Honda believes in “The Power of Dreams”. But believing isn’t enough.
As Soichiro Honda said: “Philosophy without action is worthless.” It’s about having the courage to bring innovative and imaginative ideas to life - whether it’s a jet plane, robot, futuristic mobility device, alternative fuel vehicle or a turbo-charged lawnmower that goes 130mph. The Power of Dreams was the guiding principle when it came to the work I helped create for ten years. And it’s why so much of Honda’s marketing feels clever, beautifully crafted and perhaps even makes you wonder, “How did they do that?”
Honda “Paper”
This two-minute, Emmy-nominated film weaves together 3000+ hand drawn illustrations into a paper-flipping journey through Honda's history, from their first motorbike to the Acura NSX and Honda Jet. The film is a demonstration of Honda's innovative spirit and brand philosophy, "The Power of Dreams." The film is still being shown at Disneyland’s Autopia ride and the artwork is the basis for the Power of Dreams Cafe at Honda's headquarters.
Awards: Cannes Gold, Design // Cannes Silver, Film Craft // One Show Gold // One Show Automotive Advertising of the Year // One Show Gold, Design // One Show Gold, Craft // Clio Gold Film Technique // Emmy Nomination // Best Commercials All Time, Ever, Biteable.com // World’s Best Ads of All Time, The Drum
“Paper” full-length film
Honda Civic “Dreamers”
This campaign was a literal embodiment of The Power of Dreams, and shows the amazing things that spring to life from a Honda engineer’s imagination. In this case, a gorgeous re-designed Civic.
Awards: Clio Silver // Adweek Ad of the Day // Creativity Pick of the Day // Gold Addy
“Dreamer” :60
Honda HR-V Launch
One good idea leads to another. The HR-V was one of Honda's most anticipated new vehicle launches, and the culmination of years of Honda ingenuity and heritage. Press play and let Sammy Davis Jr. explain the rest.
Awards: One Show Silver // Webby Gold // Gold Addy // Creativity Pick of the Day // AdWeek Pick of the Day
“Great Thinking Inside” :60
We also wanted to show how the HR-V was the sweet spot of SUVs. Not too big, not too small. Just perfect. We thought this visual metaphor captured it nicely.
“Sweet Spot” :60
Honda Fit “Fit For You” Campaign
Everyone knows the Honda Fit is a compact car. It's pretty obvious. What isn't so obvious, is that unlike other compact cars, it can carry a lot of stuff. So we created a multi-channel, contextualized campaign that showed off the Fit’s roominess in fun, ingenious ways.
Awards: 2018 One Show Merit x4 // Cannes Shortlist // Gold Addy x2 // Silver Addy x2 // Think LA Best Video Campaign
“Fit for You” :30
We partnered with Hulu & Snapchat to create short-form contextual ads for each platform.
Hulu pre-roll video
We targeted different audiences based on the kind of content they watched in Snapchat.
Snapchat content examples
Honda Ridgeline “Power of Ridgeline”
The truck category is full of oversized behemoths boasting about engine torque and towing capacity. Since the Ridgeline couldn't compete on their terms we leveraged Honda’s innovative strength, imagination and smarts.
Awards: Cannes Lions Shortlist // One Show Shortlist // Creativity Pick of the Day
“Power of Ridgeline” :60
Honda Accord Sport “The Dreamer”
The new Honda Accord Sport had paddle shifters and turbo-charged engine for better performance. So to the road-warriors who used to dream of driving a race car.…rejoice.
“The Dreamer” :60
Honda Odyssey “Monsters”
To introduce the Honda Odyssey’s new Magic Slide Seats, we created an epic battle with an unexpected twist.
Awards: Mercury Radio Award // Gold Addy x2 // Creativity Pick of the Day // Communication Arts Annual
“Monsters” :60
Honda Accord “Better is a Never Ending Quest”
Honda is always searching for ways to make things better, safer, faster, more innovative and more stylish. So even though the Honda Accord has won countless awards and honors, Honda doesn’t sit back and rest on their laurels. They go ahead and make a brand new one that’s completely revamped from the ground up. Because when you believe in “The Power of Dreams”, better is a never-ending quest.
Awards: Drum Social Buzz Awards // Addy Gold x4 // One Show Merit
“Better is a Never-Ending Quest” :60
“The Accord Awards”
To launch the campaign in social media we took to Facebook, where people naturally celebrate each other’s accomplishments. The Accord Awards was a data driven campaign that let people award their friends for achievements, courtesy of Honda. By @mentioning a recipient on Facebook, the recipient would instantly receive a custom video complete with their name engraved on a trophy. We created over 150 unique nomination videos specific to the many Accord audiences, then used geo-targeting, interest-targeting, time, and date to make sure the right awards got in front of the right eyeballs. And we played into big events too, when social media was more active. So leading up to the Grammys we pinpointed music enthusiasts with The Best Undiscovered Singer Award and following the Super Bowl we targeted Eagles fans in Philadelphia with the "Hometown Pride Award."
“Accord Awards” case study
We developed branded content for the hit series Will & Grace and contextualized it to fit with the campaign. Sean Hayes gets a trophy for Best Gold Bodysuit.
Will & Grace case study
Honda Fit “It Fits” Campaign
We launched the new Honda Fit by demonstrating its space and versatility, in a simple, imaginative way that made Millennials put down their Go-Gurts and watch.
Awards: One Show Merit // ThinkLA Idea Awards Best Video Campaign // Gold Addy // Silver Addy x3 // Bronze Addy
“Clocks, Wrestlers, Creeps, Centaurs” :30
“Yoga, Gangsters, Yachts, Aliens” :30
The Fit is so spacious, you can fit an entire room from Ikea in it.
Honda Insight “Meh”
Saving money and the environment - good. Doing it in a Prius - meh. It's no secret that most hybrids look pretty bland and uninspired. But Honda dreamed up a new hybrid that doesn't actually look (or drive) like one. A we dreamed up an imaginative campaign to announce its arrival.
Awards: Gold ADDY “Social Campaign” // Silver ADDY “Television Campaign” // Silver ADDY “Campaign Sound Design”
“World of Meh” :30
“Fight Meh” :30
Honda Civic Coupe “Squares”
Imagine being stuck a world where there are no beautiful curves to speak of. People in boxy sedans know it all too well. Luckily, Honda has a way out. The new Civic Coupe.
Awards: Addy Gold x2 // Creativity Pick of the Day
“Squares” :30
Honda Civic “Things Can Always Be Better” Campaign
We like people who think they can change the world….because they think like us. In this campaign for the Honda Civic, we share the podium with all the brilliant creators out there who are brave and brilliant enough to bring their dreams to life.
“Things Can Always Be Better - Civic” :30
“Things Can Always Be Better - Civic Sedan” :30
Honda CR-V “Leap List” Campaign
To launch the Honda CR-V we created "The Leap List" - a list of ten things you want to do before responsibilities like mortgages, babies and careers make life all…serious. It captures the art of living life to the fullest and pursuing your dreams before it’s too late. The campaign boosted awareness and sales of the newly redesigned CR-V, resulting in the best January sales in the CR-V’s 15 year history, positioning the CR-V as the #1 selling SUV in America.
Awards: Gold Addy “Best Integrated Campaign” // Webby Nominee // IAAA “Complete Campaign”
“Leap List” case study
We led people to leaplist.com, a website that allowed them to create and share their Leap Lists and get them thinking and talking about their life’s ambitions. In the first month of the campaign, over 20k Leap Lists were created. A mobile version allowed people to keep their lists in their pockets and check off their progress with video and photos.
The campaign included print, special inserts and outdoor galore.
