Santa Monica, Calif., May 21, 2012 - To bring attention to Honda's unique corporate culture rooted in racing and the manufacturer's affiliation with IZOD IndyCar®, a campaign and sweepstakes recently began starring world-renowned driver Mario Andretti. Developed by Honda's long-standing agency, RPA, the work communicates Honda's racing spirit and the advanced technology and performance found in the Honda vehicles.
A TV spot, "Imagine," features Andretti in a two-seater IndyCar® driving a passenger. The voice-over encourages viewers to visit http://shophonda.com to enter the "Fastest Seat in Sports" sweepstakes to win a ride at the start of an IndyCar® race with Andretti. In the spot, a man is encouraged to envision "winning something really cool," but his lack of ambition leads him through a variety of increasingly comical scenes like a roomful of half-naked bodybuilders and a chaotic paintball course. The spot uses compelling imagery to convey the ultimate experience-a ride with Andretti.
A 60-second version will first air during the Indy 500, and a 30-second version began airing April 1 to promote the sweepstakes. A video showing the making of "Imagine" is on Honda's YouTube channel. Spots will air through September. The campaign also includes web banners, POP and social media.
The "Fastest Seat in Sports" sweepstakes gives race enthusiasts the opportunity to win a ride in the IZOD IndyCar® two-seater driven by Andretti at one of 12 races for the 2012 IndyCar® season. For the first time, this year's sweepstakes prizes include rides in the Indy 500 and two international races in Brazil and China.
"Honda is offering race fans one of the most exciting opportunities in all of sports fandom," said Richard Kent, senior manager, marketing at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Look for the specially made 2-seater leading the pack on Sun, May 27 while the field takes the green flag."
Honda is further reinforcing its high-performance racing programs led by Honda Performance Development with additional integrated creative that communicates Honda's pride as a partner of the IZOD IndyCar® Series. Assets will run on TV, homepage takeovers, banners on sites such as ESPN, Fox Sports and Sports Illustrated and in print and drive traffic to http://hondaracing.com.
Spot: "Imagine" (:60 first air: 5/27/12) (:30 first air: 4/1/12)
Agency: RPA
EVP, ECD: Joe Baratelli
SVP, GCD: Jason Sperling
AD: Cheston Kwan
Jr. CW: Josh Hill
Agency Executive Producer: Gary Paticoff
Agency Producer: Joshua Herbstman
Production Co: Imperial Woodpecker
Director: Peter Martin
DP: Bill Pope
Executive Producer: Doug Halbert
Line Producer: Adam Cramer
Editorial Company: Union
Editor: Jim Haygood
Assistant Editor: Tyler Nelson
Executive Producer: Michael Raimondi
VFX Company: Resolution
Telecine Company: New Hat
Telecine Artist: Beau Leon
Telecine Producer: Christina Geambazi
Music and Sound Design Company: Beacon St.
Hondaracing.com digital units: launched 5/1/2012
Agency: RPA
EVP, ECD: Joe Baratelli
SVP, GCD: Jason Sperling
CD: Curt Johnson
AD: Sarah Romanoff
AD: Rajat Gupta
CW: Dan Hawes
CW: Tylynne McCauley
Video producer: Joshua Herbstman
Camera/editor: Derrick Hausen
Flash artist: Chris Gomez
Flash artist: Richard Mulvihill
Hondaracing.com print
"The Car Goes 225 mph": first insert May 2012
"For our engineers", this year's Indy 500 started 12 months ago.": first insert May 2012
Agency: RPA
EVP, ECD: Joe Baratelli
SVP, GCD: Jason Sperling
CD: Curt Johnson
AD: Curt Johnson
CW: Tylynne McCauley
Photographer: Kevin Necessary, Michael Levitt