Have you seen the new Subaru commercial?  The one where the tag-line is share the love?  The first time I saw it was on Thanksgiving morning just after we put the turkey in the oven and had sat down in front of the television to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. 

The commercials are a marketing campaign based on the love Subaru owners have for their vehicles and their desire to help worthy causes and charities.  The new campaign, called Share the Love,” is scheduled to run from November 24 to January 2 and will allow new Subaru customers to choose one of five charities which will receive a $250.00 donation from Subaru of America, following the purchase or lease of a new Subaru vehicle.

The program is expected to raise up to $5 million for charities during its duration. The five charities participating in the program are the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Habitat for Humanity International, Meals on Wheels Association of America, the National Wildlife Federation and The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Reportedly, research has shown that Subaru buyers are somehow more actively involved in charitable causes than those who purchase other vehicle makes and models, so the campaign was developed by the company’s brand agency, Carmichael Lynch, to align those results to purchasing or leasing a new Subaru.  I haven’t been able to locate the results of the research study, so I guess I’ll have to take their word for it, albeit somewhat grudgingly.   I’m not saying I think this is in any way a bad idea I mean, giving to charity is always a good thing, no matter what kind of vehicle you own or drive only that I’d like to actually see the results.  I mean surely people who buy a Volvo, Nissan, Chevy or Toyota are just as concerned about charitable causes as Subaru owners are, right?  Nontheless, if you’ve recently bought a Subaru and were able to participate in this program, then good on ya – it’s always great to give to a worthy cause, especially when the economy is in a slump and it’s so close to the holidays.  Goodness knows charitable causes need all the help they can get, especially now when most consumers are stretched pretty thin.   

Kevin Mayer, who is the director of marketing communications for Subaru said they wanted to create a program that was unique:

“We wanted to create a program that not only stands out from the crowd, but is also relevant to our customer’s value system – that of giving back to the community. The program is also timely in that many charities are feeling the effects of the recent economic troubles. So we are pleased to be helping charities during this difficult period.”

I would just like to add that I think the commercials are great – in fact, I like them so much they make me want to buy a Subaru.  Anybody else?

For more information on the program, visit www.subaru.com.

Tags: Car Shopping, General // Add Comment »