• by Tanya Gazdik , March 4, 2016

Mazda broke a new spot in the “Driving Matters” campaign this week.

“Passenger,” which broke March 2 on national television, features a man who has been on a five-day trip and simply wants to get home. After going through the trials and tribulations of traveling, he is greeted by his Mazda6 in the parking structure of the airport.

As he enters the cockpit, he breathes a deep sigh of relief as he now feels at “home” in his car, even before he gets to his actual home. In the background is Patsy Cline’s “Back in Baby’s Arms.”

The spot, from Garage Team Mazda, will air through May 29. The media buy includes NBC, ABC, ESPN, HGTV, Bravo, CNN, Food Network, and E. Programs include “American Crime,” “Quantico,” “Galavant,” “Shark Tank,” “The Muppets” and “Jimmy Kimmel.”

The campaign includes cinema, linear TV, full episode players, social media, customer relationship management, search engine monetization, and OLA. 

“It is Mazda’s goal to fit into its customers' lives in a way that is organic, authentic and subconsciously, or consciously, loved and appreciated,” says Russell Wager, vice president of marketing, Mazda North America Operations, in a release. “Mazda wants to be there for its customer’s life moments and help facilitate them through driving enjoyment. This is the essence of ‘Driving Matters.’”

The spot continues Mazda’s theme of telling the stories of its customers and how their Mazda fits into their lives. It started with “Driver’s Life” and the relatable scenario of a driving enthusiast going through various stages of life and how his car changes with his ever-changing needs.

From there, Mazda has debuted stories about CX-5s in both “Bringing Baby Home” and “The Proposal.” Stories about Mazda3 with “Carried Away” or weekend activity stories including CX-3 featured in “Garage.” “Exit 32” features the Mazda6.