BBDO Gets Mitsubishi Deal With Eye To Japanese Roots

Japanese cool is the strategy behind BBDO’s winning pitch for the $200 million Mitsubishi Motors North America account, decided last week, sources said.

BBDO presented an approach focused on young males and was “deeply immersed in Japanese youth culture. … The new campaign will be tailored to young men who want a Japanese car,” said one source.

The winning work included storyboards that featured Mitsubishi Eclipse sports coupes with “tribal flames” painted on the side (the kind of owner customization seen in The Fast and the Furious movies), and kanji symbols in the background that reference the current pop fascination with samurai culture and anime.