mcgarrybowen London is creating a history of visually fascinating ads for Honda, like Illusions in 2013 that gathered a healthy scoop of ad awards
and The Endless Road, that launched the new Honda CR-V in April.
Stepping launches the new HR-V, Honda’s compact SUV for young couples and families. The 60 second film that leads to the tagline, “Precisely, Pleasingly, Perfect,” was inspired by the Japanese art of precision walking, according to the agency.
..and directed by Kim Gehrig, represented in Australia by Revolver.
The ad deftly underlines Honda’s perfectionism and says “precision” without resorting to the one of the most overused words in car advertising. Instead, the film’s sound is the driving 90s song, Incredible, by M-Beat featuring General Levy.
That it is mesmerising to watch is a plus.
mcgarrybowen London worked with production company, Somesuch, and director, Kim Gehrig, to prepare for the commercial. After six weeks of rehearsals, the film was shot at Wembley Arena where 60 trained performers executed the intricate choreography.
Jemma Jones, department manager, marketing communications at Honda Motor Europe commented, “We set out to enter the competitive segment with a bang and I believe we have achieved exactly that with our new campaign. In this spot, we see the HR-V make its TV debut as the conductor of a precision walk like no other! We are extremely proud of this production which delivers against Honda’s brand values of imagination, innovation and excitement.”
Paul Jordan, executive creative director at mcgarrbowen London added, “The HR-V has been designed to fit perfectly into people’s lives. So the work we’ve created is all about things that are perfectly arranged and how they makes us feel.”
The TVC went to air on September 5 in the UK. The full campaign includes TV, cinema, online branded content, print, digital, and BTL materials.
It’s always interesting when ad ideas emerge within weeks of each other. Check out Droga5’s new work for Under Armour.
Creative Credits for Stepping:
Agency: mcgarrybowen
Executive creative directors: Angus Macadam & Paul Jordan
Creative Team : Robin Temple & Tom Woodington
Planner: Ellie Beecroft
Agency Producer: Abbi Tarrant
Business Director: Alice Tendler
Film Production company: Somesuch
Director: Kim Gehrig
Executive producer: Tim Nash
Producer: Lee Groombridge
Editor : Tom Lindsay @ Trim
Post production: MPC
Producer: Julie Eva
Supervisor: Bevis Jones
Colourist: Mark Gethin
Audio Production: Factory & Soundtree
Music: Incredible by M-Beat feat General Levy
