zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
Michael Jackson's Rare Suzuki Commercials Are the Absolute Greatest, Most Random Ads You've Seen
Michael Jackson's Rare Suzuki Commercials Are the Absolute Greatest, Most Random Ads You've Seen-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:02

Over the years, Japanese automakers have randomly . Most times, it’s for cars that aren’t sold here and are specifically for the JDM market. Stars like , Bruce Willis, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Meg Ryan have all done commercials for various Japanese automakers over the years. None, though, will probably be more iconic, random, or rare than Michael Jackson’s Suzuki commercials.

In the 1980s, MJ was at the height of his fame. This was Off The Wall and Thriller Jackson. He was huge. He was also , with the singer entering into many endorsement deals over the decade. Pepsi was probably his biggest deal. But he also entered into deals with companies like Sony, and L.A. Gear.

It’s during this time that Jackson entered into a deal with Suzuki to promote their Love scooter. Suzuki wanted to target more female customers with the Love: a small scooter powered by a four-stroke 50cc engine. The partnership resulted in an ad campaign that included both print ads and commercials. This was pretty big for any Japanese company. The Japanese loved Michael Jackson. His fans there . So, any Japanese company using the world’s biggest pop star to sell their product was smart to do it.

I was able to find three of the commercials Jackson did for Suzuki.

The first is from 1979, done to Jackson’s single “Off The Wall” (from the album of the same name). It ends with him saying “Love is my message.”

Jackson did another commercial in what looks to be LA with him dancing on a rooftop as someone else rides the Love scooter through the city. It would’ve been cool to actually to see him ride it. This is one is funny because it looks as if it includes a blooper. Over the years some , which is to say he couldn’t. At the end of this video, after saying “Love is my message,” instead of winking, he simply blinks both eyes and turns from the camera. You can tell he wants to laugh.

The last commercial I could find, which someone was great enough to remaster, shows him and a woman dancing to “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” in a white room around the Love scooter. Here, Jackson again attempts the blinking thing. I like how he actually committed to keep trying to blink in every ad and never succeeds.

It’s honestly a cool ad campaign. I couldn’t pin down sales numbers for the Suzuki Love scooter, but I’m sure that people seeing MJ in commercials for it helped move a ton of them overseas.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I have two automotive loves: The first is the Miata, the second is off-road racing. For a while I raced air-cooled Volkswagens in the deserts of California and Nevada and I was lucky enough to co-drive in a class 11 stock bug in the Baja 1000 a few years...
Jul 20, 2025
Subaru Had It Right All Along
Subaru Had It Right All Along
When first came to the United States, it sold small funky cars that were decidedly un-American. As the company grew its own identity and became more established in the U.S., it became the first automaker to offer an all-wheel-drive passenger car in 1975. Subaru was also an early-adopter of...
Jul 20, 2025
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I love tiny, of . I have a that is roughly half the size of a normal cat, and she’s perfect. I own a 2013 , which is like the miniature version of a normal-sized vehicle (at least here in Texas) — but beyond that, I also own a Hot...
Jul 20, 2025
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
closed its São Bernardo Plant in November 2023, marking the end of its first overseas production facility. The closure caps off a period of continuous car production in São Paolo, , lasting over 60 years. The plant was home to a Komatsu 700-ton press that predates itself. And now...
Jul 20, 2025
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
At long last, we are about to get behind the wheel of for the first time. Sure, , and sure, , and sure , but hey — what can you do? Anyway, before we get behind the wheel of this three-row electric beast, we want to know what you...
Jul 20, 2025
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
MotorWeek’s is some of the on the internet. The long-running automotive news magazine has a treasure trove of tests after being on the air for over 40 years. Where else can you find detailed instrumented testing of long-forgotten cars like the or a ? MotorWeek’s recent Retro Review upload is...
Jul 20, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved