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consumer,” says Scott. “Why would they want to
sit through something that’s not entertaining?
We have to give them a reason to watch, because
their time is valuable.”
By echoing Idol content, the Ron Ronn episodes
offered a virtually seamless experience between
the show and the ad, and each offl ine 30-second
segment closed with a prominent URL, signalling
a bigger experience waiting for fans online. The
fun, interactive site-world, where “Ronaholicks”
could “checkit, checkit” and hear him “kick it
double-R style,” developed Ron Ronn’s character
beyond the segments. It also helped to create
deeper ties with consumers, while at the same
time familiarizing them with Telus smartphone
applications.
“Ron Ronn’s generating a lot of market buzz,
and there are plenty of visits to the microsite,”
says Sauquillo. “People are averaging over six
minutes of time on the site. That tells us we’ve
given visitors a lot of interesting stuff to check
out, and a unique, integrated idea.”
“The viral component was something we were
hoping would help build momentum around
the campaign, and that’s in fact the case,” says
Scott. “People are emailing friends about it and
setting up to be a fan on Facebook.”
“Today, TV and print are still strong media
options, but we need to expand our thinking
to options that allow a different kind of
engagement,” says Sauquillo. “Consumers have
an experience with the brand rather than being
preached to by an advertiser.”
www.telus.com/ronronn
32 STRATEGY October 2008
SUBARU’S SUMOS PROVE SEXY SELLS
First, there were BMW Films, the high-production-value, riveting viral mini-fl icks. And then, not so much
ground-breaking material. But this summer, the 2009 Subaru Forester took a sharp turn into some
mighty racy marketing.
With its fl agship brand in decline over the past fi ve years, Subaru needed to tap into a larger, more
mainstream market looking to buy Japanese brands. That meant positioning itself against biggies like
Toyota, Honda and Mazda in a highly competitive category. It also needed to convince consumers who
knew very little about the brand to consider buying one for the very fi rst time. So with the 2009 model
redesign serving as the launching pad, the Forester franchise focused on attracting a new, younger demo
looking at trading in their youthful car for a larger vehicle.
“Consumers still want to feel good about the practical side of a small SUV purchase, but with more fun
attached,” says Cathy Kim, director of production for Subaru’s AOR, Tribal DDB Toronto. “We wanted to
do this in the biggest way possible. We realized that by playing to this inherent need, we could carve out
Subaru’s mass media campaign lured sumo lovers online, where they got to know the Forester – and world
champion sumo wrester Byambajav Ulanbayar – intimately.
a defi nitive position in consumers’ minds. Research told us we still needed to play up Subaru’s Japanese
roots, which put us fi rmly in the competitive set with the CRV and RAV4.”
So DDB came up with an integrated campaign, launched on television with the memorable sexy sumo car
We wanted to do this
in the biggest way
possible. We realized that
by playing to this inherent
need, we could carve out
a defi nitive position in
consumers’ minds
www.strategymag.com
wash scene. The 60-second spot garnered
widespread coverage and became the most
talked-about automotive viral video in the
world over a week, with over a half a million
YouTube views. Magazine and newspaper
ads followed featuring Subaru’s sumos in a
series of sexy poses mirroring classic pin-
up images. The sexy sumo was even placed in various Xbox 360 games with virtual out-of-home billboards.
At dealerships, consumers were greeted with even more sexy-sumo imagery, including life-sized cutouts,
some of which were subsequently stolen. For radio, the sexy theme was addressed differently, with a sultry,
Barry White-type voice interjecting during the announcer’s product description, repeatedly mentioning
how the specifi c features make him feel like “makin’ love.”