Does any advertiser do father-daughter storytelling better than Subaru?
The automaker and Minneapolis agency Carmichael Lynch have been churning out emotional "Daddy's girl" spots for years. Most famously, of course, there was "Baby Driver," the wonderful 2011 spot that was nominated for an Emmy (eventually losing out to another car spot, Chrysler's "Born of Fire" with Eminem). There was also "Cut the Cord" in 2013, with a dad putting his daughter on the school bus for the first time.
Now, agency and client add to that legacy with "Making Memories." The plot this time has a father cleaning out his old Forester as he prepares to pass it on to his now driving-age daughter. But it's taking him a while, because he keeps having flashbacks to moments he's spent with her over the years.
With its poignant visions, the spot is more fantastical than usual for Subuaru, whose ad style is usually more rooted in realism. But it still works, largely thanks to the nice handling of the flashbacks by director Noam Murro (whose auto résumé, of course, is lengthy—much of it involving Volkswagen). It's skillfully crafted from the very opening shot—a gradual pull-back from the car that nicely sets the stage for a story about letting go.
The music is Gregory Alan Isakov's 2013 track "Time Will Tell."
The time-traveling device is a subtle way of pushing one of Subaru's key selling points, too—the longevity of its vehicles. And by the way, judging by everything Dad finds in the car, you apparently don't need to clean your Forester for a decade or more, either.
Check out the old "Baby Driver" and "Cut the Cord" spots below.
CREDITS
Client: Subaru of America
Spot: "Making Memories"
Agency: Carmichael Lynch
Chief Creative Officer: Dave Damman
Exec Creative Director: Randy Hughes
Writer / Group Creative Director: Dean Buckhorn
Art Director / Associate Creative Director: Brad Harrison
Head of Production: Joe Grundhoefer
Senior Executive Content Producer: Brynn Hausmann
Business Manager: Vicki Oachs
Account Management: Brad Williams, Adam Craw, Kate Moret, Greta Hughes, Robert Ar
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Noam Murro
Managing Director: Shawn Lacy
Executive Producer: Colleen O'Donnell
Line. Producer: Jay Veal
Director of Photography: Simon Duggan
Edit House: Rock Paper Scissors
Editor: Stewart Reeves
Assistant Editor: Luke McIntosh and Arielle Zakowski
Executive Producer: Angela Dorian
Producer: Ashley Bartell
VFX House The Mill
Exec Producer: Sue Troyan
Sr. VFX Producer: Dan Roberts
Production Coordinator: Mary Hayden
Shoot Supervisor: Chris Knight, Robert Sethi
Creative Director/2D Lead Artists: Chris Knight
2D Artists: Steve Cokonis, Daniel Lang
Design: Eugene Gauran
Telecine: Company 3 / Stefan Sonnenfeld
Audio Mix: BWN Music / Carl White
Sound Design: BWN Music / Carl White
Post Production Audio Producer: BWN Music / Annie Sparrows
On-Line Editor: Volt Studios / Steve Medin
Music: "Time Will Tell"
Performed by: Gregory Alan Isakov
Written by Gregory Alan Isakov
Music Supervisor: Venn Arts / Jonathan Hecht
On-camera talent: PJ King (Dad)
Fay Masterson (Mom)
Madison Beaty (Teen)
Cordelia Zawaraski (Tween)
Margaret Clark (Grade-schooler)
Quinn Porter (Toddler)
Voice Over Talent: PJ King
Justin Beere (Announcer)