Latest Honda advert – the extraordinary art of modern publicity

Published: 30 May 2008 Updated: 26 January 2015

Did you see the live Honda TV ad last night? At 8.10pm on 29 May, Honda streamed a three-minute film of 19 skydivers jumping out of a plane and – with a bout of exceptionally nifty formation flying – spelling out the word Honda. And the best bit? It was done in real time, shot in Spain and broadcast simultaneously in Britain.

You can watch the video on our clip below. It’s set tongues wagging in the media village, but Honda of course has form for clever advertising. Remember ‘Cog’, ‘Choir’ and the ‘Power of Dreams’?

The soft sell is admirable. The new Accord had barely a moment of attention in the latest skydiving ad, but I came away remembering Honda’s latest slogan: ‘Difficult is worth doing’.

The eponymous founder, Soichiro Honda, was a clever man and it’s good to see his spirit alive and well in the twenty-first century.

 

By Tim Pollard

Group digital editorial director, car news magnet, crafter of words

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