Outback vs. Venza TV Commercial

[Bhundu12]

Has anyone seen this awful commercial?

[EastTeleSki]

Yes, and there is another thread regarding the commercial.

Have you seen the Toyota Venza commercial?

[mark211]

Sad but Toyota owns 16.7% of Subaru but also to add if you have seen how Toyota has really been hitting the airwaves with new commercials all in the name to win back consumers. One of original new commercials stated Toyota to be safe but that has disappeared after there failure of the new Camry design in Inst of Insurance crash tests. The Venza as all the Toyota AWD are not true AWD as they want to try convince the un-informed buyer to believe. I would never consider a Toyota in any event and this is my 1st Subaru and have already been won over.

Subaru is the automotive division of Japanese conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries. The brand is known for its exclusive use of horizontally opposed boxer engines and standard all-wheel drive on most models. Toyota currently owns a 16.7-percent stake in Subaru's parent company and the two brands share production facilities in the US.

[Bhundu12]

Hey Suby Friends!

What bugs me is the way the Outback drivers are portrayed. I want to share the letter I wrote to Toyota with all of you. Does anyone know how I can attach it? I wish more Outback drivers would give Toyota a piece of their mind. We're not a bunch of Yahoo's!

[fatabbot]

Originally Posted by Bhundu12

Hey Suby Friends!

What bugs me is the way the Outback drivers are portrayed. I want to share the letter I wrote to Toyota with all of you. Does anyone know how I can attach it? I wish more Outback drivers would give Toyota a piece of their mind. We're not a bunch of Yahoo's!

Wait....you actually took the time to write a letter based on a TV commercial? Commercials poke fun at people and the competition all the time, it's kind of sad you'd get so upset over it.

[Bhundu12]

Yes! I sure did.. We would stand up for other things in this world. I am very passionate about my brand and voiced it.

[fatabbot]

Originally Posted by Bhundu12

Yes! I sure did.. We would stand up for other things in this world. I am very passionate about my brand and voiced it.

[jogosub]

Toyotas are fine automobiles - just because Subaru is not number 1 in sales does mean something....

[SE95]

I don't think I've seen this commercial. Anyone have a link? A quick search on Youtube didn't reveal much (other than an ice driving test where the Venza and Outback were nearly identical... good watch btw).

[Bhundu12]

2013 AWD Toyota Venza TV Commercial, 'Scenic Trail' - iSpot.tv

www.ispot.tv/ad/7wie/2013-awd-toyota-venza-scenic-trail

And here's the letter Toyota received from me:


Attn: Director of Marketing and Advertising
Toyota Motors U.S.A., Inc.
19001 South Western Ave.
Dept. WC11
Torrance, CA 90501

September 18, 2012


To whom it may concern:

Re: Venza vs. Subaru Outback TV Commercial

Then manner in which you’ve attempted to compare your Venza to the Subaru Outback in your new television commercial is highly offensive and insulting to Outback drivers and Subaru consumers in general. You must be quite desperate to promote your product! With all the recalls you have going on right now, not to mention the whole mess with your Prius contraption, its no wonder that your stocks have plunged in recent days. Maybe you should clean up your Company act before you try to bash Subaru or anyone else!

It’s one thing to try to compare vehicles. Most Subaru drivers would probably disregard your commercial as “the dog barking at the moon”. People are free to buy and sell whatever appeals to them. It is your portrayal of the Subaru couple that is downright rude and unacceptable. You present them as unkempt and ridiculously dressed. They are made to come across as ignorant, unsophisticated and of a lower social standing. They can’t even stand behind their vehicle choice and are doubtful about it. Highly unlikely for seasoned Subaru drivers because we’re intelligent consumers who know our brand inside and out, and remain faithful to it. There are no doubts when we invest in a Subaru. In your media dig, viewers are led to believe that a negative stereo-type exists with owning an Outback. And, it doesn’t go unnoticed how the Bronze Metallic Outback is presented in such poor lighting to mimic a cheap orange paint job.

Everyone knows that Toyota is a “Johnny-come-lately” in the AWD technology arena. And now you’re suddenly trying to toot your horn and thumb your nose at a product that spearheaded and has proven its AWD technology and more, years before you even thought about it - and well before your Venza was even a concept. A Subaru has nothing to prove because it’s built for any road condition, and has been for a very long time. All you have proven in your awful commercial is that imitation is the greatest form of flattery.

There are a few things you need to understand and remember about Outback drivers before you begin creating and spreading false information and assumptions about us. We’re extremely passionate about our vehicles because they keep us safe in all weathers. We buy our Subaru’s because they are solid, rugged, dependable, well constructed and practical machines. Style comes second to that and will always remain a matter of taste and opinion. So, your commercial is very unrealistic and false! No Outback driver on the planet would ever throw their vehicle under another manufacturer’s bus! Many of us have been with Subaru for years and years. We know what we’re purchasing without any doubts or afterthoughts. We’ve done our homework! The Subaru name and its formulas have stood the test of time with and for all of us. Our Subaru never lets us down. 1’d like to see how your Venza does against a Subaru on an icy February day in the North East.

I have driven Subaru for over 15 years. Nothing would sway my choice to remain because I know the quality and strength I’m investing in, when I trade up. Like many of my Subaru counterparts, I’m very well educated. I take exception to the bumpkin image that you’ve put so much effort into conveying when making your pitch! A Cum Laude graduate from Cambridge University, England, I’m closely associated with Marvin Windows and Doors – a high end, luxury product line that draws an up-market clientele. Harvard University and Yale University and even some of the Hollywood set, including James Earl Jones and Meg Ryan, name a few. At the company I work for there are 12 Subaru, including six Outback that belong to a mixture of executives and general company employees. None of them chose a Venza to do the work of a Subaru when travel to the denser terrains of Vermont, New Hampshire, and northern Maine is required in the dead of winter. I very much doubt the “style” you harp on would be of any help on the road conditions there. If you’d really like to know – your Venza resembles a tired, flatter rendition of the boxy, clumsy Ford Edge. And even then, the Ford Edge takes a certain pride in its grille.

At the dealership where I’ve purchased my Subaru vehicles for the past 11 years, many of the Outback and other model owners are white collar professionals. I’ve met and spoken with several over the years while we’ve been waiting in the service lounge. So, you really need to re-think and substantiate your comparisons with the truth and with legitimate facts before you spout out.

You will continue to invite this kind of response and remain deserving of it until you censor your advertising and temper it with intelligent marketing decisions. I hope that my Outback counterparts slam you for your bad, unrefined and distasteful slur of us. Choose to compete in the market place with respect and decency and remove your inflammatory commercial. It only serves to reflect badly on you and display the level you had to stoop to, to get attention. Take a moment to check the credentials of your current Marketing and Advertising departments, including the person who approves their work. It is apparent that you need more talent, with a better educated mentality and a broader brain power, than what you obviously have now, if this is the best they can do to promote your brand.

Very truly yours,

_____________________________
2011 Subaru Outback; 3.6R Limited

cc: Jim Lentz, President
Toyota Motors U.S.A., Inc.
19001 South Western Ave.
Dept. WC11
Torrance, CA 90501