Mitsubishi’s Kimberly Ito on how a challenger brand punches above its weight

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Big Impression

Episode: Mitsubishi’s Kimberly Ito on how a challenger brand punches above its weight
Host: The Current (Damian Fowler & Ilyse Liffreing)
Guest: Kimberly Ito, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Mitsubishi Motors North America
Date: December 10, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode features Kimberly Ito, CMO of Mitsubishi Motors North America, discussing the company’s new campaign for the Outlander Trail Edition. The conversation centers on how Mitsubishi, as a challenger automotive brand in the US, leverages creative storytelling, consumer insights, and agile digital strategies to effectively compete in a crowded market. Listeners gain an inside perspective on campaign development, lessons from recent launches, and Mitsubishi’s approach to customer experience, innovation, and culture.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mitsubishi’s Challenger Brand Strategy

• Brand Positioning: Mitsubishi is well-known globally, but in the US market, they're a challenger brand requiring a clear, distinctive strategy focused on value, capability, and adventure.

  “With any challenger brand, it’s so important to have a clearly defined brand strategy…those themes are value, capability, and adventure.” — Kimberly Ito [01:11]

• Product Differentiation: The core Outlander is positioned on value and quality, while the Trail Edition is rugged, appealing to those with active lifestyles seeking personal growth and new definitions of success.

2. Rethinking Adventure & Consumer Insights

• Cultural Shift: The idea of adventure for the Trail Edition’s audience goes beyond traditional off-roading. It’s about personal fulfillment, well-being, and redefining success.

  “…adventure to this audience meant much more than driving on unpaved roads. To them, adventure was living this fulfilling life and success was being redefined.” — Kimberly Ito [02:55]

• Emotional Connection: Campaign storytelling focuses on ‘quiet confidence’ and authentic humanity rather than clichés. The talent in the ads represents Mitsubishi’s customer base: “trusted friends.”

  “…they’re not necessarily the life of the party, but they're that trusted friend you go to for advice.” — Kimberly Ito [04:13]

3. Creative Approach & Music Integration

• Unique Music: For emotional resonance, Mitsubishi invested in a bespoke music track for the campaign, moving away from typical voice-overs and hard-sell features.

  “We don’t have voiceover in the spot…It’s just this visceral drumbeat of the music along with the talent to help tell that emotional story.” — Kimberly Ito [05:39]

4. Digital-First, Strategic Channel Activation

• Agile Marketing: With smaller budgets and teams, Mitsubishi must prioritize ROI and efficiency.

  “Every dollar that we spend has to have a return; every impression counts for us.” — Kimberly Ito [06:52]

• Connected TV & Geotargeting: Heavy focus on connected TV and geo-targeted digital channels enables Mitsubishi to scale selectively and reach niche, ‘outdoorsy’ audiences in key conquest markets.

  “…we looked at the US and identified conquest markets… and focused our digital efforts in those areas.” — Kimberly Ito [07:41]

5. The Longer Consideration Cycle & Customer Journey

• Purchase Journey Doubling: Economic headwinds have doubled the typical 45-day vehicle purchase window, increasing the importance of ongoing brand engagement and research.

  “…with the current market conditions…we’ve seen that purchase journey double.” — Kimberly Ito [08:47]

• Opportunity for Challenger Brands: As consumer research expands and brand loyalty declines, Mitsubishi capitalizes by highlighting its value, industry-leading warranty, included maintenance, and affordability.
• Omotenashi Principle: Customer experience is central; inspired by the Japanese concept of omotenashi (hospitality), Mitsubishi aims to exceed consumer expectations at every touchpoint.

  “You always want to anticipate the needs of others, whether you’re welcoming them into your home, into your brand, into your showrooms, even into your vehicles.” — Kimberly Ito [10:48]

6. Campaign Results & Measurement

• Promising Metrics: Early campaign success is shown by:
  • Website engagement up 36%
  • Search traffic up 600%
  • A 56% sales lift in targeted geographies
  • Best-in-class Google campaign awareness lift

  “…in those key markets, we are seeing a 56% sales lift. And while awareness and interest is good, sales are always fantastic.” — Kimberly Ito [12:10]

• Consumer Behavior Insights: Users displayed strong intent, quickly asking where to find and customize the Trail Edition.
• Attribution: With select partners, full-funnel attribution is possible, validating connected TV’s contribution to lower-funnel actions.

7. Mitsubishi’s Role in Culture & Innovation

• Core Values & Growth Roadmap: Mitsubishi remains committed to quality, dependability, reliability, and value. Their 5-year “Momentum 2030” plan includes expanding the dealer network, vehicle lineup (including electrification), and leading innovation in digital marketing.
• Business Mindset: The company approaches operations via:
  • Efficient business running
  • Change-focused, innovative thinking

  “…we have to be more clever and nimble than others to make an impact.” — Kimberly Ito [15:43]

8. Embracing Artificial Intelligence

• AI Task Force: Mitsubishi created an internal task force to stay current on AI advancements and educate both company staff and dealer partners.

