• by Karl Greenberg , December 21, 2010


American Suzuki is launching an TV ad campaign for the Kizashi sport sedan. The new campaign called “Kizashi Kicks” centers on a series of ads that tout the car by showing how it competes in performance test drives against luxury makes, and makes fun of the whole competitive driving ad genre by having the car compete against a motorized sofa, a bubble-wrapped suit and a stretch limo.

The company has promoting the Kizashi for its handling and torque capabilities versus both the competitive set and up-market vehicles in areas like braking, handling, quietness tests and safety with the message you one doesn't need a premium badge and price point to get a premium experience.

Suzuki will air three 30-second and two 15-second spots in Suzuki's top-20 markets on Dec. 25, each ad comparing Kizashi with the luxury vehicles and with the absurd items above.

One has Kizashi beating the Audi A4 and the motorized sofa in braking, cornering and quietness tests, for instance. And the car is touted for having more more airbags, better road holding grip, superior braking performance and a higher safety rating than the Volvo S40 and the bubble-wrapped suit.

There is also a new “Kizashi Kicks” website Kizashikicks.com with the ads and interactive animation, videos and a suggestion tool for feedback, plus links to the Suzuki Auto site with dealer locator, build and pricing features.

Seeding of the URL began at the Los Angeles Auto Show in mid-November and enthusiast print beginning in December.