Brief received from the Client: For over 20 years, the Honda City has consistently built relevance for sedan intenders. The task for this campaign, therefore, was to appeal to the desires and ambitions of the younger, progressive, more assertive Indian.

Approach: When we observed and understood young sedan intenders, we found that they aren’t swayed by mere style and glamour. Gravitas sans personality isn’t an option either. They aspire to have a point of view that’s decidedly worlds ahead, they aren’t content to follow but want to assert their leadership and are more confident than ever about demonstrating that stance and presence to the rest of the world.

The idea, therefore, was to pitch the Honda City as the sedan of choice for this customer. Given the rich legacy of leadership in the category, the unmistakable stamp of credibility, substance and style that comes with a Honda, the City stands tall as the perfect companion for our customer to assert his/her identity.

The campaign, ‘Forget the Toys’ is a statement that’s reflective of not being swayed by superficial pomp and making choices that are truly in keeping with one’s ambitions – and that make one stand head and shoulders above the rest. The campaign is led by a film that shows the protagonist looking down at the cars below from his high office.

We hear the man’s voice saying, From here, they all seem like toys… they watch you, they copy you and pretend to be you… but you know, deep down they all know, they can never be you.

The campaign was initiated by impactful OOH advertising across India and the TVC is On Air from 15th Sep along with a full Digital marketing plan.

Rajesh Goel, Sr VP and Director, Sales and Marketing, Honda Cars India said, “The new campaign of Honda City has been rolled out during the peak festival buying season. The campaign celebrates the aura of the Honda City being the most aspirational car brand with a 20 year legacy, over 7.35 lakh customers and has been an epitome of quality. It resonates aptly with the City buyer who makes his smart choices and is more direct and assertive about them.”

Titus Upputuru, National Creative Director, Dentsu One said, “I was standing in my office by the window when this idea struck me. When you look at the world below, you see that everything is so tiny. The ad then sort of wrote by itself. It’s a bold stance and we thought it’s time the brand had a clear perspective on the world around. Only Honda City could say ‘Forget the Toys”

Abhinav Kaushik, Executive Vice President, Dentsu One said, “The Honda City is a true legend that needs no introduction. It is one of the longest running brands in India and therefore keeping the client brief in mind we looked at the brand truth and played on its unique rich legacy, thereby clearly asserting its leadership position. There is a lot of pride in owning a Honda City among the consumers and this pride has been well reflected in the campaign.”

This article is about:
Honda City, Dentsu, Honda, Cars, Automotive, Digital marketing, Forget The Toys, OOH advertising

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Credits:
Advertising Agency: CumminsRoss, Australia
Executive Creative Director: Jason Ross
Art Directors / Copywriter: Ed Howley, Toby Cummings
Group Account Director: Magdalina Triantafyllidis
Photographer: Garry Moore
Chief Executive Officer: Sean Cummins
Account Manager: Andrew Stone