SANTA MONICA, Calif. -

Edmunds.com on Tuesday revealed the winner of the 2011 Marketing Breakthrough Award, scheduled to be given at the New York International Auto Show.

Site officials handed the honor to Subaru in recognition of innovative ad campaigns last year that they said were both “quirky and emotionally compelling.”

They pointed out the specific campaigns:

—Subaru developed an online campaign featuring a fake launch of the “Mediocrity Sedan” that was positioned to showcase the unique features of the Legacy sedan.

—Subaru’s “Baby Driver” commercial sent a touching message that resonated with any parent handing the keys over to a teenage driver for the very first time.

—The “Honeymoon” ad showed a newlywed couple in a Subaru Outback celebrating their first day as husband and wife in the great outdoors.

Edmunds.com determined Subaru’s marketing efforts led to more than 263,000 U.S. sales last year, the highest full-year total ever for the automaker.

“Subaru’s marketing strategy shows how smart targeted advertising can have a direct positive impact on any car manufacturer’s bottom line,” declared Jeremy Anwyl, chief executive of Edmunds.com.

The site recapped that the Edmunds.com Marketing Breakthrough Award is provided annually to a vehicle, company or activity that created significant buzz, displayed out-of-the-box thinking, enhanced the positive perception of a brand and/or increased consumers’ consideration of a brand.

Officials mentioned the runner-up for this year’s award was Chrysler, whose two-minute Super Bowl Ad featuring Eminem “created a new level of buzz for the Detroit automaker and its Chrysler 200 sedan.”

They added that the “Imported From Detroit” spot led to an 87-percent increase in consideration for Chrysler on Edmunds.com in the week after the big game.