How smooth is the drive in a Honda CR-V hybrid? A vinyl record playing on the roof of the car answers the question. The striking campaign film is the first new creative work for Honda Australia, developed from its recently formed agency village. The team worked together with Special Australia taking on a lead creative role, supported by Burson (PR) and WiredCo (social media), and Zenith leading media.

To capture the ultimate proof of the CR-V’s smooth handling, the team executed a genuine, single-shot engineering test in which the 50-year-old icon, the only record player exhibited in the New York Museum of Modern Art, was strapped to the vehicle’s roof. As the CR-V coasted through regional New South Wales with The Isley Brothers’ Smooth Sailin’ spinning on the notoriously temperamental turntable, the record played with flawless precision, captured live and skip-free through the car’s internal Bose sound system. This ambitious feat was the result of weeks of rigorous development, ensuring that every note and every frame of the accelerating car was recorded entirely for real, without the need for digital trickery.

Honda general manager brand, marketing and digital, Eva Barrett, said the new campaign artfully combined an important product truth with distinctive storytelling that was new for Honda in Australia.

Lea Egan, group creative director at Special, added, “The chance to work on a brand as iconic as Honda, and to be given license to push the boundaries of car advertising as they so famously did before, was an absolute gift. This is the first of three campaigns that we hope will make Honda famous for its unexpected and brave creativity again.”

“The campaign run will across TV, digital, and Australian Honda Centres nationwide.

Credits:
Client: Honda
General Manager Brand, Marketing & Digital: Eva Barrett  
Head of Marketing: Terri Golder
Marketing Comms Manager: Sylvia Chew 
Marketing Campaign Specialist: Bronte Sassella 
Marketing Coordinator: Hayley Pepper 
Creative Manager: Glenn Gibbons  

Creative Agency: Special
CEOs & Partners: Lindsey Evans & Cade Heyde
CCOs & Partners: Tom Martin & Julian Schreiber
CSO & Partner: Rebecca Stambanis
National Managing Director: Sasha Firth
National Head of Production: Tash Johnson 
Strategy Director: Sam Butcher
GCD: Sian Binder & Lea Egan 
Creative: Harry Roth 
Executive Producers: Tania Jeram, Wendy Gillies 
Senior Producer: Di Williams
Head of Design: Adam Shear 
Finished Art: John Rivera
Team Lead: Kelly Larken 
Senior Business Director: Marnie Dunn
Business Manager: Madeleine Williams  

Production Company: Rabbit 
Director: Kiku Ohe
Partner & Executive Producer: Lucas Jenner
Partner, Managing Director & Executive Producer: Alex Hay
Producer: Katrina Maw
DoP: Jeremy Rouse
Editor: Ryan Boucher @ The Editors
Grade: Yoomin Lee @ Company 3
Online & VFX: Fin Design & Effects
Sound Design: IXYXI 
Mix: Sonar Music
Music licensing: Level Two Music
Media: ZENITH
PR: BURSON GLOBAL
Social: WiredCo