This Subaru Impreza Commercial Featuring Willie Nelson and a Dog Will Make You Cry
Heartwarming ‘Dream Weekend’ follows a man and his dog on a bucket list quest
Subaru is on a roll this year with advertisements of the emotional variety. First, the automaker launched a 2016 Forester commercial called “Making Memories,” which put us in the eyes of a father watching his daughter slowly grow up, until the time came for him to hand her the keys to his old Subaru Forester (and take delivery of his own new 2016 Forester). The nostalgic commercial gave us all the feels, and, if I can be honest, some of us in the office may have cried the first time we watched it. (I won’t say who.) You can watch it at the end of this post.
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Now, Subaru has put out a commercial for the new Impreza, titled “Dream Weekend.” The new ad is just as moving as the first and features the musical styling of Willie Nelson, performing “I’ve Loved You All Over the World.” Watch below, but be warned, you’ll probably cry:
The ad takes us on a journey with a man and his 14-and-¾-year-old dog as they cross off items on the dog’s bucket list, which includes meeting up with his old girlfriend, a massage at a hotel, chewing a shoe, sky diving, and, of course, the road trip in the Impreza that opens them up to completing all the other experiences. See a full list of things on the dog’s bucket list here.
The commercial truly embodies the spirit of Subaru: “safety, reliability, and adventure,” and, of course, the brand’s dedication to all things living—human or not. In fact, one of the aims of this commercial, aside from selling us on the Impreza, is to challenge pet guardians to determine how they can possibly repay their dogs for the love and dedication they have shown their whole lives. See, we told you—you’re crying right now.
Subaru even launched a new social media campaign around this idea, called #MakeADogsDay. The campaign challenges dog lovers to “do even more for their pets” and then share those idea on social media outlets.
The commercial was produced by Agency of Record Carmichael Lynch and directed by Noam Murro, a Directors Guild of America award winner.
Here are some more screen grabs of the shenanigans the duo got into (#BreakingAllTheRules):
Subaru’s advertising, matched with the brand’s superior vehicles, have put the brand in incredible standing in terms of sales figures. Sales have been on the rise over the last several years for the Japanese automaker, so much so that the company is having trouble keeping up and must answer an important question—is it ready to move up to the level of much larger automakers, like Honda or Toyota? Just last month, Subaru managed to sell 44,335 vehicles, up 7.2% over June of last year.
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The Willie Nelson “Dream Weekend” ad is not the first Subaru commercial to feature a dog, however, and it will definitely not be the last. Subaru previously ran a campaign with the Barkleys, a family of dogs driving around in Subarus. You can read up on the dogs in the ads here.
You can check out the Subaru Forester “Making Memories” commercial below:
Timothy Moore takes his leadership inspiration from Michael Scott, his writing inspiration from Mark Twain, and his dancing inspiration from every drunk white guy at a wedding. When Tim is not writing about cars and money, he’s working on his novel or reading someone else’s, geeking out over strategy board games, hiking with his pooch, or channeling his inner Linda Belcher over beers with his friends. See more articles by Timothy.