CHERRY HILL, N.J. -

Subaru launched a campaign late last week that pulls on consumers’ nostalgia for their first vehicle, searching for stories of 16-year-olds working for their first car and happy shoppers gaining their first set of wheels. 

In launching its First Car Story campaign, the OEM aims to advertise the all-new 2012 Subaru Impreza.

And the campaign hub — FirstCarStory.com — features an animation generator that allows users to “recreate their first car, tell their story and see it turned into an animated video,” officials shared.

Then, participants can even set the video to music and narrate. Through Facebook, Twitter, or email, users can share their video with family and friends throughout their social network.

Explaining the reasoning behind the new campaign, Alan Bethke, director of marketing communications for Subaru of America, said, "Everyone loved their first car, no matter how bad, beat up, or borrowed. That first car became a new chapter in life or a ticket to freedom and first car stories are often the most memorable stories we have.

"The First Car Story campaign provides a creative outlet for reliving those unique, funny, unforgettable car experiences anyone who had a first car can relate to,” he continued.

And the company also went into details regarding how this campaign is set up to work.

“Using pioneering text-to-video technology, FirstCarStory.com turns words and phrases into custom animations,” officials explained.

First, when the visitor gets to the site home page, they will find the “car generator” — “this allows users to create their beloved first car right down to the degree of damage the car may have incurred,” the company noted.

Next, the user can move over to the story entry page to write about their first car.

“The animation generator tool isolates key words to begin populating visuals that bring the story to life.  Users can also select key words and phrases to highlight in their story,” the company further explained.

The storyteller can record a personal, vocal narrative to accompany the animation.  Lastly, before publishing, the storyteller selects an appropriate soundtrack to complete the personalization of their video. 

And the campaign utilizes social media as well.

“With this unique social experience, the storyteller is able to tag Facebook friends to include in the video.  Once completed, the storyteller then can share and publish their directorial debut across social media platforms.  The storyteller user community can even see how their stories share common elements with other stories,” officials noted.

The Campaign Ties to 2012 Subaru Impreza

The company then went on to explain how the campaign capitalizes on the new Impreza.

"First car stories are really about loving a car and how it helped you live your life. The crux is that first cars are rarely dream cars; most didn’t last and some even let their owners down," said Bethke.

"At Subaru we know the importance of having a car you can rely on, one that helps you lead a better, fuller life. The all-new 2012 Subaru Impreza is the best, ‘first new car’ choice.  What better way to launch Impreza than to tap into those first car emotions by introducing it as the love that really lasts,” he added.

And highlighting the car itself, the all-new 2012 Subaru Impreza is a 2012 IIHS Top Safety pick and the most fuel-efficient all-wheel-drive vehicle in America at 36 MPG with CVT transmission, officials explained.

“The sedan also boasts 30 percent more interior space than its previous version, without an increase in overall vehicle size and footprint,” they concluded.