VIDEO: Honda builds giant LED display out of Insights for commercial
Click above to watch commercial after the jump
The new Honda Insight, while not technically a full parallel hybrid like the Prius (it can cruise on electric power alone but not accelerate), will nevertheless be cross shopped heavily with the heavy weight from Toyota. The Insight's main selling point is its price, which starts under $20,000, but you wouldn't know that from Honda's first Insight ad.
The commercial, called 'Let it Shine', was created by the Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam and uses a bank of Insights parked in a grid near the mountains as pixels in a giant LED-like display. When the sun goes down, the headlights begin flickering on and off to create a cutesy animation to the tune of "This Little Light of Mine".
It's the same kind of creative marketing we've come to expect from Honda, which scored its biggest commercial hit with a Honda Accord commercial that showed a Rube Goldberg-like machine created entirely out of car parts. The Insight commercial won't actually air in the U.S., so you're best chance to see it is after the jump. We've also included a Making Of video that shows just how difficult it was to produce.
[Source: Honda]
Making of 'Let it Shine'
PRESS RELEASE
Honda Shines Bright In New TV Ad To Support Affordable Hybrid Car
March 26, 2009 - Honda will debut its latest TV ad 'Let it Shine' in April to support the launch of its new hybrid car, the Insight. The advertisement is part of an integrated marketing campaign to work towards the company's aim of environmental leadership across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Russia (EMEAR) by 2015.
The 60, 30, 20 and 15-second TV spots marks the global launch of the all-new Insight – the most affordable hybrid on the market – which aims to make cleaner car technology accessible to a wider audience. The new Insight goes on sale at the start of April in most of Europe.
The advertisement opens on what appears to be the world's largest LED screen displaying an animated sequence of simple dot matrix graphic stories that depict the notion of 'good'. The animations show hugs and kisses, frowns turned into smiles, and general goodwill – all aiming to convey people's inherent wish to be good. As the animation plays it is slowly revealed to the viewer that it is actually being created entirely by the headlights of hundreds of Honda Insight cars. The spectacle is set to a bespoke recorded version of 'This Little Light of Mine' created by Berend Dubbe.
'Let it Shine' has been created by Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam for use across Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia. The European debut of 'Let it Shine' takes place on March 28 in Belgium.
The campaign extends Honda's strategy of continuing to be at the forefront in environmental technologies and communications. This new approach underpins a communications plan which will run alongside the expansion of Honda's hybrid range with a coupe based on the CR-Z concept and a Jazz hybrid set to join the new Insight and existing Civic Hybrid in the next two years.
Chris Brown, Head of Marketing for Honda Motor Europe comments: "We would like to become the most admired company in the world, and to do this we need to have the most admired brand and communications across our region, EMEAR. This is a continuation of our journey."
This latest campaign is truly integrated; with print, outdoor and digital in addition to TV. The theme 'Everyone Wants to Be Good' is incorporated throughout, as well as the iconic 'Honda Eco' flower - a visual cue to the 'Eco Assist' system within the Insight which encourages and rewards efficient driving.
In the end, although the team discovered that the idea was logistically feasible, they were concerned about the carbon footprint that a shoot of that magnitude would leave. After doing the work to see what was possible W+K and Honda made a conscious decision to look at a more environmentally friendly alternative. The result was a fusion of modelling software for animation, a small number of Insight vehicles for scale and a few hundred Insight headlights. The vehicles and headlights were precisely spaced and wired together while a specially created computer program created the two separate halves of the animations. These animation halves were subsequently married together in post-production.
This approach allowed the team to greatly reduce the carbon footprint of the shoot. To further limit carbon output they relied on vehicles already located in South Africa, grouped shipments of props and lights as much as possible, and mandated group transportation of personnel to and from shoot. For further good measure, the shoot's carbon output that could not be prevented was entirely offset through carbon credits purchased through the Carbon-Neutral Company's Unity Portfolio.
'Let it Shine' was directed by Erik van Wyk and creative directed by Jeff Kling, John Norman and Sue Anderson. It debuts across Europe in April and will be shown in 14 countries initially.
