Mr. Lube knows that breaking up is hard to do, but it thinks Canadians should walk away from clingy relationships with appointment-demanding dealerships.
It’s the focus of a new spot for the car services company, developed by Rethink in Vancouver, that’s taking a more direct approach in touting its services versus the other guys. As a dealer reads a “Dear John” letter from a former customer, viewers are treated to snapshots from their relationship, from its idealistic beginning to its dramatic end, where the customer leaves the anguished dealer – who boasts a mighty lavish pelt of chest hair – in favour of Mr. Lube, who doesn’t demand appointments from her.
 “Since we first began working on Mr. Lube a few years ago, the strategy has always been to counter the message car dealers give to their customers: ‘bring your car back to us for everything,’” says Rob Tarry, group CD, Rethink Vancouver. “After a few years of a comedy/dialogue approach set in a fictitious dealership, we thought we’d focus the TV a bit more and come right out and say it: ‘break up with your dealer.’”
The campaign also includes radio, which continues to feature a service manager from Massive Motors hounding a customer to come in; print and OOH keeping to the graphic “checklist” headline approach; and a refreshed, more dynamic and direct website. A second commercial, set to launch in March, will up Mr. Lube’s aggro quotient and take on the dealers in an even more direct way, says Tarry.

agency: Rethink Vancouver
client: Mr. Lube
creative directors: Chris Staples, Ian Grais, Rob Tarry
writer: Rob Tarry
art director: Carson Ting
director: Eric Yealland