Isuzu Goes Its Own Way
By the end of the decade, Isuzu had decided it could do better
on its own. So the company set up American Isuzu Motors
Inc., and hired a hot advertising agency headed by Jerry Della
Femina, who was (ironically) the author of the book From
Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor.
The first year’s advertising budget was $10 million, and the
sales budget was for 35,000 vehicles. They easily made the ad
budget, but missed the sales budget by a mile.
What was the theme of the advertising? The name prob-
lem, of course. “Isuzu. The advanced car with the backward
name.”
As you might have expected, the advanced car with the
backward ...