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Subaru Outback Canada: Get out & look up, "Dark Sky" Spot

Red Urban has launched a new campaign for Subaru Canada in partnership with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. This is just the beginning of the new campaign, called #SubaruDarkSky, that will continue to roll-out over the year. ​

Many people have never beheld the majesty of a starry sky, one of the most breathtaking sights in nature. An estimated 85% have only ever seen but a few of the brightest stars because of brightly lit urban areas. Subaru Canada intends to change that with a new social and digital campaign for the Subaru Outback that’s giving people billions of reasons to get out at night and look up.

Developed in partnership with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, #SubaruDarkSky is an initiative that seeks to inspire Canadians’ inner stargazer by sparking their desire and curiosity to see what’s ‘up there’ — the billions of bright little lights that illuminate the vast expanse of sky above. #SubaruDarkSky will kick off this spring with a digital video depicting a family that heads out in their Subaru Outback to a remote location outside the city so they can gaze upon the grandeur of starry sky uninhibited by artificial light. The video, which will also appear in cinemas, will serve as launchpad for an ongoing, multichannel effort encouraging Canadians to head out out under starry skies across the country.

“#SubaruDarkSky fits so well with the Subaru brand not only because Subaru is about getting out and enjoying nature, but also because the Subaru logo just happens to be the Pleiades cluster, which is famous for being one of the brightest and most beautiful constellations in the sky,” says Christina Yu, Creative Director at Red Urban, the Toronto-based creative agency that developed the idea behind the initiative.

Following the launch of the video, #SubaruDarkSky will really kick into high gear on social media. The initiative will roll out across a number of social channels, including Subaru Canada’s Facebook and Instagram channels, and will include content that seeks to inspire and enable astronomical curiosity.

“All it takes to stargaze is the curiosity and the desire to look up at night,” says Randy Attwood, Executive Director of the the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. “There’s so much majesty in the night sky. We couldn’t be happier to partner with Subaru in encouraging and enabling more Canadians to get out into the night to behold the boundless beauty of the universe.”

#SubaruDarkSky also features a dedicated website at SubaruDarkSky.ca, which presents aspiring stargazers with information about the initiative, a brief history of constellations, the locations of Dark-Sky Preserves, stargazing tips and info on viewing meteor showers. The initiative will also be promoted by digital display ads, print ads in outdoor and lifestyle magazines, and a closed captioning sponsorship on television.


Creative Credits:
Project: #SubaruDarkSky
Client: Subaru Canada

Creative Agency: Red Urban
President: Steve Carli
Executive Creative Director: Christina Yu
Senior Creative: Patrick Shing
Senior Creative: Pete Gardiner
Producer: Anna Tricinci

STRATEGY
Strategist: Mario Ramirez Reyes

ACCOUNT SERVICES
Group Account Director: Trevor Byrne
Senior Account Executive: Tim Simpson

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Untitled Films
Director: John Mastromonaco
Line Producer: Tom Evelyn
Executive Producer: Lexy Kavluk
Director of Photography: John Houtman

POST PRODUCTION - EDITORIAL
Editorial Company: Panic + Bob Editing
Editor: David Baxter
Assistant Editor: Alec McKay
Executive Producer: Carolyn Atyeo

POST PRODUCTION - FINISHING
Transfer: Alter Ego
Colourist: Eric Whipp
Colour Assistant: Patrick Samaniego
Online: Alter Ego
Flame Artist: David Whiteson
Assistant Flame Artists: Andrew Thiessen/Alexa Salsberg
Post Producer: Hilda Pereira

AUDIO PRODUCTION
Original Music + Sound Design: Grayson Matthews
Via: GlossyInc.