“Sex sells” is an adage that for better or worse remains viable. But DDB Canada in Toronto takes it to a comedic and literally much weightier level, proving once again that sexy sumo wrestlers can sell in a return engagement for the Subaru Forester.
DDB Canada creatives debuted the sexy sumos back in 2008 (SHOOT, 5/23/08) in Subaru’s “Car Wash,” making a big splash in Canada as the 350-pound-plus wrestlers–behaving as if they were svelte, playful, bikini-clad girls–cleaned the grime off of a muddy Forester. A voiceover chimed in, “Japanese SUVs just got a little sexier–introducing the all new 2009 Subaru Forester.”
Fast forward to 2011, and we see a garage door open one morning, revealing a Forester as well as a sumo wrestler standing alongside it, striking a Vogue-like pose. Other vignettes show the sumo lying provocatively on a Forester hood while being soaped and sprayed in a hand car wash, two wrestlers licking ice cream cones while seated atop the hoods of two Foresters parked next to one another, and a sumo whose body sprawled across the windshield makes it impossible for a parking ticket to be placed on the SUV. The scenarios make for an offbeat send-up of those automotive magazine covers featuring sexy women perched on muscle cars.
Other TV spot interludes include the wrestler seated in the backseat of a Forester, shoe-horned in between two children. We also see two lovebirds cozying up to one another inside a Forester. But disrupting their imminent embrace is the sight of the sumo laid out across the hood of the vehicle, staring at them. The :60 concludes at a Subaru dealership where assorted sumo wrestlers are relaxing on the hoods of the dealer’s fleet of Foresters. A voiceover relates, “With the new Japanese-engineered Subaru Forester, sexy comes standard.”
This :60–titled “Sexy Comes Standard”–and a :30 version are airing nationally on TV in Canada as well as on Subaru Canada’s YouTube channel.
Return engagement “Our original campaign was an enormous success in getting people to notice how ruggedly sexy the Subaru Forester is,” said Todd Mackie, co-creative director, DDB Canada. “The sumos have become an iconic part of not only Subaru, but the Forester brand as well, reinforcing the fact that this vehicle is no ordinary Japanese SUV.”
Ted Lalka, VP, product planning and marketing for Subaru Canada, added, “Consumers aren’t the only ones who have responded positively to our sexy sumo ads, Subaru dealers have been especially receptive to the campaign. This is why we were immediately interested when DDB approached us regarding a new take on the original idea.”
The new Subaru campaign marks not only the return of the sumos but also of the director, the editor and much of the agency creative team who worked on the original “Car Wash” commercial. Jorn Haagen again directed the sexy sumo work, collaborating once more with DDB Canada associate creative director/art director Paul Riss, associate creative director/copywriter Matt Antonello, and producer Andrew Schulze.
During the first go-around, Haagen was with The Corner Store, Toronto. He is now at OPC, Toronto.
Editor was Mark Morton of School.
Integrated effort The TV work is complemented by print, online, PR, and in-store, point-of-sale presentation materials.
For example, three head-turning images of Byamba, star of the “Sexy Comes Standard” campaign and three-time sumo world champion, are being used for the campaign’s print creative. The first sees Byamba seductively licking an ice cream cone with his right leg propped up against a Forester tire as he stares longingly into the distance. The second image gives us a glimpse into a day in the life of Byamba as he does his best to pack the back of his Forester with groceries. The third image is one of Byamba’s most seductive to-date as he leans over the front of a Forester with a stunning British Columbia park in the background.
Byamba also was featured in the Subaru booth at last month’s Toronto AutoShow as part of a publicity initiative from DDB PR.
Online elements and Flash banners were developed by Tribal DDB Toronto. This month, behind-the-scenes footage and funny outtakes from the commercial shoot were uploaded to the Subaru website. Radar DDB will engage communities by cultivating assets on various social networking sites.
