Lovemark

Last year when I was looking around the used car lot, I stumbled upon the Subaru section. I remembered growing up, my dad drove a Subaru Legacy and was very proud of his machine. I recalled all the commercials of the people visiting exotic destinations and viewing scenes that supposedly only a Subaru could allow you to see. These Outback and Impreza commercials came to mind when I walked on the lot.  This is what I wanted. A vehicle that could give me access to the most uncharted areas on Earth. Before I even stepped foot inside that car, I was imagining myself traversing the back roads of the Sierra Anchas. Powering through off-road tracks for miles on end, knowing that my vehicle would have no issues getting me to my destination, no matter where I was.

From the roar of the engine during the test drive, I was sold. I was so happy to finally be a Subaru owner like my dad was 20 years ago. I was imagining all of the amazing places I would be going to as soon as I drove off the lot, but the reality was that the car and I stayed on pavement and city streets for the first 3 months that I owned her. Then the day came when a huge snowstorm hit. I finally saw what all the hype was about Subaru’s. I was plowing through the snow with ease, while passing large trucks that had gotten stuck in the snow or ran off the road. My fleeting empathy for these wrecked cars was soon overwhelmed by my pride and love for my Subaru. I finally had a brand of car to which I gave my undying loyalty. I soon started taking my car all over the state seeing places that I could not have seen in just any old car.

Although other cars could have made it through that storm perfectly fine, because of my mental picture of Subaru’s, I felt as if my car was better then all the rest. Kevin Roberts defined this phenomenon as a Lovemark. This car might not be made better then a Toyota, or handle better then a Mitsubishi, but because of my years of being shaped and trained to love Subaru’s, I had an innate draw towards these vehicles. The advertisement worked on me know by being able to conquer the land, and when I am older, by ensuring me that it is one of the safest models of car that money can buy. I don’t want to say that Subaru’s will be the only car I will ever drive, but because of the experience I have had with one, I am going to be drawn towards these cars for a very long time.