Tom Doll has replaced the way Subaru operates. During his 40 years at the automaker, he worked on the evolution of some of the most well-known automobiles and marketing campaigns in the automotive world. His hands have helped make Subaru the original and inclusive. logo that it is today. But his legacy is even broader.
Doll has touched the lives of Subaru employees, beyond and into the present, demonstrating grace, trust, compassion, and appreciation in a way that commands respect and has replaced the perception of the CEO role in the workplace.
“We pride ourselves on hosting open and fair discussions without worrying about retaliation in all areas of our business. This can be between departments, between control and their teams, or between Subaru of America and our dealers. We’ve built an environment of acceptance, it’s also true when opposing viewpoints and concepts of choice are welcomed,” Doll told Newsweek.
“I tried to create something like ‘a living room’ where that open and fair discussion can take place because the concepts that drive our business are discovered by listening to all points of view. “
Doll began his tenure at Subaru in 1982, holding positions within the company, adding Director and Chief Treasury Operating Officer, Vice President of Business and Strategic Planning, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and President before being promoted to Chief Executive Officer through Subaru of America’s parent company. corporate. Subaru Corporation in 2018.
In 2008, almost all automakers employed significant incentives and deep discounts at the end of the year to attract buyers. Doll and Subaru would donate $250 to the charity of the customer’s choice. This was the beginning of an effort to prevent the promotion of founded automobiles. just for the value.
“Through market research, we found that our consumers use the word ‘love’ when they talk about their Subaru. We also learned about their active lifestyle, their love of pets, and how they sought to help make the world a better place. “Doll said.
“All of this influenced the idea of launching the Love campaign and our Share the Love event in December 2008. This was initially contentious with our parent company and retailers, but after a few years, both campaigns began to resonate with consumers. More broadly, that really set Subaru apart from the competition. “
The marketing effort is combined with a charity each year from mid-November through January. Subaru donates $250 per vehicle purchased to a charity of the buyer’s choice.
As a result of those efforts, Subaru is the largest donor to the National Park Service and ASPCA, and the largest donor to the auto industry to Meals on Wheels and Make-A-Wish.
Doll said the rest of the people at Subaru feel part of something bigger, helping their consumers and their communities. He tried to do more than just sell a car. “There are 32 manufacturers, and more on the way, that need to sell a car to someone,” he said.
Thanks to Share the Love and its candid, safety-focused advertising campaigns (including those featuring the Barkleys, a family circle of retrievers), the Japanese automaker is one of the most reputable and beloved brands on the planet, outpacing more and more big ones. brands, according to a study by Consumer Reports.
When Doll started working at Subaru of America, the company wasn’t in the position of good luck it is today. “I think our Japanese leaders gave me carte blanche to experiment because things were going wrong in the U. S. market. If the timing was right, I doubt we would have been able to implement a lot of the things we did,” Doll said.
Subaru was traditionally a price- and incentive-based sales business. Doll replaced that. He placed an equivalent emphasis on marketing the logo and product and promoting it. Doll helped provide the necessary clue for the progression of the Subaru logo over time.
“Tom was looking to update the classic negative stereotype of car dealerships with something much better for the visitor experience. He didn’t like the concept of ‘negotiating,’ so he started calling Subaru dealers as retailers,” Alan Bethke, senior vice president of marketing at Subaru of America, told Newsweek.
“He is a strong proponent of building partnerships between Subaru and our franchised dealers. Many car brands have adverse relationships with their franchised dealerships. Tom was looking for the opposite. “
Jeff Williams, owner of Williams Subaru and chairman of Subaru’s National Dealer Advisory Committee, told Newsweek that Doll has enthusiasm and a vision that he unabashedly shares with Subaru dealers. He has made himself available and will answer your call.
“Tom wasn’t Superman, he was Clark Kent, a modest, mild-mannered leader who helped shape our logo with one word: love. And through that, he guided us on an adventure to identify the hobby and goal in our daily lives. “. Day-to-day retail operations. In fact, Tom has helped us make a difference in the lives of our consumers and our communities,” Burton Hughes, general manager of Subaru of Las Vegas, told Newsweek.
Now retired, Doll’s next planned alteration is in her kitchen, which is going through a much-needed overhaul, she told Newsweek. So is his golf game. Doll is also making plans for her first extended vacation since her honeymoon.
“As I reflect on my years at Subaru, I’m incredibly grateful for all the wonderful people I’ve met along the way. There were my colleagues, our retailers, our supplier partners, as well as other people in the industry. Like any business, it’s about other people. These are the other people I have had the honor of working with over the years who have contributed to the execution of the methods implemented,” he said.
For this year’s candidates for the world’s biggest automotive disruptors, Newsweek’s Autos team, led by automotive editor Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, put together a list that includes one and two top automakers in both value categories. Brands, groups and Americans were nominated based on their accumulated merits over the previous year, after combining the achievements of each nominee in the spaces of long-term product planning, business strategy, technology, marketing, engineering, sustainability, production and studies and progression. . To be considered, applicants had to use executive decision making, business strategy, product progression and advertising in a way that drives fundamental and transformative replacement in the automotive market, with measurable real-world effects, or have clear and demonstrable perspectives on what to do. he. The Legacy Award honors an individual who has achieved these effects over decades in the industry. The list of nominees was narrowed down by Autos editors and added Jake Lingeman. The winners were selected after a consensus was reached between the Autos team and Newsweek senior editors.
Join the One Million Readers Benefiting from Newsweek’s Free Newsletters