  “…building an internal AI task force…as well as educating our dealer partners on how to use AI to go to market.” — Kimberly Ito [16:58]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Brand Narrative:

  “There had to be this emotional connection there. And so we focused on humanity for the campaign work.”
  — Kimberly Ito [04:00]

• On Value Proposition:

  “We have a 10-year industry-leading warranty…three SUVs starting at under $30,000. If you’re shopping for a practical car purchase…and you come upon Mitsubishi, we really are a smart car choice for consumers.”
  — Kimberly Ito [09:50]

• On Inclusion:

  “More women in leadership roles.”
  — Kimberly Ito, on what’s missing from marketing [17:29]

• Brand Shoutout:

  “There is a brand called Covree. It is female founded, Asian American owned…”
  — Kimberly Ito [17:43]

• On Driving:

  “So much life happens in my car…The 10-minute commute that I have from home to the office, that is my solace…It’s not always about the destination. It’s the journey that gets you there.”
  — Kimberly Ito [19:04]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Mitsubishi’s Challenger Position: 01:06–02:53
• Consumer Insights & Campaign Philosophy: 02:53–05:03
• Creative Direction & Music: 05:04–06:08
• Digital Strategy Discussion: 06:43–08:01
• Customer Journey & Omotenashi: 08:33–11:14
• Campaign Results: 11:39–12:31
• Consumer Behavior & Attribution: 12:53–14:41
• Future Vision (Momentum 2030, Innovation): 15:00–16:20
• AI in Marketing: 16:31–16:58
• Quickfire/Hot Seat Questions: 17:18–19:45

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Conclusion

Kimberly Ito provides a candid, insightful look into how Mitsubishi leverages its challenger status with creativity, digital acumen, and a relentless focus on the consumer. Listeners are left with a sense of Mitsubishi’s values-driven marketing and its ambitions to shape both the customer journey and the future of automotive culture in the US.

Transcript

[A]

I'm damian fowler.

[B]

And I'm ilise lifring.

[A]

And welcome to this edition of the big impression.

[B]

Today we're joined by Kimberly Ito, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Mitsubishi Motors North America. She's here to talk about the company's latest campaign for the Outlander Trail Edition, and how Mitsubishi is rethinking what adventure and valley mean for today's drivers.

[A]

Automotive marketing can often lean on specs and performance, but this campaign takes a more human approach, connecting through storytelling, culture and digital touchpoints like connected TV and local activations.

[B]

We'll dig into the insights behind the work, what it says about shifting consumer expectations, and where Mitsubishi sees the road ahead.

[A]

So start your motors.

[B]

So Mitsubishi has always leaned into themes of adventure, capability and value. What was the core consumer or cultural insights really behind this most recent campaign for Outlander Trail Edition?

[C]

So I think before we get into our chat, I'd love to share just a bit about the brand, because Mitsubishi is a global name, but then here in the US we really are a challenger brand. And with any challenger brand, it's so important to have a clearly defined brand strategy that you're then extending through communication themes. And for us, those themes are value, capability and adventure. And so with our core model, the Outlander, it is an elevated suv. It has these premium interiors, the sound system is exclusive, It's Yamaha and can take a driver from the city to school pickup, all for starting at under $30,000. So with the Outlander, it very much is an opportunity for us to lean our value story. Now contrast that to the Outlander Trail Edition. So the Trail Edition is the rugged version of the Outlander. It's outfitted with off road accessories, it's sportier and is meant for somebody who lives an active lifestyle. And so you assume we're going to lean into adventure and capability with this vehicle. So as we were diving into the audience work, what we found was that adventure to this audience meant much more than driving on unpaved roads. To them, adventure was living this fulfilling life and success was being redefined. And so to them, their success was pursuing personal growth, having the freedom to disconnect, and having a nice balance between work life and well being. And that was the consumer insight that we really wanted to sink our teeth into. And so that's how we positioned the Outlander Trail Edition. It was a vehicle that symbolized a new type of adventure for this customer, one that could let you lead your life and achieve your ambitions that have been redefined.

[A]

I like that, like a higher concept of freedom. It just is not the. It's not that cliche, necessarily, that we always see in a lot of rugged car ads where they're driving around mountains. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's always inspiring. And the American landscape does lend itself to some great visuals. But, you know, in terms of your, you know, sort of creative tone, the storytelling approach, that aspiration. What. Could you sort of unpack that for us a little bit?

[B]

Sure.

