• by Aaron Baar , February 26, 2012

There are certain rites of passage for Americans: seeing “Star Wars” for the first time, senior prom, owning a first car. Subaru of America is looking to tap into people’s nostalgia for their first vehicles as a way to promote its Imprezza line of cars, via an effort that illustrates each person’s unique “First Car Story.”

The online effort, FirstCarStory.com, uses an animation generator through which people can recreate the look and feel of their first car (such as style, color and condition) and tell the story of what made that car special. The program uses a technology that turns words and phrases into custom animation. As users type out their story, the program highlights the words or phrases that it will animate. Users are also encouraged to highlight the words and phrases that are special to them.

Users can choose between several soundtrack options (from punk to metal to beach jams) for their video and can record a narrative for the video. They are then encouraged to share the video on Facebook (and tag appropriate friends).

The effort is intended to link those first-car memories to Subaru overall, and the Imprezza specifically, evoking the feelings of freedom and independence that comes from owning a car. Subaru’s overall reliability (96% of the company’s cars built in the past 10 years are still on the road) makes it an ideal first-car choice, according to the company.

“Everyone loved their first car, no matter how bad, beat up, or borrowed. That first car became a new chapter in life or a ticket to freedom and first-car stories are often the most memorable stories we have,” said Alan Bethke, director, marketing communications, Subaru of America, in a statement. “The First Car Story campaign provides a creative outlet for reliving those unique, funny, unforgettable car experiences anyone who had a first car can relate to.”