Finally, the EV you’ve been looking for: Suzuki’s first-ever electric car launch campaign

Suzuki has released an integrated campaign to launch its first-ever electric car, the all-new e Vitara.

Running across TV, OOH, VOD, cinema, radio and social, the TMW-created campaign targets a large section of the UK car-buying market: the nearly five million Brits who have been on the fence about switching to electric. Hesitant to jump too soon, this group has been prudently keeping an eye out for ‘the one’ to convince them.

‘Finally, the EV you’ve been looking for’ presents the all-new e Vitara as the reward for their patience – good things come to those who wait, after all. Much like their audience, Suzuki has been sure to get things right, resulting in an unrivalled 10-year warranty, impressive styling and tech as standard, all wrapped up in a rugged SUV at a surprisingly low price.

Set to the sultry tones of Dusty Springfield’s The Look of Love, the TVC (directed by Traktor of Stink Films) sees a family man repeatedly trying to get a proper look at the new e Vitara. He likes what he sees, but his every attempt to see more is frustrated by ‘sod’s law’. Whether it’s a glimpse from a café unceremoniously blocked by the soapy sponge of a window cleaner or an untimely opened parasol spoiling his view at the seaside, things always seem to get in the way of his perfect view of the e Vitara.

With all frustrations resolved, we see him contentedly pulling into his driveway, before looking lovingly at his new car unobscured. The voiceover then reveals the campaign’s key line, “Finally, the EV you’ve been looking for”, before playing out with one final visual gag.

In OOH, radio and social executions, we capture soon-to-be owners at the exact moment they clamp eyes on the e Vitara for the first time. A hapless barber spots one parked outside, consequently mowing a wide furrow across his customer’s hair, whilst a dog walker stops in her tracks and drops her lead as her pooch bolts out of picture.

This is TMW’s second new model launch campaign for Suzuki. The first, ‘Best Kept Secret on the Road’, saw an integrated campaign for the new Swift, depicting proud Suzuki owners going to cunning lengths to keep their beloved cars under wraps. This campaign evolves the theme of intriguing audiences who are proud to be Good Different by going against the grain of category conventions.

Its in-house production team, Move Studio, produced the campaign in collaboration with Stink Films and Traktor. Media buying and strategy was handled by the7stars for TV, radio and OOH; and Jellyfish for digital and social.

Jodie Brooke, General Manager Marketing (Automotive), Suzuki said, “True to our Good Different platform, we’re celebrating the millions of UK drivers who have trusted their instincts on going electric. They’ve taken the time to wait for ‘the one’ to appear, and here it is. TMW have helped us develop a campaign that captures the moment patience pays off.”

Graeme Noble, Chief Creative Officer, TMW, part of Accenture Song said, “Despite all the public pushes to switch to EV, so many Brits have held off so far. They might have kept an eye out for what’s about, but the right one never fully materialises into view. Like a rare sighting of a celeb across the street, only to be obscured by an (im)perfectly timed reversing van. With this campaign, we wanted to tap into that frustration our audience is feeling – and capture the eureka moment when they realise the search might be over.”