[C]

So part of the fun of marketing is trying to strike that balance between telling a product story and then pushing your brand narrative and knowing when to dial up or dial down each of those elements, knowing that the Outlander Trail Edition audience was so intentional with how they lived their lives. We knew that the vehicle purchase decision had to be more than just rational. There had to be this emotional connection there. And so we focused on humanity for the campaign work. And we did that in a couple ways. First, we did that through the talent that we showed in the spot. The talent is doing practical things, interacting with the vehicle in very practical ways. But what we wanted to show is the talent having this quiet confidence to them. And that really is a reflection of who our target audience is and who our current owners are. They're not necessarily the life of the party, but they're that trusted friend that you go to for advice. And we wanted that to come through to build that emotional connection with viewers.

[A]

When did the campaign launch?

[C]

August 2025. And the other way we built an emotional connection with viewers is through music. So music is an immediate emotional connector, but means so much to this target audience. Whether they're attending live music events, streaming around the clock, or even playing musical instruments in their homes, they're music lovers. And so for us, we actually composed a bespoke track for this campaign. And that was just another way for a small brand like Mitsubishi to make something unique and ownable and bring the campaign to life, because the music is really a character in the campaign. We don't have voiceover in the spot. We don't have any product features supered on screen either. It's just this visceral drumbeat of the music along with the talent to help tell that emotional story.

[B]

You know, I'm really surprised in learning just how small Mitsubishi is when it comes from, like, a marketing standpoint and everything in your team. In my head, it's, you know, you're massive. You've been around forever and stuff. So I'm curious when it comes to activating across so many different environments, too, and the channels you're leaning into. You guys have to be so strategic when it comes to those. So can you describe a little bit how you're leaning into those different digital strategies?

[C]

Absolutely. So being a challenger brand, we have the same problems as any other auto manufacturer. On top of that, we have smaller budgets and smaller teams. And so every dollar that we spend has to have a return, every impression counts for us. And using a digital first approach is a great way for us to be both effective and efficient with our media dollars. And so connected TV is a great way for us to scale when we can and be hyper targeted when we need to be. And that was true. Going to market with the trail edition, we have our greater target audience. But then we found this outdoorsy niche audience that we wanted to find through bespoke channels, including connected tv. You mentioned geo targeting. And that's another great way for us to be again, hyper targeted when we need to be in digital channels that can scale when we want to be. So we looked at the US and identified Conquest markets in which we had a retail opportunity and focused our effort, our digital efforts in those areas.

[B]

Wow, very cool.

[A]

And that's an interesting thought too because we know that car purchase is something that people do every, you know, 5x number of years or maybe, maybe some people do it every couple of years, I don't know. But it's a long journey, right? So you know, you've got to connect your brand campaigns, plant the seed, plant the idea a long way ahead of time before that purchase moment, kind of. How do you think about that consumer journey?

[C]

This is a topic that I am really passionate about because in my role I get to look after every consumer touch point across the customer journey. And so typically we see from first touch or interaction with the brand to purchase, it's about 45 days. But with the current market conditions and economic headwinds we're facing, we've seen that purchase journey double. And so we have to ask ourselves, well, what are consumers doing in that longer timeframe? They are doing more research than they ever have and they're looking for a vehicle that fits their practical needs. This is a great opportunity for Mitsubishi because while their research is happening, their brand loyalty declining, right? The brands that they may have gone to out of familiarity, the one or two that come to the top of their list, their shopping lists are now expanding and they're looking into brands that maybe they haven't considered before. And so that's our opportunity to tell our story of value, quality, dependability and reliability. And you know, when you when you peel back the onion. On our brand, we do have an amazing value story. We have a 10 year industry leading warranty. Every new vehicle purchase comes with two years of included maintenance and we have three SUVs starting at under $30,000. So if you're shopping for a practical car purchase and you come upon Mitsubishi, we really are a smart car choice for consumers. And then, you know, making sure that we're beating that drumbeat of quality, dependability, reliability and value across the consumer journey is absolutely what we do. We're very customer centric and so we were asking ourselves, are we meeting the needs of our customers? Can we do this better? And we also believe in omotenashi. That is a Japanese word that means incredible hospitality. And you always want to anticipate the needs of others, whether you're welcoming them into your home, into your brand, into your showrooms, even into your vehicles. And so when we think about how we go to market, ensuring that we've got the consistent storyline or through line of our brand, we're keeping the customer experience front and center.

[B]

And now I want to kind of look into like the takeaways that what you've learned so far from the campaign now that it's been live since August, what signals or early reads? Let me say that what signals or KPIs are you paying closest attention to? When it comes to impact.

[C]

We'Re seeing the early signs are very promising. So our interest and awareness of the vehicle are up. Our website engagement is up 36%. We're seeing our search traffic up 600%. And I recently learned that, that our Google campaigns are best in class in awareness lift. So driving consumer interest is certainly something that we've achieved. Now I also mentioned we had a geotargeting strategy and in those key markets we are seeing a 56% sales lift. And while awareness and interest is good, sales are always fantastic.

