United States up to and including August. Last month, Subaru was the best monthly sales in the United States and the brand expects to have achieved its 10th consecutive record sales in the US in 2018.

Because Subaru worked with a long-term advertising partner, Carmichael Lynch, he published a marketing plan that focused on an emotional attraction for the vehicle and included the new crossover in the ongoing Subaru Love & # 39; campaign. The TV commercials now end with the line "Love is now bigger than ever".

"We wanted to connect it to the brand," said Bethke. "The use of the word" love "in the Ascent campaign was a way to connect an unknown model to the Subaru brand, what makes this different, it's bigger."