When creating an advert, there's a lot to learn from Subaru

On a recent trip to the US to see my sister, I watched a bit of TV. I love watching commercials when I’m out of town. It could just be me, but I love to see how companies advertise their products in other countries.
And this ad by Subaru caught my attention. For a few reasons.

Maybe it’s because I’m a mom myself but with my marketing hat on, I think it’s because the ad stands head and shoulders above the rest of the car adverts.
The facts:
1. It’s a car.
2. It helps you go from A to B.
Lets remind ourselves why people buy:
1. To solve a problem.
2. To satisfy an emotional need.
This ad shows none of the features of the car directly. There are no wheel turns, no 0-60 in 10 seconds, no engine noises, no wide open spaces in the mountains, none of the typical features of an advert promoting a car. But this ad works. Why?
1. It tells a warm story….with a great piece of music.
2. It’s aimed at women – the main purchaser in the majority of families.
3. It’s emotional – it depicts reality in a familial way.
We all could learn a lot from Subaru.
The next time you create an ad – whether it is a Pay per click ad, a newspaper ad, a video or TV ad, make sure you use emotion to sell the benefits of your product.
As a general rule, women buy on benefits; men on features. But it’s the benefit that sells – this ad captures it perfectly. I mean, who doesn’t want to drive their kids around safely or to make sure they don’t let the team down? Every car can help a parent do this..but Subaru made it obvious and put it in our consciousness.
What can you do with your product to make it’s benefit obvious? Take another look and that can be difference. Don’t dismiss a benefit just because your competitor offers the same benefit…if it’s positioned as such, you’ll be the one thanked for bringing it to your customer’s attention.
Take another look at the ad and see what you can learn from Subaru.