Hasta La Creative!

Ah, car dealerships. They’re such wondrous places, awash in glitter and vibrating to the ebullient rhythm of dancing feet and upbeat songs of love.

Well, that’s true for the showrooms in these new Honda Clearance Sale spots from RPA, at any rate. The campaign, which broke Monday, features covers of well-known pop tunes in what the automaker describes as an effort “to capture the moment people become smitten with a new Honda.”

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RPA launched a campaign for the new 2016 Honda Pilot with two new broadcast spots which position the vehicle as “Ready for Anything.”

The 30-second “The Incredible Pilot Elite” presents “a demonstration in adaptability” with a mix of practical and CGI effects demonstrating the vehicle’s features. A second, 60-second spot directed by Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air), shows a family on a road trip. One of the children starts singing the opening lines to the classic Weezer song “Buddy Holly” and soon the rest of the family joins in for a full singalong, passing by another family who laughs at them right after they get to the line “I don’t care what they say about us anyway.” It’s an unlikely scenario, to say the least, briefly showing off the vehicles spaciousness while undoubtedly getting the song stuck in viewers heads.

Broadcast spots will be slotted for cable, late night and early morning, and will run on CBS NFL, ESPN NCAA Football and ABC/ESPN NBA in the fall. They will also run on online channels including YouTube and Yahoo and through digital partnerships with Amazon, IMDB, TripAdvisor, Pinterest and Xbox. The campaign also includes a print component, which will run in publications including MotorTrend, Road & Track and Autoweek.

It seems that Honda’s diesel CR-V brings out the best of mcgarrybowen London’s visual instincts.

The agency follows up its 2013 Cannes Gold Lion-winning, M.C. Escher-esque spot for the model (dubbed “Illusions”) by taking us on an infinite loop to promote the automaker’s 2015 edition with an ad called “Endless Road.” In a literal manifestation of the title, the new model traverses an infinite road like a runner on a track, with Bernard Hermann’s “Twisted Nerve” (remember Kill Bill Vol. 1?) providing the soundtrack.

Along with mcgarrybowen, digital production company MediaMonks and director Chris Palmer of Gorgeous played key roles in the campaign, which emphasizes the CR-V’s performance capabilities in illustrating how “the road to better never ends.”

While it’s not as visually stimulating as Honda efforts from the past couple of years, the tone, style and narrative serve the “Endless Road” quite well. You can check out a behind-the-scenes clip below and watch a literally infinite version on the CR-V’s dedicated YouTube site.

It beats your average screensaver.

Agency: mcgarrybowen, London
Executive Creative Directors: Angus Macadam, Paul Jordan
Creative Team: Charlotte Watmough, Holly Fallows
Planner: Michael McCourt
Agency Producer: Sian Parker
Business Director: Alice Tendler
Film Production: Gorgeous
Director: Chris Palmer
Executive Producer: Rupert Smythe
Editor: Scot Crane
Postproduction: Glassworks; FaTiBoo
Flame: Lewis Saunders
Creative Director (3-D): Jordi Bares @ Glassworks
Colorist: Seamus O’Kane @ The Mill
Digital Production: MediaMonks
Executive Producer: Wouter Smit
Producer: Rodrigo Alberini
Creative Directors: Jon Biggs, Alex Danklof
Project Manager: Sylvia van der Leen
Audio Production: Munzie Thind @ Grand Central
Music: Twisted Nerve Main Theme
Composer, Arranger: Bernard Herrmann

Honda teaches you to speed read in a series of ads which—in a nice nod to its vehicles—keep accelerating if you’re up for a challenge.

Apps have revolutionized speed read lately by displaying a single word on the screen at a time, one right after another in rapid succession. Partly because this reduces eye movement, these apps help readers not just beat but destroy the average reading pace of 220 words per minute. (Most of the apps default to 250 words a minute to start.)

The Honda campaign, from Wieden + Kennedy in London, uses the same technique—with the on-screen copy that flashes by in a trim, minimalist 40-second spot. A second ad lasts 30 seconds, with the text moving that much quicker. A third and final ad lasts just 20 seconds. (It’s kind of a shame there aren’t more. I was prepared to see how fast I could really go.)

The three spots combined have more than half a million YouTube views in a couple of days. That’s some speedy likes for some speedy reading.

One of the universe’s greatest villians has conquered the Twitter feed of one the world’s most recognized automotive brands.

Yes, it appears that Skeletor, the nemesis of He-Man (both of ’80s Saturday morning cartoon fame) has manned the controls of Honda’s Twitter account, coinciding with the brand’s newest campaign featuring famous toys promoting the Happy Honda Days sales event. 

