Mitsubishi has decided to challenge Pontiac's slogan "Pontiac is Car" as the world's worst brand slogan. "Drive @ Earth" is Mitsubishi Motors' new catchphrase. The strapline will begin life in Japan and then roll out to the rest of the world. Mitsu's marketeers explain the slogan by pointing out that cars connect us to the earth and Mitsubishi has some cars with four wheel drive. (Shouldn't that be ON Earth, then?) The Japanese automaker also would like us press people to note that a lot of people want to "buy green" these days, so why not a Mitsubishi? (Why not indeed?) The worst part: I'm not making this up. Let's see… "Drive" is more than a bit over-used; it's half of one-fourth of Ford's new motto. The "@" symbol is a useless stab at modern e-vernacular. And "Earth" is as green-BS as it sounds. And where the Hell else are you going to drive, anyway? The slogan says nothing of Mitsubishi, let alone what their cars mean or why you should buy one. Must. Do. Better. Mitsubishi's U.S. sales are down 23 percent in May to 10,430 units. Next time, put th@ in your pipe and smoke it.
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The sooner this company dies the better. They just don’t get it. The rest of the JDM will be stronger once they exit (the dead cat bounce!). Maybe the Chinese or the Indians can extract something useful from the carcass. Possibly their SUV’s.
Some auto makers we like, others we hate, but Mitsubishi is a complete nonentity.
I guess all the good slogans were used up years ago…
I won’t think of Mitsu as being particularly “green” until the memories of all those Mitsu powered Chryslers with the blue smoke coming out of the exhuast pipe fades with time…
Drove a medium-sized rental Mistu a year or two ago. A Galant maybe – didn’t even notice. VERY nice, very quiet.
Slogan @ stupid.
laugh@mitusbishi
this is what happens when you try to hard.
I’d like to see them go totally eco-friendly and produce only plug-in electrics. Then they could have the Kamikaze-tastic slogan “Mitsubishi: Zero Emissions”
“Drive@earth” beat out “Overpriced, thirsty, and uncomfortable.”
Hey, did you know Mitsubishi made a pickup? I didn’t know until I walked through their dealership (passing through from Toyota on the way to Honda).
“Mitsu’s marketeers explain the slogan by pointing out that cars connect us to the earth”
So do shoes.
Too funny. I saw a recent issue of Advertising Age praising the ad agency that just won the Mitsu contract. They won because of “market research, creative strategy and chemistry.” Plus, the agency is a new, independent agency, which makes for a perfect headline. The people at Ad Age must wear waders to work every day to avoid soiling their “smart casual” clothes with BS.
The last thing that Mitsu made that I was even remotely interested in was the Plymouth Arrow (only because it was different for its time).
The ads featured the tune “Me and my Arrow…”
Sounds like a QOTD:
Top Ten “Dumb” automotive slogans or ad taglines (over the years).
My favorite thing about this slogan is imagining how all the meetings and discussions preceding its unveiling could have possible led to the eventual acceptance and approval of such a horrible idea.
That’s not just stupid, it’s group-stupid.
Poor Mitsubishi.
Man… I really hope Mitsubishi doesn’t go under. I really want a new Evolution. Maybe I shouldn’t.
Mitsubishi’s new slogan could have been written by chimpanzees sitting at typewriters, it is so meaningless. How can I get into the advertising business? Does it require a labotomy or is that only recommended?
Mitsu is really on it’s way out of the US market – following Isuzu. No longer relevant and the poster child of 0% financing – stuffing fleets with cars in order to prop up sales growth. The EVO no matter how brilliant it is cannot save the company from it’s inept management and focus. Yes Japanese companies get desparate too and make big mistakes.
Axel :
June 18th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Hey, did you know Mitsubishi made a pickup? I didn’t know until I walked through their dealership (passing through from Toyota on the way to Honda).
They don’t actually make a pickup. They merely sell a rebadged Dodge Ram.
Mitsubishi is big enough on a grand scale not to care. They even have their own bank.
As opposed to all those other planets I can drive on.
John
@Geotpf
It’s a Dakota. Which is even worse.
Such harsh outrage for li’l ol’ Mitsubishi…
To be honest, I never understood how someone develops such an intense dislike for a car manufacturer that it would bring them nothing but unbridled glee if they disappeared. I mean I’ve had my share of Mitsubishis and their problems, but I’ve never sold off my Eclipse shaking my fist to the sky while proclaiming, “I’ll never buy from them again and I hope the get swallowed up into the earth!!!!” Maybe I’m just too tolerant.
And yeah, the slogan is bad.
Because I really couldn’t name more than two Mitsubishi models I went to their North American website. There is a slogan or short phrase for each of their vehicles.
Did you know that “DIRT HAS NEVER BEEN MOVED IN A MORE ARTFUL WAY” in the 2008 Endeavor? Or that the Lancer Evolution is “LIKE WASABI FOR CONCRETE”? I’m not making this up.
In keeping with the new international slogan, that last will soon be changed to “Wasabi@Concrete”.
Drive@Earth.
It does differentiate Mitsu from other manufacturers who may be offering Lunar Rovers. You know, the “Drive@Moon” guys.
1998 called, they want their Marketing Department back.
–chuck
http://chuck.goolsbee.org
In high school a friend’s dad had a 1st generation 4wd turbo Eclipse, on second thought maybe it was a Talon… Whatever it was, it was fast!
Honestly, if it wasn’t for the Lancer Evo, I wouldn’t even know Mitsu exists.
My sources say GM has a new slogan also, it's mismanaged @ oblivion.
The World Wide Web called, they want their @ back.
Was it Mistu who made that awesome TV ad where the guy drives west at full throttle in the desert and the sun comes back up?
They need that agency back.
Wow, marketing needs a shot in the head. Who thought this would make sense? LOL
Every time I see a Mitsubishi old enough to be paid for, it is trailing a plume of blue smoke.
A better slogan would be “Mitsubishi – Japanese for oil burner”.
Save the Evo, Mitsu should just go away…far far away.
Mitsubishi: The Chrysler of Japan. Not green, not relevant, no hope.
Well, I guess it’s better than the slogan for a previous Mitsubishi product:
“Dive @ Ship“
In the words of Jonny Jacobs from Airplane…
“Me John! Big Tree!”
That’s about how much I value slogans. By the way, what have you driven lately?
Meanwhile, here’s a particularly choice quote from the Mitsubishi May 2008 sales press release:
“Consistent with the overall U.S. market, total Mitsubishi sales were off 23.6% for May compared to May 2007 sales of 13,651.”
Suzuki’s May-to-May sales are up 2%. I wonder how this squares with Mitsubishi’s “consistent with the overall U.S. market” excuse for poor sales….