Subaru's Doggie Drivers Are Back, and Just Rollin' Along, in New Ads

They'rrrre back. The Barkleys, Subaru's family of dogs that drive like people—well, better than some people we know, actually—return in four comical commercials that broke during the Screen Actors Guild Awards telecast last night. "This year, the creative team had additional inspiration in the new three-row Ascent, the biggest vehicle Subaru has ever made, and we looked for ideas that would let us give the world an early peek at this new vehicle," Randy Hughes, executive creative director at Carmichael Lynch, the agency that developed the spots, tells AdFreak. "That led to the car wash and dropping the puppy off for the first day of school." In the first ad below, the car-wash crew steals the show with the sudsing and splashing and such: [kickout id="1"] Yep, the washers are pooches, too. You were expecting cats for some reason? Meanwhile, at the School of Obedience, it goes without saying that "C" is for "canine" and "D" is for "dog": [kickout id="2"] In addition to touting the Ascent, "we also wanted some stories that spoke to a younger audience—a teen learning to drive, and a teen picking up Dad from the bowling alley, for example," says Subaru national advertising manager Brian Cavallucci. Before Junior gets his license in that Impreza five-door, it looks like he'll need a few more obedience lessons: [kickout id="3"] Luckily, dogs don't get much email. Next, at the local Dog Bowl (wordplay, heh), our irrepressible rrrruffian shows off a new trick behind the wheel of a Crosstrek: [kickout id="4"] As always with the Barkleys, the cuteness factor alone is pretty grrrreat. But four years into the campaign, the team works hard to make sure their latest tales live up to the work's impressive pedigree. "In one respect, it gets easier to do great spots because we are smarter about our furry friends, and what we are able to accomplish with them," says Hughes. "On the other hand, it can be difficult, because there's less subject matter that remains fresh. We have taken bolder steps in the past. For example, one year we introduced a Subaru retailer who is selling vehicles to these dogs. But we have found our sweet spot is having these dogs that drive Subaru vehicles tell human stories that let us laugh at ourselves." CREDITS Client: Subaru of America, Inc. Senior Vice President, Marketing: Alan Bethke National Advertising Manager: Brian Cavallucci Advertising Production Specialist: Michelle Shoultes Agency: Carmichael Lynch Chief Creative Officer: Marty Senn Executive Creative Director: Randy Hughes Creative Director: Brad Harrison Writer: Michelle Lippman Art Director: Sam Perry Head of Production: Joe Grundhoefer Executive Content Producer: Jon Mielke Business Manager: Vicki Oachs Account Management Team: Brad Williams, Paula Weisenbeck, Kendra Komejan Product Information Supervisor: Robert Ar Project Manager: Andrea Thelen Brand Planning: Olivia Luterbach Media: Betsy Burgeson Production Company: Skunk US Director: Brian Lee Hughes President: Matt Factor Executive Producer: Shelly Townsend Line Producer: Geoff McLean Director of Photography: Jason McCormick Edit House: Drive Thru Editor: Mick Uzendoski Executive Producer: Beth Wilson Online Artist: Derek Johnson Telecine: Sean Coleman @ CO3 Audio House: SisterBoss Audio Mix: Carl White & Micah Johnson Sound Design: Carl White & Micah Johnson Music: Spot / Music Company: Car Wash / Barking Owl Drop Off / South Drive Away / HiFi Project Talent: On-camera talent: Sera Trimble / Stunt Driver

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Subaru's Doggie Drivers Are Back, and Just Rollin' Along, in New Ads

The Barkleys get behind the wheel once again

David Gianatasio

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