by Dan Perkins

Auto markers employ lots of tricks in their commercials to persuade people to buy their products.  Many ads show vehicles racing across salt flats, bouncing around mountains tops, diving into streams, muscling their way through forests or crossing huge expansion bridges.  All these images are designed to convince the consumer of the automaker's ability to deliver on performance.

When the measure of performance is diversity in advertising, Mitsubishi Motor North America, Inc. has begun to make its way to the front of the pack, especially among foreign carmakers.  In the fall of 2002, Mitsubishi introduced the Outlander, a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), and employed a highly stylized commercial spot featuring an African American in the driver's seat.  Although African Americans have long been in car ads, most of those ads are slated for programs that attract Black audiences.  The Outlander commercial was the driving force behind a national roll-out campaign.

Mitsubishi's embrace of diversity has helped to push the company into territory that was once the exclusive domain of domestic brands.  "If you look at our commercials, you see people of all ethnic backgrounds having fun and enjoying their vehicle. The spirit we try to communicate is a very universal message," said Mitsubishi's Chairman and CEO, Pierre Gagnon.

Many American companies now embrace diversity because they recognize its strategic importance to the bottom-line.  Businesses that respect the diversity of their markets reflect that diversity within their employment and procurement practices.  The fact that Mitsubishi has made diversity a cornerstone of its advertising campaigns suggests that multi-national companies also understand and appreciate diversity. "In this highly diverse marketplace and society in which we live and work, it is not only the right thing to do, but it is also a business imperative," said Gagnon.

Here are the facts about Mitsubishi as stated in the company's website:

A Spirited Spot for an Edgy Consumer

Like many of its competitors, Mitsubishi is seeking to attract a young, "cutting-edge" consumer.  To help reach that market, Mitsubishi has retained the creative and marketing services of Duetsch/LA.  

"Breathe" is the name of the commercial spot that has been introducing the Outlander to American audiences since late September.  It is also the name of the jazzy song that plays throughout the entire ad.  The music is just as captivating as the flashing visuals of the ad, and is consistent with Mitsubishi's use of music to establish and reinforce brand awareness. 

The Outlander spot features an attractive, young African American male, in his mid- to late-twenties, driving at night through a glittering strip, perhaps Las Vegas.  As he drives, he recalls memorable moments in his life - some ordinary, some ... well, let's just say unique.   The spot has been edited into several versions and lengths, but nearly all feature a variety of flashbacks to different times in the driver's life.  The driver remains behind the wheel as people suddenly appear and disappear from inside the car.  Many of the flashbacks are of friends and acquaintances that suggest a wide array of fun-filled times.  In one version of the spot, there is even a flashback to an unexpected and unwelcome solicitation from a male hitchhiker. The full version of the spot shows a series of flashbacks involving a women who the driver dates, marries, and then rushes to the hospital just as she's about to deliver their child.  We later see the driver looking in the rear-view mirror at a beautiful little girl - now about six years old - playing in the back seat.  The full version ends with the driver alone behind the wheel, content with his life and enjoying his Outlander.

Reflecting the Aspirations of Blacks

As the nation devotes time this month to the unique experiences and achievements of African Americans, it is important to recognize high-impact commercials like "Breathe." Over the past quarter century, advertisers have produced numerous commercial spots that have portrayed African Americans in a positive light.  These commercials are significant because they contribute to and reinforce efforts to make America a more inclusive society.  In recognizing and portraying African Americans as individuals, family members and respected members of society, these commercials help to shape how African Americans are perceived by others and how African Americans perceive themselves.  Mitsubishi's Outlander ad is a noteworthy addition to that body of work that advances human dignity and inclusiveness in our society.

In Mitsubishi's "Breathe," the driver is an ordinary, clean-cut, wholesome, fun-loving guy with lots of friends from all walks of life. He's also a "brother," happily married to a Black woman and raising a family. That's precisely the type of image that most educated, affluent and aspiring African Americans want to see. Unfortunately, there are still companies with commercial spots that step on the sensitivities of African Americans.

Nothing is more infuriating than to see an ad and wonder whether the intent was to inform, humor, or insult.  Many Blacks find the ads with Blacks in silly roles and ads that glorify hip-hop and ghetto culture disturbing.  Granted, these segments of society exist and represent viable markets for some advertisers, but the real issue for many is one of proportion and scale.  It's a matter of coming to terms with the number of African Americans cast in roles that are clown-like versus roles portraying "ordinary people."

Apparently, Mitsubishi and Deutsch have found the right mix because the Outlander ad has generated considerable buzz across many demographic groups.  African Americans in particular enjoy seeing themselves portrayed positively in a well-conceived commercial that is the flagship of a national campaign.

The company's current marketing thrust gives many cause for hope.  "If the diversity extends beyond the advertising to all phases of its operations, then Mitsubishi will be well positioned to succeed.  African American consumers respond favorably to such initiatives," said Ralph Moore, a leading expert in supplier diversity and minority business development.

Gagnon says Mitsubishi gets it. "By embracing diversity we are developing and implementing corporate strategies and policies to improve the awareness, understanding, and appreciation of diversity, as we work together to meet the challenges of a changing marketplace and workplace."

Mitsubishi appears to be on the right track, with the right advertising agency and the right approach to dramatically increase sales in North America.  

On January 27, 2003, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC), the parent of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America, reported record sales in North America in 2002, and those sales helped to increase its total exports by 22-percent.  In December 2002, MMC's North American plant produced 14,017 units, which represented an 8.3-percent increase over production for the same period the year before.  (In December, MMC's exports to North America rose 187-percent over the previous year to 22,701 units.  For the year 2002, MMC's North America production increased 5.4-percent to 204,233 units while exports to North America jumped 36.9-percent to 195,498 units.

As Mitsubishi pursues it strategy for growth, with a firm commitment to diversity in advertising and beyond, one can only hope that other foreign carmakers will be equally creative and inclusive in 2003.

The End