First air date is Belgium on 28th March.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
graham 5:04PM (3/27/2009)
Very cool commercial. A different song would have made it something I could watch more than once without muting my computer however.
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Carlos 5:18PM (3/27/2009)
Why I thought it was a good song?
Very cool commercial.
superman211 7:26PM (3/27/2009)
I muted it too! Didn't want rover to barf on me.
Aki 5:09PM (3/27/2009)
Really cool commercial, though the "making of" video seems cut off. The song is a bit meh too like the first poster said.
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Doug 6:41PM (3/27/2009)
Here's the rest...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcHgxgs6SEg
zapperdude60 5:13PM (3/27/2009)
sorta like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2VCfOC69jc
and this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA3GL1mGfCQ
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Franz 5:17PM (3/27/2009)
Very entertaining. Honda is always very creative in their advertising.
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Honda Homer 12:37AM (3/28/2009)
Not quite true. I believe Honda hired a new ad company when the new Civic came out in 2006. Before then, Honda ads were atrocious, boring, and quite unimaginative. Then they hired a new ad firm and they took honda in a new more creative direction.
Saluki 5:25PM (3/27/2009)
They don't have the money to build a sports car or even improve the one they make but they have time for this crap.
They are going to be as boring as Toyota, but I guess this is the goal.
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zapperdude60 5:32PM (3/27/2009)
The Insight is supposed to be a fairly engaging car to drive. That Every Honda is sporty. I know it sounds crazy, but its almost like there is some minimum requirement of fun in each car. I hate Honda's new design language, but at least it beats Toyota's philosophy of melting their old designs. Toyotas just drive like appliances. And no one in their right mind would want to be as boring as Toyota.
zapperdude60 5:33PM (3/27/2009)
*That doesn't surprise me
thomas 5:34PM (3/27/2009)
honda could do worse than to emulate toyota.
which it isn't even doing....
this isn't exactly the time for sports cars.
and don't worry your sweet little head, the CRZ is right around the corner.
Rev 6:30PM (3/27/2009)
"Toyotas just drive like appliances."
And Hondas ARE appliances. Big difference...
JDMlover 8:25PM (3/27/2009)
ummm last time i checked...viewers said the New Prius handle better then the insight.
Also....Honda has no car that can match the IS-F...so Toyota has the hands up.
Also...not every Honda handles...get your head out hondas ass.
Cary 9:45PM (3/27/2009)
Last time I checked, the IS-F can't even match the IS-F.
That car is more fail than I care to talk about.
Honda > Toyota cars any day of the week.
Pokey 9:49PM (3/27/2009)
@JDMlover
Sure, we'll get our heads out of Honda's ass, as soon as you get your head out of Toyota's.
By the way, the IS-F is about the only worthwhile car Toyota builds, and it's really not that impressive compared to the competition.Toyota has nothing on Honda, unless you count higher sales, from Toyota's brainwashed customers.
Sektor 11:51AM (3/28/2009)
@Saluki:
What a dumb, irrelevant and meaningless comment.
innoc3nt 8:32PM (3/29/2009)
Toyota may have an IS-F, but in general, Hondas are sportier than their Toyota counterparts. They ride firmer and handle better, although some of the new Hondas have overboosted steering feel.
Drive an Accord and Camry and see which one handles better and which one is cushier. Or a TL and an ES, MDX and RX/GX, Civic and Corolla. No doubt, the Toyotas are far softer vehicles.
Reader 11:34PM (3/29/2009)
They don't have the money? What type of idiotic comment is that? Honda has enough money to buy your soul if it wanted to.
Maybe, jusssst maybe, the people at Honda know a wee bit more about business than you and don't see a reason to have a sports car? Nahh that can't be it, Mr. Saluki could run any business best (if only someone would give him a chance!).
thomas 5:32PM (3/27/2009)
wow. that was awesome.
and the song was perfect. definitely gets the idea across. very successful
good job honda.
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