The objective was to let people know that Subaru is a Japanese made car, but with more than just excellent durability and reliability.We showed German engineers enjoying the driving performance of a Japanese car in a fun, not-too-serious way.

To promote our idea that Impreza was the Japanese car the Germans wish they had made, we purchased two facing pages in Canada’s leading newspaper, the Globe & Mail. On one side, we showed a tearful German engineer and facing that, a tear-stained launch ad for the vehicle.

Sales were +97% VYA, online traffic +91%, and showroom traffic +23%. And very importantly, in a market that declined 4%, overall Subaru sales grew 22%.