Cypress-based Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. launched a new advertising strategy dubbed “Small Batch” under the leadership of newly minted Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President Kimberley Gardiner—weeks before the automaker said it would be packing its bags and relocating to Franklin, Tenn., a suburb of Nashville, by year-end (see separate story, page 5).
The new strategy is meant to help position the automaker in front of a new group of consumers with the mindset that the brand might not be for everyone.
Gardiner, who joined in January, said the brand has seen significant growth in the U.S. over the last six years.
“But we have to admit to ourselves that in this market, we’re a niche player in an industry that is expected to be relatively flat in the near future,” she said in a statement. “So if we want to maintain our momentum and grow, we’re going to have to change the way we think and act as a brand.”
Gardiner and the brand’s agency partners, Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners and OMD, took a cue from direct-to-consumer brands—think Warby Parker and Casper—that found ways to have a large impact while being a small industry player.
“We need to find our own way to do the same,” she said. “Mitsubishi may be a small brand in the U.S., but our spirit is mighty. We might not be for everyone—and our customers tell us they love that about us.”
The first iteration of the new strategy will be through social media to promote its crossover vehicles before adding video and broadcast spots.
