Hasta La Creative!

Does your wedding day get better, or imperceptibly worse, when Honda shows up with eight carloads of fun?

See for yourself in the video below, starring Mairead and Kevin, a young couple who (for reasons unexplained in the video) apparently asked Honda to "borrow" three CR-Vs for their wedding day—and then ended up with a whole lot more than they expected.

The video, by RPA, is meant to be one of those heartwarming tear-jerkers. And you may feel your heart warmed and your tears jerked. But the wedding setting is a tough place to pull that off—you're supposed to be unbearably happy even before Honda rolls in with the extra presents, so the upside is limited. They're not all material presents—flying in the distant cousins was a wise move. But showering a happy couple with even more happy doesn't have the tension, or the payoff, of some of other videos in the genre.

For an equally manufactured but much more fun-loving execution from Honda, you'd have to go back to last year's "Surprising Monsters Calling Home" video. Now, those are kids who really needed—and appreciated—some loving.

The new video is part of Honda's "Start Something Special" campaign, which launched in August. Two national brand TV spots break Tuesday, beginning with "Thank You" (posted below), which shows photographs and video of families and fans showing their appreciation of the Honda brand. "Thank you all for making your Honda more than a car. Thanks for making them something special," says the voiceover. The spots will air on the NHL Network and during NFL games.

CREDITS
Client: Honda
Spot: "#StartSomething Special: Mairead & Kevin's Wedding"

Agency: RPA
EVP, CCO: Joe Baratelli
SVP, GCD: Jason Sperling
AD: Suzie Yeranosyan
CW: David Sullivan
Agency Executive Producer: Gary Paticoff
Agency Senior Producer: Mark Tripp

Production:  RPA
Director: Mark Tripp
DP: Stephen Carmona
Producer: Tracy Chaplin
Production Supervisor: Andrew Scrivner

Editorial Company: Butcher Editorial
Editor: Teddy Gersten
Assistant Editor: Kelly Henson
Executive Producer: Rob Van
Producer: Justine Smollan

Telecine Company: The Mill
Colorists: Adam Scott

Audio Post Company: Margarita Mix
Audio Post Mixer: Paul Hurtubise

Music Company: Music Beyond and Position Music

It looks like Rebecca Black finally decided which seat to take—a seat in a Honda. The "Friday" singer just popped up in a Vine video from the automaker—part of a campaign by RPA that sends personalized Vines to Honda fans on Twitter who use the hashtag #wantnewcar.

"We were promised flying cars. I don’t see any … #wantnewcar," wrote Nick Miners. To which @Honda replied: "Hey @nickminers, we don't have those at the Honda Summer Clearance Event. But we have @MsRebeccaBlack!" In the Vine, Black suggests visiting a Honda dealer on Friday—"or whenever."

Check out more of the Honda Vines here.

Hey @nickminers, we don't have those at the Honda Summer Clearance Event. But we have @MsRebeccaBlack! http://t.co/SYKywDClZ5 #wantnewcar

— Honda (@Honda) July 15, 2013

In addition to the Vine promotion, the campaign features TV spots in which Honda dealers humorously respond to real tweets. The "Super Fan" spot replies to an actual tweet from actor Neil Patrick Harris, who asked for advice on selecting a minivan. Check out those ads, and some print work, below.

CREDITS
Client: Honda
Agency: RPA

Executive Vice President, Chief Creative Officer: Joe Baratelli
Senior Vice President, Executive Creative Director: Jason Sperling
Senior Vice President, Executive Producer, Content: Gary Paticoff
Vice President, Creative Director: Chuck Blackwell
Creative Director, Copy: Ken Pappanduros
Art Director: Ariel Shukert
Copywriter: Jen Winston
Senior Producer: Fran Wall
Production Coordinator: Grace Wang

Production Company: Recommended Media
Director: Chris Woods
Founder, CEO: Stephen Dickstein
Partners, Executive Producers: Phillip Detchmendy, Jeff Rohrer
Producer: Darrin Ball

Editing Company: The Reel Thing
Editors: Lance Pereira, Val Thrasher
Flame Artist: Moody Glasgow
Executive Producer: Doug Kleckner

Telecine: The Mill
Colorist: Adam Scott

Audio Post: Lime Studios
Mixer: Dave Wagg
Music: Wojahn Brothers

PRINT CREDITS
First insertion date: July 15, 2013

Agency: RPA
Executive Vice President, Chief Creative Officer: Joe Baratelli
Senior Vice President, Executive Creative Director: Jason Sperling
Creative Directors: Ken Pappanduros, Chuck Blackwell
Art Director: Suzie Yeranosyan
Copywriter: Jen Winston
Photographers: Civic: Joe Carlson; CR-V: Tony LaBruno; Accord: Springbox; Pilot: RPA CGi; Odyssey: Fulvio Bonavia
Art Buyer: Ginnie Assenza
Production Manager: Stephanie Speights

Advertising Agency: RPA, Santa Monica, CA, USA
Creative Directors: Mark Erwin, Pat Mendelson
Art Director: Mark Erwin
Copywriter: Pat Mendelson
Illustrator: none
Photographers: Olaf Hauschulz, Roxanne Lowit
Aired: May 2008

Advertising Agency: RPA, Santa Monica, CA, USA
Creative Directors: Mark Erwin, Pat Mendelson
Art Director: Mark Erwin
Copywriter: Pat Mendelson
Illustrator: none
Photographers: Olaf Hauschulz, Roxanne Lowit
Aired: May 2008