Racing legend Ayrton Senna and current McLaren Honda F1 driver Jenson Button front a new brand campaign for Honda led by a spot called ‘Ignition’.
While Button’s cameo sees him appear in the current 2015 McLaren Honda race car, it is the voice of the tragic F1 icon Senna that perhaps has most impact.
The spot, ‘Ignition’, rolls out on 14 August and is airing on national TV, in cinemas and on digital and social channels across Europe.
The new commercial was first teased online through a countdown 5-second clip.
The countdown has begun, start your engines… #DareToDo
https://t.co/EGceDxf8M7
— Honda UK (@Honda_UK) August 10, 2015
The main spot begins with Honda’s Asimo robot, before panning to a striking line-up of Honda machines – from bikes and cars, to the F1 racer and latest aircraft – all arranged on a road that resembles a runway and lined up in the shape of a rocket.
The machines rev their engines while sound effects mimic a space launch mission control at a space launch and the creative crescendos into a blast-off.
The ad ends with the copyline: ‘Dare to do the things others only dream of’.
The aim is to reflect Honda’s daring spirit and use it as a form of inspiration.
As such, its objective is to pay homage to one of the ‘boldest expressions of human curiosity and engineering endeavor’ – space flight.
The film was created by agency Wieden & Kennedy London (with Scott Dungate and Kim Papworth as the creative director), while it was helmed by Aoife McArdle through Somesuch.
The ad fronts a campaign that aims to celebrate a year in which Honda has not only returned to F1 racing, but also made its first commercial flight and refreshed every model in its vehicle range.
It runs under Honda’s umbrella ‘Dare To’ story-telling series and currently fronts that initiative’s dedicated microsite.
The creative is also amplified through social channels which drive viewers to the ‘Dare To Dream’ site.
Dare to do the things others only dream of. Discover the stories of Honda daring at http://t.co/x653dDFpro (http://t.co/5NXBAn72Jk)
— Honda UK (@Honda_UK) August 14, 2015
‘This is a very important year for Honda. We wanted to celebrate this in a style which captures our unique brand,’ explains Honda Motor Europe marketing communications manager Jemma Jones.
‘’Ignition’ is a wonderful snapshot of the breadth of Honda – from motorbikes to robots – and hopefully demonstrates how we approach things within our company.’
Comment
Few companies have the cross-category engineering expertise to assemble such a marvellous mechanised line-up.
And few have a creative marketing heritage that sees this spot join a list of striking ads ranging from ‘Cog’
to ‘The Impossible Dream’.
It’s just a shame that the performance of its engines for its F1 re-entry season has been so disappointing.
Links
Honda Website:
www.honda.co.uk.
Honda YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/HondaVideo
Honda Twitter:
Honda Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/hondauk
Honda Dream Magazine:
McLaren Honda F1 Website:
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/team/
