In France, Honda doesn’t have many dealerships. This doesn’t help it to sell its new CR-V and HR-V SUVs. How could Honda promote its new ranges in a unique way AND overcome its dealership scarcity? The answer was obvious to its agency, Sid Lee.

Sid Lee went to the brand’s biggest fans and owners of the current models, and asked them for their help. The agency invited ten of Honda’s biggest fans – those who know everything there is to know about what it’s like owning and driving a CR-V or an HR-V – to become designated dealers. And it converted their home garages into pop-up dealerships, right in the heart of French suburbia.

To kick off the 3-week long #HondaNextDoor project, Honda and Sid Lee Paris launched a press, web, social media and television campaign to invite customers to sign up online for test drives directly at the pop-up dealerships.

A film, featuring the brand’s number one fan, Jean-Baptiste, was launched in late September. Promotion continued on Honda’s social media networks throughout the project, with new content gathered from experiences at each of the suburban dealerships.

The campaign reached over 1 million people, generating thousands of leads, and over 3 weekends more than 1,000 people signed up to visit dealerships to learn more about what it means to be a Honda owner.

The concept of #HondaNextDoor was so successful that it will continue in other European countries, starting soon in Belgium.

Credits

Agency: Sid Lee Paris
Creative Director: Sylvain Thirache
Copywriter : Güllit Baku
Art director: Ludovic Gontrand
Production director: Thomas Laget
Producer: Aldric Menanteau

President: Sylvain Thirache
Chief executive officer: Johan Delpuech
Managing director: Bruno Lee
Account director: Fabien Buferne
Consultant: Camille Lefrère

Production Studio: Miles
President: Eliott Brunet
Director: Geordy Montfils
DoP: César Décharme

Client: Honda France
Honda Motor Europe vice president: Christophe Decultot
Department manager – car division: Pierre Guignot
Marketing manager: Steve Amsellem