Suzuki will be launching a bold new ad campaign in the United States on Christmas Day pitting the brand's 2011 Kizashi Sport sedan against the Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class C300.
The campaign will include ad videos which can be seen at www.kizashikicks.com. The site currently features a brief video with the Kizashi Sport sedan allegedly out-maneuvering rivals such as the A4 and the Acura TSX in terms of braking and cornering on a desert track.
The performance tests will also feature in 15 and 30 second ad spots the Japanese brand will air on TV in the United States market. The campaign will run through to March 2011 and the ads will be aired during sporting events such as NFL and NCAA games as well as during the Academy Awards and hit shows such as American Idol.
The marketing blitz will be Suzuki's largest in years as it hopes to reclaim some market luster in the U.S. where its sales have fallen dramatically. The Kizashi has sold just 5,269 units in the first 11-months of the year in that market and yearly brand sales have fallen to less than 39,000 units in 2009 from a high of 101,884 vehicles in 2007. Suzuki sales will be down an additional 42 percent in 2010.
"The Kizashi we developed here was designed to appeal to buyers who appreciate and desire to own entry level sport sedans ... and to do so at a price that's within reach of most buyers...[but] to get that story out has been the real challenge," said Steve Younan, director of marketing at Suzuki.
