Legendary adman David Ogilvy said he was in favor of sex in advertising as long as it was relevant to the product. If the ol' Scot were still around, he'd certainly have a thing or two to say about the dreary romantic landscape in today's commercials—99% of the time it's all too obvious the actors couldn't care less about each other. But I have a feeling he'd like the new one for Subaru, which provides much needed warmth in this otherwise frigid creative tundra.
The spot is wittily titled "Talk Car" and features some of the most electrifying chemistry ever displayed in a 30-second ad. If you think I'm exaggerating, have a look yourself (below—probably not a good idea to do it at work.) I give credit to the actors, Claude Shires and Kristin Korn, but also the creative team for cleverly fusing car talk and bedroom banter. The result is extraordinary. Fasten your seatbelts.
The commercial brings us to a Subaru dealership where an attractive couple is checking out the new Tribeca. Their conversation—which sounds natural and feels real, similar to dialogue in a Tarantino movie—focuses on the vehicle in which they are sitting. "Wow!" the man says. "The Subaru Tribeca has a great interior." She glances at him with come-hither eyes and replies, "award-winning, actually." Suddenly, sparks are flying, and we are intently focused on where this is going. Cut to him shifting into drive (it's an automatic) and the first of two sweet exterior shots of the Tribeca rounding a sharp curve—the perfect visual for turning up the heat.
In her sexy, sassy way, she begins reeling off vehicle features in rapid succession—an innovative way to highlight product benefits. Rear-view camera. 356-horsepower engine. DVD player. Cut to him getting excited. Somehow, when she says, "Four cargo-area tie-down posts," you're thinking of more than shifting cargo. "I love it when you talk car," he says. At this point, the creatives have us in the palms of their hands—we are literally weak at the knees—and they hit us with sweet curve-shot number two. Kaboom.
It ends with the excellent tag, "Ready for more?" Yes. Yes, I am. Just give me 15 to 20 minutes. Thank you, Subaru, for a real good time.