WASHINGTON — Operation Lifesaver, Inc. is reaching out to top leadership at Subaru and its advertising agency on a new commercial that shows a woman and a man illegally riding in a boxcar. The national non-profit rail safety education group recently sent a letter to Subaru’s vice president of marketing asking the car manufacturer to withdraw the commercial from the internet and airwaves.
The new “Land of Dreams” advertisement shows a woman and man paralleling a moving train and daydreaming of riding in one of the train’s boxcars. The commercial, set in a rural area, promotes the company’s new Subaru Outback vehicle. Operation Lifesaver says the commercial could spark others to find interest in riding trains illegally for the same sense of adventure as implied in the advertisement.
Operation Lifesaver is asking Subaru to take down the commercial and has also reached out to the manufacturer about collaborating to promote railroad safety and education through Subaru’s ‘Love Promise’ marketing initiative.
