Saturday, January 21, 2006

HONDA’S “CIVIC CHOIR” LAUNCHES: BUT IS IT A PATCH ON 'COG' OR 'GRRR'?


To view click here and enjoy.

Honda has launched its latest TV commercial “Choir” – a 120” live action spot to launch the new Honda Civic produced by Wieden + Kennedy London. Following hot on the heels of the Honda “Impossible Dream” brand campaign (rather like "Donkey" for Toyota via Saatchi Sydney, some say), this spot shows a specially formed choir vocalising the many experiences one has whilst driving the new Civic.

Says Kim Papworth, creative director at Wieden + Kennedy London: “Honda’s new Civic is all about driving feeling. Music is all about feeling. So we thought having a choir “singing” driving could be amazingly powerful and emotional. The aim of the commercial was to find a way of expressing the human experience of driving – not just the big, fast, powerful sounds but also the subtler sounds of driving eg. the sound of an electric window closing or a biro rolling across the dashboard. The sort of moments that never get spoken about but that everyone feels.”

The 120” commercial will be supported by both a 60” and 40” cutdown. A website and interactive TV application will support this activity and a national press ad will run in motoring press. The TV ad is also believed to be the first by a UK advertiser to be available as a Videocast. The ad, along with a “making of”, will be made available as a downloadable Videocast from the accompanying Civic microsite as well as Podcast and Videocast sites. The commercial was shot in both Spain and England. It was written and art directed by Matt Gooden, Michael Russoff and Ben Walker. It was directed by Antoine Bardou-Jacquet at Parizan.

To view click here and enjoy.

19 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is this serious?? I mean really, this is actually sscraping the realms of shithouse quite deeply. They actually think consumers will go for this? Just another self important vanity project.

Sweet jesus what a waste of $$, ut full credit to the agency wankers that talked them into it.

9:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's fucking shit, and I don't care how many awards it might pull in on the back of cog and grrr. One of the biggest wanks I think I've ever seen. Fuck me dead, what a waste of human endevour. But still, the CD's rationale was really funny. Oh yes... normal people are spending their days thinking about the sound a biro makes as it rolls across their dashboard...

10:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

wow - you people are angry bitches. i agree it's nowhere near their usual standard, but you sound as though somebody has raped your grandmother.

they tried. they didn't pull it off. at wieden we were told to swing for the fences. ie. hit a home run or strike out. getting to second base is boring.

sadly this time they struck out. hopefully the next ad will be as brilliant as the other honda stuff.

i assume your ads are as good as grrr, cog etc and you apply the same criteria to your sweet selves??

8:39 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

ah, so you need a Cannes Grand Prix on your CV in order to critique an ad now do you? Guess that means we'd better shut down this blog, 'cos it's going to be pretty freaking quiet in here then.

For what it's worth, I think choir is a bloated mess, and (whilst an impressive bit of agency salesmanship) it's hard to imagine just how it got off the ground.

Cogs actually said something about Honda: they make cars that work fucking well... attention to detail, engineering, etc. But they did it so entertainingly and emotively, it was truly great. Grrr: again, it actually said something: we've made a diesel engine that's actually not shit, how good are we? But again, they did it in a totally fresh way. Magnificent.

But what the fuck is choir trying to tell us? Seriously, even at a brand level, what are people supposed to take out of this ad? That Honda is connected to drivers at a deep, subconsious level? That Honda 'gets' driving? Pfft.

It started off wrong, and that's where it ended up. And if an agency or a client is going to get heaped the sort of praise normally reserved for scientists who create stuff like the smallpox vaccine, just for making a wonderful ad (like cog) then they can fucking well wear some harsh criticism when they make something shitful like choir.

10:23 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

it's not quite as easy to hum along to as the grrr ad is it?
but there is no doubt, this ad will be spoofed within a matter of days.

11:20 AM  
Blogger CB said...

That is is so fucking not shit. Watch what happens. (shrugs)

10:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Watch what happens...

Is that suggesting it will win awards?

It's an okay ad but okay ain't worthy of gold, silver or even bronze.

8:43 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What'll happen? Will juries see the Honda logo, lose all ability to think for themselves about what makes a great ad and what doesn't, and award it on the basis of the two great Honda ads that've gone before?

It's not shit. But when you consider how high the bar has been set by cog and grrr, it's very disappointing and surprisingly unentertaining to watch. In fact, it's not really any better than half the wanky big-budget but boring superbowl ads that get made.

Cog... Grrrr... Blcchhh...

9:26 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A radio ad on TV. as interesting and entertaining as ripping my own intestines out and chewing on them; heck, it wasn't even that entertaining.

10:15 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Actually, ripping your own intestines out and chewing on them would be pretty interesting, but bloody painful as well though. Also, some folk out there with exotic tastes may find it entertaining. That reminds me, I'm looking at a script for a wee snuff movie that involves a masochistic cannibal, so just sing out if you fancy auditioning for the lead role.

11:05 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

well it must of worked a little bit 'cause all you dumb cunts are sitting here talking about Honda etc...even though you are probably so shit you couldn't even buy one 'cause you're too busy pulling your puddings on the internet to actually work...

remember jealousy is a curse...have fun in australia [teh he he]

11:23 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fuck off dick wad!

11:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's boring, pretentious and totally uninvolving. It also looks dated.

1:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think it's a great ad and that it'll win awards off its own back. Prefer it to Grrr. Can't get a D&AD Gold every time. So what?

1:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"boring, pretentious and totally uninvolving... and dated"

Sounds like the advertising industry as a whole, doesn't it?

2:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

MY GOD IS THIS THE CREME DE LA CREME OF NZ AND AUSTRLIAN WRITING AND WIT.


THIS IS AWFUL.

CAN'T YOU AT LEAST TRY TO INTEREST OR AMUSE.

THE LAME INSULTS AND STUPID ATTEMPTS AT INTELLIGENCE ARE EMBARRASSING.

AT LEAST SAY SOMETHING PERTINENT .YOU REALLY ARE ALL VERY VERY TRITE.

WITH WRITING THIS BAD IT IS NO WONDER YOUR AUSTRALASIAN INDUSTRY STRUGGLES TIME AND TIME AGAIN.

THE HONDA BOYS.

4:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

NO, IT'S NOT THE CREME DE LA CREME OF NZ AND AUSTRALIAN WRITING AND WIT.

IT'S A FUCKING BLOG.

TWATS.

11:04 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

'THE HONDA BOYS'?

Oh dear.

9:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

YOU HONDA BOYS ARE POMPOUS "TWATS". How's that for pertinent?

9:36 AM  

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