Mitsubishi and Clemenger BBDO have had a fairly good run on the advertising front, with the retro campaign for the Mirage and the humorous take on hybrid technology to launch the MPEH Outlander standing out. Now it’s released an ad promoting the just released Triton ute that talks up its reliability with the tagline ‘You can bet on it’.
As it says on the YouTube clip: “From the ground up, it’s been designed for reliability and durability. It has a brand new body, all-new engine and a new, improved 4WD system with dial up range selector. New Triton tows up to 3.1 tonnes, so whether you’re at work, or out on the weekend with the boat, Triton has the power to get the job done easily, safely and smoothly.”
Mitsubishi regularly uses its Diamond Advantage warranty as a selling point in its marketing. And it says the Triton is the only ute in the country that is covered for ten years. Another reason you can ‘bet on it’.
The ute had a good year in New Zealand in 2014, with Ford’s Ranger overtaking the Hilux for the first time in 32 years and coming close to knocking the Corolla off the top spot overall (Ford sold a total of 6,345 Rangers last year, around 560 more than the Hilux, while the Toyota Corolla sold 6,472 vehicles and stayed ahead largely due to rental sales).
According to Bestsellingcars.com, the Mitsubishi Triton came in fifth on the most bought vehicle list in March, up five places from February.
Overall, Mitsubishi says it was New Zealand’s fastest-growing mainstream car and light commercial vehicle brand in 2014.
“In every year since 2009 more owners have chosen a Mitsubishi than in the previous year,” says head of sales and marketing strategy Daniel Cook in a release. “We see it as a gradual migration towards style, innovation, quality and reliability. It also reflects our customer support, especially Diamond Advantage, the best new-vehicle warranty around.”
With record car sales, sales are generally heading up. But he says Mitsubishi attracted new buyers from across the board.
Last year, twice as many buyers in the private ‘small sedan’ buyers group chose Lancer than its nearest competitor; there was also 80 percent more new buyers in 2014 than in 2013 for the ASX, its ‘small SUV’; and sales of the Pajero were the highest for a decade.
“Looking back over the year, we’re especially proud we’ve given New Zealanders a look into the future with the debut of an extraordinary Outlander, the technology-leading plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). So quickly was this vehicle adopted by eco-focused individuals and businesses it singlehandedly elevated New Zealand to the status of the world’s fastest-growing PHEV nation. Company Vehicle magazine voted the vehicle NZ’s ‘best medium SUV’, bar none, while National Business Review named it ‘Green Car of the Year’.
