The Subaru Share the Love Event is a year-end sales event, launched in 2008 with the agency Carmichael Lynch, in which Subaru and its retailers donate to charities that customers choose. Over its first 17 years, Subaru and its retailers donated more than $320 million, according to Carmichael Lynch.
What is the Subaru Share the Love Event?
The Subaru Share the Love Event is Subaru of America's annual year-end sales event with a charity component. Subaru and Carmichael Lynch launched it in 2008 to make December different, at a time when every automaker was spending heavily on incentives and media, according to Carmichael Lynch's case description.
Customers choose among national charity partners and hometown charities, according to 3BL Media's listing of Subaru's campaign. The national partners named in Subaru's 2019 release were the ASPCA, Make-A-Wish and Meals on Wheels America.
How has the Share the Love Event grown since 2008?
The Share the Love Event has grown from a single December event in 2008 to a 17-year program. The table lists the donation milestones that Subaru and its agency have reported.
| Date | Milestone | Source |
|---|
| 2008 | Subaru and Carmichael Lynch launch the event | Carmichael Lynch |
| 2018 | Subaru hopes to pass $140 million in total donations since 2008 | Subaru of America |
| 2019 | The event reaches $30.4 million in donations in one year, and more than $175 million over twelve years | Subaru of America, March 12, 2020 |
| 2020 | The event reaches $26.2 million in donations | 3BL Media listing of Subaru releases |
| 17th year | Subaru and its retailers have donated more than $320 million in total | Carmichael Lynch |
What results did Subaru report?
Subaru reported its results in countable units. Through eleven years of the event, Subaru and its retailers had helped support more than 57,000 animals with the ASPCA and deliver more than 2.2 million meals with Meals on Wheels, and through eight years they had helped grant more than 2,200 wishes with Make-A-Wish, according to Subaru's 2019 campaign release.
Carmichael Lynch reports that Subaru and its more than 600 retailers have supported nearly 2,700 hometown charities during the event, and that nearly 5 million meals have been donated and delivered. These are company and agency figures, not audited results.
How did Subaru's sales compare during the campaign?
Subaru's sales rose through the campaign's first decade, according to the company. In November 2018 Subaru of America reported 83 consecutive months of yearly month-over-month sales increases and a 56th consecutive month of 40,000 or more vehicle sales. The company credited the all-new 2019 Forester for that October's gain, so the sales streak cannot be assigned to Share the Love alone.
What can marketers copy from Share the Love?
Marketers can copy five moves from Share the Love: own the busiest month differently, let customers choose the beneficiary, report impact in countable units, involve local retailers, and remove the cap.
Can a brand own the busiest sales month by offering something different?
Subaru built the event for December, the month when competitors spend the most on incentives, according to Carmichael Lynch. Why it works: a giving-based offer does not compete on price, so Subaru was not drawn into the incentive contest.
Should customers choose the beneficiary?
Customers choose between national charities and thousands of hometown charities, according to 3BL Media's listing of the campaign. Why it works: the choice makes the customer a participant in the donation, which gives the buyer a reason to talk about the purchase.
Should impact be reported in countable units?
Subaru reported animals supported, wishes granted and meals delivered, according to its 2019 release. Why it works: a count of meals or wishes is easier to repeat and verify than a dollar total, and each unit can anchor a news story.
Should local retailers be part of the program?
More than 600 retailers supported nearly 2,700 hometown charities, according to Carmichael Lynch. Why it works: Carmichael Lynch notes that other automakers copied the idea but did not have Subaru's retailer network, so the local layer is the part competitors could not duplicate.
Should the commitment have a cap?
Subaru stated that 2019 was the fourth consecutive year with no cap on its total contribution to the national charity partners, according to its October 10, 2019 release. Why it works: a pledge without a ceiling reads as a firmer commitment than a pledge that stops at a set amount (EPR analysis).
What does the Share the Love data not prove?
The Share the Love data does not prove that the event caused Subaru's sales growth. The donation totals and sales streaks are company-reported, the sales gains had other drivers such as new model launches, and no source reviewed here isolates the campaign's effect.
Subaru Share the Love: quick answers
When did the Subaru Share the Love Event start?
The event started in 2008, according to Carmichael Lynch and Subaru of America.
How much has Subaru donated through Share the Love?
Subaru and its retailers have donated more than $320 million over 17 years, according to Carmichael Lynch.
Which charities does Share the Love support?
The national partners named in 2019 were the ASPCA, Make-A-Wish and Meals on Wheels America, along with local hometown charities, according to Subaru of America.
Who created the Share the Love campaign?
Subaru of America created it with its agency partner Carmichael Lynch, according to Subaru's release.
What should a brand do before building a cause campaign?
A brand should pick a month to own, pick units it can count, and decide whether the commitment will have a cap. Subaru repeated the same structure for 17 years, which is why its totals could be reported in comparable units.
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