We're seeing the impact of our results in a very positive way.

[A]

You know, were there any surprises at all in terms of like how audiences are responding, you know, whether that was, you know, oh, look at that. These people, you know, responding on this particular channel, you kind of touched on it right there or a specific partnership and, or even be interested to know, you know, geographically where the spikes are maybe happening.

[C]

So what's interesting is we are seeing the spike bikes in those targeted key markets and with any vehicle launch, we hear the vehicle looks great, can't wait to test drive one. We're constantly monitoring YouTube and social comments with this vehicle. The consumer Interest was immediately about where can I get this vehicle and how quickly can I get into one. And when we look at the heat maps on the landing page for this vehicle, people were so interested in the accessories that you could customize for this vehicle. So again, there really is this emotional connection that's being delivered through the positioning of the vehicle.

[A]

And then in terms of like you're saying, people responding to websites around the vehicle, other channels too where you can track back and oh, this potential customer was exposed to this.

On a CTV ad or something. Are you able to kind of track those journeys?

[C]

We are with very bespoke partners who are able to show kind of full journey attribution. Whether a consumer sees a national ad or a local market ad to the consumer, it's Mitsubishi and it's important for us to have our dealers activate the campaigns in a very similar fashion as the national campaign. And so we do see CCTV or connected TV driving low funnel activities. And where we saw the highest lift again is in those key markets that we geotargeted.

[B]

As you think about how Mitsubishi affects culture, whether that's like sustainability or new definitions of mobility or the desire for community, how does this campaign really reflect where the brand wants to be in the US and any growth you want to see in the future.

[C]

As a brand, we will always stand for quality, dependability, reliability and value. Our commitment to consumers is, is providing exceptional vehicles at a great price, but on a larger scale. We do have a five year growth plan called Momentum 2030 and that's our commitment over the next five years to increasing our dealer network, increasing products in the United States that includes electrified powertrains and innovating how we go to market. So our team has been positioned as a global center of excellence for digital marketing and I plan to uphold that standard. We again have the same problems as other auto manufacturers, but we have to be more clever and nimble than others to make an impact. So I think of our business approach in two streams. First is how we run the business and that's being as proficient and efficient as possible. And then the second stream is how we change the business. And that's our way of ensuring that we're a leader in innovation.

And trying new things.

[A]

We're talking a lot about AI and how AI is transforming marketing. What impacts has it had on you and the way you think about your go to market strategy?

[C]

AI is such a hot topic right now, and rightly so because we're using it in our daily lives in professional ways. And the use case of AI is growing rapidly and daily. And so we've made sure that we're staying on top of AI conversations by.

Building an internal AI task force. And they're responsible for staying abreast of AI topics, but also educating the organization on the latest findings, as well as educating our dealer partners on how to use AI to go to market.

[B]

We have some quick hot seat questions for you. The first one what's still missing from the media and marketing marketplace that you'd love to see happen?

[C]

More women in leadership roles.

[B]

Ooh, I love that one. Very nice.

[A]

Short and sweet. Outside of automotive, is there a brand that you think is doing a great job connecting with culture today?

[C]

There is a brand called Covree. It is female, founded, Asian American owned, and these two women have identified a need for eyewear to fit faces of all shapes and sizes. And that started with representing an underrepresented community, the AAPI community. And everything from their website to their customer service to their product to their packaging is absolutely fantastic. So I have to shout Covery out.

[B]

Very cool. Love learning new brands from these.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

If you had an unlimited budget and you could do anything as far as marketing that you desired, what would it be?

[C]

I would invest more in future market because as a challenger brand, future market always gets deprioritized with the needs of today. And balancing how we build for tomorrow with the needs of today is always a challenger. Brand's dilemma. So that's where I'd focus my dollars.

[B]

Makes sense. Otherwise you're kind of always playing catch up.

[A]

What does driving mean to you?

[C]

Driving means so much to me because so much life happens in my car, whether it's by myself or with my family. The 10 minute commute that I have from home to the office, that is my solace. That is me time. I get to listen to whatever music or podcast that I want to. I get to make a phone call to my best friend and catch up. There's quality time spent there. And then there's also the memories that you make with your family and friends. Whether you're going from, you know, point A to point B. It's not always about the destination. It's the journey that gets you there.

[B]

Love that.

[A]

Nice end.

[B]

Do you have a favorite way? Do you have a favorite podcast that you listen to while you're driving?

[C]

My favorite podcast is Rethinking by Adam Grant.

[A]

And that's it for this edition of the Big Impression.

[B]

This show is produced by Molten Heart. Our theme is by Love and Caliber, and our associate producer is Sydney Cairns.

[C]

And remember, we will always stand for quality, dependability, reliability and value.

[A]

I'm Damian.

[B]

And I'm Alys.

[A]

And we'll see you next time.