Fuji Heavy Industries, Opposites Attract

A handsome man in an outdoors location is introduced in front of a car, with the text "Beauty," then with a spin, a second man appears and the background changes to a cityscape and text adds, "meets Power." The first one smiles at the other.

Similarly, a young woman on a cell phone appears with her car parked on a city street. The text says "Sophisticated." Another spin, and a second woman appears, and the car is now next to an East Coast townhome. The text adds "meets Sensible."

Another spin brings back the two men who walk past each other, turn and look back with a smile (suggesting that they're cruising each other), with the text "Proving that opposites can not only attract..." Then the car and the two men are watching a sunset together. "They also may form a most perfect union."

Final text says "Introducing the progressive B9 Tribeca."

This commercial is indeed progressive for the auto industry in particular, and for advertisers in general. Subaru is one of the first to create custom designed ads for Viacom's 24-hour gay channel, LOGO. The campaign is expected to also run on non-gay cable networks including Bravo, Sundance and HGTV.

As is now the standard for Subaru, the text all carries double meanings for the car as well as in this case for the people being shown, and the viewing audience. Using high-speed still photography of actors and digital models of Subaru vehicles, which were then animated and composed with entirely artificial digital environments.

It is the only one of the three commercials in the campaign to feature women, who are also a mixed race couple.

Using photographs and animation instead of film or video cut the costs of the ad "by thousands and thousands," John Nash of Moon City Productions says, because of the smaller number of people involved for the production.

"It took us a while to think, 'What is a gay commercial for Subaru?' We went back to the print ad 'Different drivers, Different roads, One car" and took the core of that concept, which is that anybody could relate to it and the license plates customized it for G&L consumers."