The exchanges are actually pretty hilarious and range from trolling He-Man to sharing his #ManCrushMonday. Take a look:

Here’s where it all went down…

Twittersphere: It is I, Skeletor! Now that I have control of Honda’s account, no one is safe! Muaha! #Skeletakeover pic.twitter.com/7DCH2aw9lh

— Honda (@Honda) December 1, 2014

Sexiest troll alive:

.@PeopleMag I demand a recount for #SexiestManAlive #BoneStructure #Skeletakeover pic.twitter.com/qFMFYZTfiG

— Honda (@Honda) December 1, 2014

Sick burn on He-Man.

I wonder what He-Man is getting for #CyberMonday. Probably a bedazzled loincloth. #SMH #Skeletakeover pic.twitter.com/XTtWirIInp

— Honda (@Honda) December 1, 2014

Takes one to know one:

Can anyone tell me how to contact “internet trolls”? They sound like my kinda people. #Skeletakeover

— Honda (@Honda) December 1, 2014

Old joke, new delivery:

I’m so buying this. #CyberMonday #Skeletakeover pic.twitter.com/qbpbSGLKT8

— Honda (@Honda) December 1, 2014

Very literal, here:

Just discovered #ManCrushMonday. Here’s a man I’d like to crush! #mcm #Skeletakeover pic.twitter.com/fJf0WeWhv7

— Honda (@Honda) December 1, 2014

Ha! Skeletor’s on fire!

.@BurgerKing Who knew King Randor is now king of burgers? #Doppelganger #WhoWoreItBetter #Skeletakeover pic.twitter.com/76GY9HDTyn

— Honda (@Honda) December 1, 2014

No brand is safe, even Charmin.

.@Charmin I didn’t realize your comfy bed linens could also be used as currency. I have much to learn. #Skeletakeover pic.twitter.com/WjHVV9GVyl

— Honda (@Honda) December 1, 2014

Does OK Go release albums? Like, full-blown records with multiple songs on them? I don’t know. I don’t care. Their videos are enough for all of us.

Japanese creative agency Mori Inc. is behind this one. (You may remember creative director Morihiro Harano, who created that giant xylophone in the woods in that 2011 smartphone ad.) Like all of OK Go’s videos, it’s amazing. I would put it up there with the great Rube Goldberg device video for “This Too Shall Pass,” but maybe not quite as high as the truly awesome collaboration with dance troupe Pilobolus on “All Is Not Lost.”

Anyway, here it is:

Those amazing little motorcycles are the Honda U3-X, a very strange device with some kind of robotic gyroscope inside that keeps it from falling over, even when the guys are leaning back and forth on them. (To be fair, OK Go are samurai warriors when it comes to the art of not falling over.) I don’t want to give away the ending, but it gets nuts from there.

At any rate, the rock world’s answer to Cirque du Soleil is back. Hooray for them, and for us. And also for the drone or helicopter or whatever is filming this thing, because wow.

There are lots of things to like about the Honda Fit. But one feature in particular might present some issues while you’re out there cruising for hours on the open road, Whitesnake blasting and the wind blowing through your hair.

We won’t spoil the punch line of this spec ad, created by A2F Pictures in Minneapolis. But take a look below and enjoy. After the video, check out our Q&A with the director, James Rautmann, in which we ask just what, exactly, he was thinking.

AdFreak: What was the inspiration for this ad?
James Rautmann: The inspiration came from wanting to make an ad that used text to give the punch line in a subtle way. Create an ah-ha moment. Let the audience make the assumption on what is really going on in the scene.

Tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea for the plot.
I was returning home from a shoot, and long story short we had to move white wine to an empty two-liter bottle for a shot. When I arrived home, I had to carry the bottle in past my neighbors. It definitely looked like it was filled with urine.

My business partner Mark, who co-wrote the spot with me, was with me, and I remarked how funny it would be if we told my neighbors that we had just returned from a long road trip and let them think what they wanted to about what was in that bottle.

With the help of Phil Jones, who not only helped in the writing process but also beautifully art directed the spot, our approach to a fuel-efficient ad was born.

Do you hope to create more spots like this?
Like as a campaign? It’s possible. I think overall the idea of creating a unique scenario that turns meaningless text into a joke is something I definitely want to keep pursuing.

CREDITS
Directed by James Rautmann
Written by James Rautmann, Mark Mazur and Phil Jones
Produced by Mark Mazur and Trent Hilborn
Executive Produced by Elizabeth Ryan-Govrik
Cinematography by Scott Regan
Art Direction by Phil Jones
Color and Finishing by Matt Collings at ditch
Production Sound by Nick Leisenheimer
Sound Design / Mix by Nick Christopulous
Talent: Eric Pierson
Song and Lyrics by Whitesnake “Here I Go Again”
Special thanks to Tracy Tabery-Weller and Chris Govrik
Production Company: A2F Pictures

It’s a special week in Honda land, as ad agency RPA is enacting a sweeping plan to spread good cheer—online and off—as part of a five-day “Summer Cheerance” event.

