Wieden & Kennedy Loses Subaru Advertising Account

PORTLAND, Ore. - Subaru of America plans to dump its advertising agency of two years, Wieden & Kennedy, after a sales slide and a change in management at the automobile importer.

Wieden & Kennedy had beaten some of the nation's top agencies to win the account in 1991, and created the "What to Drive" campaign for Subaru.

George Muller, recently appointed president of Subaru America, said the company needs to return to its traditional niche in the market, rather than trying to be all things to all consumers.

"It hurts," Dan Wieden, the firm's president, said Friday of losing the account. The Oregon-based agency's largest and most prestigious account remains Nike Inc., the athletic shoe and apparel maker from Beaverton.

Weiden & Kennedy's ads for Subaru mocked the pretensions some car owners have about the models they drive and cast Subaru as a solid alternative.

Mark Dunn, national advertising manager for Cherry Hill, N.J.-based Subaru of America, said today that no plans have been made for selecting a new agency. He said that matter would be examined later this year after the company's peak selling season ends in October.