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Subaru skips the Super Bowl, brings back the driving dogs

Subaru's research shows that 80 percent of owners have a pet. So the company plans to skip expensive advertising during the Super Bowl again this year in favor of being the official auto sponsor of the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet. The canine-friendly company also has five new ads starring the Barkleys, a family of Labradors and Golden Retrievers.

The commercial above titled Phone Navigation is our favorite of the group because it puts a funny spin on bad smartphone voice recognition. You can check out the other four adorable ads below. Doggie Bag has the pups dealing with an inept valet; Windshield Wiper forces them to cope with a bulldog in a car ahead; Bad Hair Day tactfully handles a rough trip to the doggy salon; and Puppy tries to help a little one get to sleep. With new spots like this practically every year, Subaru clearly has a paw on the pulse of what its customers like.






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THE RETURN OF THE BARKLEYS: SUBARU LAUNCHES NEW "DOG TESTED. DOG APPROVED." TV AD CAMPAIGN, STARRING AMERICA'S FAVORITE CANINE FAMILY

Subaru's new advertising campaign brings back the Barkley family for new wave of television spots

Cherry Hill, N.J. - Subaru of America, Inc. has launched its new "Dog Tested. Dog Approved." advertising campaign in celebration of the love of pets shared by the brand and its owners. The five spots showcase the Barkleys, the adorable family of dogs featured in the 2013 "Meet the Barkleys" campaign. In Subaru's newest spots, the Barkleys will take on everything from driving their Subaru around town, trying to get their kids to sleep and even dealing with other doggie drivers.

The national television spots, created by Carmichael Lynch on behalf of Subaru of America, will air in the coming weeks, and all five ads will be featured on February 7 during PUPPY BOWL XII on Animal Planet, where Subaru of America will mark its sixth year as the event's Official Auto Sponsor. During the event, fans at home will be encouraged to share photos of their own pets using #PuppyBowlSubaru.

The "Dog Tested. Dog Approved" campaign showcases five new Subaru ads featuring the Barkleys.

"PUPPY" – A nighttime drive is the only acceptable lullaby for one tired puppy, so one tired father takes the Barkleys' Subaru Legacy for yet another lap around the block.

"PHONE NAVIGATION" – Your smartphone's voice assistant isn't exactly smart, and it doesn't help when you've got one word to work with. The Barkleys drive their Subaru Legacy on a back road, and when they pull over for a little help, the family runs into a language barrier.

"DOGGIE BAG" – Sometimes the go-anywhere capability of Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive is just too seductive. The Barkleys take their Subaru Forester out for a date night in the city, but their valet sees its potential for off-road adventure.

"WINDSHIELD WIPER" – The Barkleys run into some oddly localized weather in their Subaru Legacy. Luckily, a Legacy has more than just Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive to deal with a sudden downpour.

"BAD HAIR DAY" – We check back in with the Barkleys as Dad helpfully picks up Mom from the salon in their Subaru Forester and takes in her new look. Unfortunately, Golden Labs are genetically incapable of keeping a poker face.

These spots are available to view on Subaru of America's YouTube channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/Subaru

"Subaru and its customers have a deep connection to pets. Eight out of 10 Subaru owners are pet owners, and our brand continues to support the causes and initiatives that our customers care about," said Alan Bethke, vice president, marketing at Subaru of America. "The new 'Dog Tested. Dog Approved.' campaign puts the Barkley family in the driver's seat to help celebrate this shared love."

In support of the new campaign, Subaru will also create a custom Barkley emoji for Twitter that will auto-populate once users tweet #DogApproved to help pet lovers everywhere share their love of Subaru and their pets with friends and family.

The "Dog Tested. Dog Approved." campaign builds on Subaru's larger "Subaru Loves Pets" initiative. Subaru continues to support this initiative by working alongside the ASPCA, sponsoring national pet adoption programs and hosting the Subaru Pet Hall of Fame in the Fall of 2015.

About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts, and accessories through a network of more than 620 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants, and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. For additional information, visit media.subaru.com.

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