A ket part of the campaign involves interacting with people on Twitter—replying to seemingly random posts with “funny, crazy or just plain weird cheer videos, memes and GIFs,” the automaker says.

Check out a few of those here.

@g_will12 Just think of how happy you will be when your shift ends though. #RetailFreedom #Cheerance pic.twitter.com/Cm9v8T2vPg

— Honda (@Honda) August 5, 2014

@caitlin41648090 You might need a little privacy, perhaps a wall…or fence. #Cheerance pic.twitter.com/G8yxVubli2

— Honda (@Honda) August 4, 2014

@benitezkaren21 You should take a lesson from this guy, he’s never bored. #Cheerance http://t.co/4QHfN33bOP

— Honda (@Honda) August 4, 2014

@MattTennenhouse At least your school is a more entertaining place than this guy’s bench. #Cheerance pic.twitter.com/Lt38uoDIkB

— Honda (@Honda) August 5, 2014

@HollyJessup Feel better soon! We aren’t doctors so the only medicine we can send is laughter. #Cheerance pic.twitter.com/ENWDl4vVZY

— Honda (@Honda) August 5, 2014

Facebook and YouTube will also be used. Notably, the brand has teamed with YouTube star Andrew Hales (of LAHWF fame) for two videos—the first of which is already live:

There will be real-world events, too, in select cities across the country. The brand will leave piñatas filled with goodies at random locations; use a “Cheer Detector” at a beach to find buried treasure chests and share them with onlookers; and place “Stand Here for Cheer” boxes in public places, encouraging people to climb up and receive a surprise act of cheer (like being serenaded by a saxophonist).

A Summer Cheerance station will also feature happy tunes on Pandora. The campaign also includes six TV spots (featuring dramatizations of actual social media posts from people who are unhappy with their current cars); banner ads on auto sites like Cars.com, KBB.com and Edmunds.com and on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube; print ads in People, Sports Illustrated and top-market local newspapers; and network radio spots.

The goal is to spread cheer to 3 million people. (A ticker is keeping track of the tally at shophonda.com.) Upon reaching that goal, Honda will donate $100,000 to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

“We are committed to spreading unprecedented cheer and connecting with as many people as we possibly can in five days,” said Susie Rossick, senior manager at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “This collection of silly and wonderful morsels of cheer across social media, and in real life, are designed to make an impact, create smile-filled buzz and remind people that summer is the best time to get a great deal on a Honda.”

Credits below.

CREDITS
Client: American Honda
Project: Honda Summer Cheerance Event

Agency: RPA
EVP, CCO: Joe Baratelli
SVP, ECD: Jason Sperling
SVP, Chief Production Officer: Gary Paticoff
Creative Director: Nik Piscitello
Creative Director: Aron Fried
Art Directors: Melinda Keough, Michael Jason Enriquez, Craig Nelson
Copywriters: Kevin Tenglin, Laura Kelley, Adam Gothelf
Creative Interns: Dennis Haynes, Megan Leinfelder, Sarah Ross, Sarah Johnston
VP, Executive Producer: Isadora Chesler
Producer: Phung Vo
Director/Sr. Producer, Content: Mark Tripp
Production Intern: Rudy Wilson

VP, Program Director: Dave Brezinski
Sr. Project Manager: Linda Shin

SVP, Management Account Director: Brett Bender
SVP, Group Account Director: Fern McCaffrey
Account Supervisor: Adam Levitt
Account Supervisor: Alison Bickel
Account Executive: Katie Ahn
Account Assistant: Wendy Kleinberg
Social Media: Joanna Kennedy, Tyler Sweeney, Mike Goldys, Amanda Womack

Production Company: RPA
Director: Mark Tripp

Editorial: RPA
Editor: Wendy Sandoval

American Honda Motor Company works hard to keep up with the competition but hasn’t been quite so successful in the hybrid space. Honda’s Prius equivalent may have been called The Insight, but the company recently pitted all three major holding companies against one another in the search for a bit more of that key noun.
Other campaigns have gone viral (shout out to Michael Bolton) and, according to AdWeek, Honda spends approximately $50 million on digital advertising each year.
Now who’s competing for that money?
continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Quem nunca passou por alguma situação em que teve seu espaço pessoal invadido? No transporte público esse tipo de situação é comum, mas não para por aí, como mostra Personal Space Invaders, novo filme que a Leo Burnett de Melbourne criou para para o Honda City.

E apesar de não ter muito sucesso em lidar com o cara que gruda atrás de você na fila do caixa eletrônico ou que te usa como travesseiro no ônibus, a montadora mostra que consegue solucionar pelo menos um dos problemas causados por esses invasores: aqueles motoristas que não conseguem estacionar direito. Ficou divertido.

Post originalmente publicado no Brainstorm #9
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