Suzuki Gets Its (Familiar) Message Across

Advertiser: American Suzuki Motor Corp.

Agency: Asher & Partners, Los Angeles

Challenge: Change Suzuki’s image as a maker of underpowered, noisy vehicles as it introduces a new mini-SUV to replace the Sidekick.

The Ads: Three television spots assert the Grand Vitara has surprising power and style. In one, the vehicle races among a herd of galloping horses across a rugged landscape as a horse comments, “That’s a Suzuki?” In another ad, the man in the moon admires the vehicle, moonlit in the wilderness where its owners are camping. “Is that really a Suzuki?” the moon asks. “It’s very nice.” In the third spot, car wash nozzles and brushes caress the vehicle. The ads end with the slogan, “Engineered to fit your life.”

Comment: These ads are the centerpiece of a $30-million campaign for the Grand Vitara, the biggest single ad blitz in American Suzuki’s history. It hopes to convince consumers that in the Grand Vitara, Suzuki has overcome the shortcomings of the Sidekick, often criticized for its modest four-cylinder engine and noisy, truck-like handling. Suzuki faces a crowded SUV field, but is betting the Grand Vitara’s V6 engine and refined styling will give it an edge. And that’s the message Suzuki conveys in its advertising, with repeated references to power and looks. But the slogan sounds like a version of tag lines used by competitors, such as “Is your life built for Mitsubishi?” $$+