2022 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

The Wilderness is Subaru’s newest trimline. But it’s not just any regular trim, it’s the most capable one Subaru has ever engineered. With more ground clearance, off-road capability, rugged cladding, and trail-tough styling, it’s perfect for younger adventure seekers who are hardwired for outdoor exploration. The challenge was twofold. First, this trim was being introduced on the Outback, a model bought by older Canadians and generally perceived as a little conservative for their younger target. Second, this trim had zero awareness. To break through, they needed to go big and bold.

Their younger adventure seekers love to live outdoors – in all seasons and all weather. But when they’re planning their adventures, they simply didn’t see themselves in a Subaru. It wasn’t perceived as cool, bold, or epic. To shift perceptions, they needed to show how authentically capable the new Wilderness is and make sure everything they created was worth people’s attention and generated an OMG response. With that in mind, they started thinking about how this vehicle was purpose built for the wild. And what thrives best in the wild? A beast. The approach of personifying the vehicle as a beast allowed them to demonstrate the next-level capabilities of this vehicle in the places that matter most to their target.

They set the Wilderness free with an integrated campaign that was deliberately bold and eye-catching. Their OLV and TV assets showed the Wilderness being airlifted from urban captivity and released in its natural habitat, where they could show off its power and prowess in all terrains. Social stories encouraged viewers to set the Wilderness free by “tapping” urban barriers away, while OOH showcased the remote places you can access when you’ve got Wilderness’s capabilities at the ready. To tease the launch of the Wilderness, they dropped large animal crates in key cities across Canada. As pedestrians approached the crate, the distinct roar of its turbocharged engine was let loose. The box amplified every sound and visibly shook every time the Subaru clambered to escape. “Wildlife rangers'' were on hand to field any questions and give branded merchandise to interested parties. A QR code on the crate also invited people to set it free by booking an adventure test drive, proving once and for all that this beast does not belong in the city. The campaign proved that bold ideas break through.

Their Set It Free campaign garnered over 765,000,000 digital impressions. It engaged 200,000 people with the opportunity to set the Wilderness free with an adventure test drive. The campaign surpassed the average YouTube view-through rate of 45% by 8.56%, and encouraged traffic to Subaru.ca to skyrocket to +847% month over month. It led to a 500% increase in build in price engagements month over month and motivated an organic search boom of 64%. It also had a halo effect on brand sales: Subaru sold 17,612 units in the three months following the campaign launch, an all-time best for the brand and an increase of 25.5% year over year.

Credits

Agency: Zulu Alpha Kilo
Chief Creative Officer: Zak Mroueh
Executive Creative Director: Wain Choi
CD/Writer: Jonathan Smith
CD/Art Director: Patrick Shing
Art Directors: Sarah Quinto, Riley Keen
Writers: Julia Forrester, Laura Biggar
Agency Producer: Revital Grunberg
Account Team: David Tremblay, Maura Kelly, Hayley Blackmore
Strategic Planner: Tim Hopkins, Carly Miller
Client: Subaru Canada
Clients: Don, Durst Ted Lalka, Cynthia Bouris, Gary Sappleton, Curtis Lang
Media Agency: OMD
Media Agency Planner: Michelle Jairam, Natasha Cappelli, Cobi Grein
Production House: ANIMALS
Directors: Sherpas Cinema: Eric Crosland / Dave Mossop
Production House Executive Producers: Miriana DiQuinzio, Chris Hutsul
Production House Line Producers: Andréa Fehsenfeld, Liam Benstead
Director of Photography: Eric Crosland / Dave Mossop
Video Post Facility / Editing Company: Zulubot
Editors: Brian Noon, Max Lawlor
Compositors / Online: Justin Lee, Felipe Chaparro
Zulubot Post Producer: Sarah Dayus, Mariya Guzova
Colourist: Wade Odlum, Alter Ego
Alter Ego Post Producers: Producer - Spencer Butt,
Executive Producer: Hilda Pereira
Music House: Vapor Music
Audio Director: Ted Rosnick
Voice Director: Dustin Anstey
Executive Producer: Kailee Nowosad
Engineer: Julian Rudd
Keystone studios: Paul Rossen, Mike Roi.