Brea-based American Suzuki Motor Corp. is hitting television for the first time to promote its redesigned 2006 Grand Vitara sport utility vehicle.
The automaker, part of Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp., launched an advertising campaign to push the car, which includes TV spots and print ads.
The estimated $40 million media campaign is one of Suzuki’s most aggressive yet, according to trade publication Automotive News.
It’s part of Suzuki’s bid to overhaul its image and grow its automotive sales in the U.S. In the past, Suzuki has been predominately thought of for its speedy motorcycles.
Los Angeles-based Colby & Partners, which also has an office in Brea, created the campaign.
The new car commercials, which have the tagline “Way of Life,” target 25- to 54-year-old men and women, the company said. They will appear on networks geared toward athletic men, such as college football on ABC, Fox Sports Net, ESPN Plus and SportsCenter on ESPN.
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Grand Vitara ad: hoping to sell 40,000 a year
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There are three 30-second and 60-second spots that feature Suzuki’s Grand Vitara, which goes on sale this month, and Forenza sedan or wagon. The commercials play up “personalities that live life to the fullest,” the automaker said.
Each of the spots is a little different. But all have a voiceover that says: “We’re giving you the green light Go.”
“We are in the midst of our most aggressive product launch in the brand’s history,” said Tom Carney, American Suzuki’s sales and marketing director, in a statement. “These ads showcase the style and value of the vehicles combined with energetic and adventurous life experiences.”
Suzuki also signed a contract with Time Warner Inc. to publish ads in a number of its magazines, such as Fortune, Time and People, according to Automotive News.
The marketing work plays up changes Suzuki made to the Grand Vitara, which goes on sale at $19,954.
“This vehicle is bigger, wider, more stable and has a better ride,” Carney told Automotive News. Suzuki hopes to compete with the Jeep Liberty, Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota Rav4, he said.
Carney said the automaker hopes to sell 40,000 of these cars annually in the U.S.
Its overall sales in August were 7,216 vehicles, up 15% from a year ago. The company, which started selling autos in the U.S. in 1985, said sales were driven by the Forenza sedan and wagon models.
“The continuing sales growth of the Forenza models and the release of the all-new 2006 Grand Vitara should combine to make fourth quarter sales even stronger,” said Koichi Suzuki, president of Suzuki’s automotive operations, in a statement.
The automaker has been mounting a big push in the U.S., which includes expanding its auto selection.
Still on tap: a midsize SUV and sport crossover vehicle set to launch in 2006, and a sport sedan and a sport wagon slated for 2007.
The company also added to its local executive ranks.
Most recently, Suzuki hired Mike Anson as its public relations manager, wooing him from rival Fountain Valley-based Hyundai Motor America Inc.
Suzuki’s Japanese parent recently announced a goal of doubling its U.S. sales to 200,000 cars a year by 2007. It plans to increase its U.S. dealer network by 12% to 600 in the next year.
Road to Recovery
Aliso Viejo-based Recovery Radio Show, a live talk show about addiction, recently expanded into seven more markets, including Kansas City and York, Pa.
The call-in show, which went on air on KKLA-FM in Los Angeles earlier this year, reaches Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Orlando, among other areas.
“The response from the program keeps pushing us to do more, be more available and help more people,” said Bob Munck, co-host and founder of Recovery Radio Show. “We are attracting calls from many kinds of people struggling directly or indirectly with some form of addiction and we are here to help.”
Munck and his co-host, Dr. Steve Groth, field calls from people dealing with alcoholism and other addictions, such as drugs.
The show airs here from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on KKLA-FM (99.5).
There’s also a Web site, www.recoveryradioshow.com, which has information about the show and links to sponsors, such as Passkeys Foundation in Mission Viejo and BizEx Marketing in Laguna Hills and help groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous.
Both Munck and Groth have worked through addictions.
