How Mazda Finally Nailed Consumer Sentiment

When Mazda came out with its "The Mazda Way" campaign last year, it was just another corporation that mismatched creative direction with consumer sentiment.

This type of non-sequitur is entirely common in the corporate world, and so, with another yawn, the Mazda brand gently faded back into the list of 'brands who don't get it.' That is, until Mazda's new campaign, "Driving Matters."

In this stunning new long-form spot set to a playful rhyming scheme, Mazda tells the story of a kid who grows up within the Mazda brand of automobiles. The story is one of wonder, excitement, growth, change, and the unavoidable evolution of our American lives. The spot is powerful for a number of reasons, some of the least of which are the appropriate casting, excellent shot design, and brilliant writing. But the real power rests in the spot's unavoidable human touch, for no matter who you are, this is the story of all of us.

In this utterly brilliant 60 seconds, it is clear that Mazda nailed consumer sentiment. Driving does matter - but not because of innovation, or technology, or price. Driving matters because it permeates each of our lives in a tangible, daily way. Mazda has taken claim to this constant presence - the protection of an automobile, the transition along a lineup of cars as life changes for the better. Cars are the constant, and Mazda positions itself in the heart of this everlasting slice of Americana - a culture obsessed with the automobile.

In conclusion, the spot emotionally reminds us that "something new...reminds you, of when you, were you." Who among us doesn't have a love affair with the freedom of an open road? Who among us doesn't feel young again by the purr of an engine and the whip of a crisp wind? For those who desire a return to a simpler time, when life sat before you like a wide-open tarmac, look no further than Mazda.

They nailed it.

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