Honda launches new ‘the power of clever thinking’ spot via Leo Burnett Melbourne
Honda Australia and Leo Burnett Melbourne have this week launched their first work together for the all-new Honda CR-V. The campaign is led by a cinema and TV spot premiering the campaign line -“the power of clever thinking” and heralding the benefits of owning an SUV that’s ‘bigger inside; smaller outside’.
A number of all-too-familiar scenes with impractical SUVs struggling in everyday situations is juxtaposed with the CR-V’s parking and packing abilities. A re-recording of the Broadway classic ‘Anything you can do, I can do better’ further emphasises the benefits CR-V has over other SUVs.
Says Leo Burnett, Melbourne executive creative director Jason Williams: “A launch of a vehicle like the CR-V was an irresistible opportunity for us to highlight some of the strengths it has over its competitors. After all, who hasn’t been stuck behind a tank-like SUV as it tries to park, or witnessed the struggle in the Ikea car park when 
someone’s flatpack is bigger than their boot space.”
As one of the most competitive and fastest growing automotive segments in Australia, the SUV market is a core category for Honda. With its sleek new design, enhanced driving dynamics, superior functionality and competitive pricing, the all-new CR-V embodies everything Honda is renowned for.
Says Kevin Lillie, senior marketing manager Honda Australia: “This is a huge launch into the fastest growing segment of the Australian car market. It’s the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the Honda brand, and the beginning of a great partnership with Leo Burnett. The new CR-V campaign provides us with a platform to reconnect with Australians as it unashamedly captures the essence of what Honda is known for in this market.”
The TV and cinema campaign is being supported by national magazine insertions, digital and in-dealer activity.
Executive Creative Director: Jason Williams
Creative Group Head: Andrew Woodhead
Senior Copywriters: Andrew Woodhead, Sarah McGregor
Senior Art Director: Justin Nagorcka
Producer: Georgina Toole
Production Company: Good Oil
Director: Matt Murphy
57 Comments
Good song
I like your new stuff better than your old stuff.
Nice ad team Leo and Honda! Looking forward to more of this in the future.
SKODA is ‘Clever Thinking’
Love the track!!!
Catchy. I see my kids getting singing this song non-stop… thanks for that
Good for car advertising in this country. Punters will love it.
Cool ad, nice work Leo Burnett & Honda
Nice car though!
That song will haunt my dreams!!!
wallpaper
Not ‘good for car advertising in this country’
– but right for car advertising in this country.
Well done Leo’s.
Great use of music. Craps on all that cars and guitars stuff you usually see churned out by the other brands.
Different to their last campaigns in a good way. Back to less complicated and convoluted communication. Which can’t be a bad thing.
Hit the nail on the head.
Good work guys.
Hard market. Don’t know many car brands that would have backed such a big, bold commercial. Well done. I can see why they pick up the business.
Well, you can’t miss this one. One thing’s for sure, it will not go unnoticed.
Leos Melbourne do this better than anyone. Release something then immediately getting mates to say its good.
Well, I’d rather watch that than a car driving around Europe somewhere with absolutely no purpose. But that’s just me.
Cute song. No idea. What’s clever about that?
Anamorphic lenses for that kind of car ad is just indulgent and fetishistic. And a complete waste of the client’s money.
…never seen such an average ad (not a bad ad, just an average one) get such a positive response. So much nicer than the usual bitching.
I am in the market for an SUV. After watching this, the Honda CRV is on the list.
Really nice car spot. Will stand out amongst the usual crowd.
It’s OK. It’s a market where image is very important. It’s a chick car. Chicks like nice looking stuff. I don’t think the car was showcased enough. The rational benefit of compact but roomy got in the way. The best car advertising worships the metal not the creative idea. Boring but true.
It speaks very highly of the product.
You can’t be serious that this is going to ‘stand out from the crowd’. This is the same vanilla car shit that graces our screens day in, day out.
Will anyone remember this ad in a few months time? I’d say not.
Montage of product features (from steering to interior space) set to nice track.
No one’s claiming brilliance.
Here’s a car company in a bit of trouble showing off its metal.
Not it’s not clever. It is just advertising.
You were expecting something else?
I suggest you find DDB’s stuff for Devondale.
Anamorphic lenses for that kind of car ad is just indulgent and fetishistic. And a complete waste of the client’s money.
Reminds me of our Hamilton and Alonso ads back in 2007. We had a better punch line though 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKU90BSHqHk
It’s not great – the term to use here is astroturfing.
Look forward to future ads
All I see is a bunch of bad drivers…nothing to do with their cars being any worse than the Honda. Sorry, weak insight.
Dunno – my suburb is full of twats in cars that are literally too big for them.
True. But a Ford Falcon station wagon, while not being as tall, is longer than most of the SUVs in that commercial. In fact, a lot longer than a Ford Territory.
Just a bit tenuous, if you ask me. But yes, the guy in the Hummer up the road from me is a twat.
Hmmm, maybe they should have put a Hummer in the TVC?
Can’t agree more – are they saying this is a car for bad drivers – and no-one believes they are a bad driver – oh and the version on the tele is much better than this edit – at least I can understand which car is the Honda.
All these comments, and it’s just an ad.
Not a great ad, not a bad ad, just a reasonably decent ad. Nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to brag about.
I’m a fan of Leo’s melb by the way. I just think this is just earning-your-pay kinda work. Or am I missing something?
Simple and clever. Would like to have seen more of the Toorak tractors in there.
I find this ad the victim of a lame brief. I’m sure it’s backed by solid research but roomier than it looks is just so boring. Cars are massive long term decisions. Like marriages, people buy for irrational reasons – this doesn’t tap that reality at all.
I don’t know. Needs more Leo’s people to come on here and talk it up more
It’s not brand advertising, but a brief meant to outline every one of the product details on which the brand feels they compete positively. To that extent, it’s well done, and with a bit of a day in the life story on top.
But 40+ responses, for a spot that is essentially retail?
The state of things here down under it seems.
The tag line could just as easily be ‘Honda, like their advertising locally at least, Driven By Suits’.
In the end it may sell some cars, but will it inspire consumers to love the brand, to think that Honda has become the car to have, over and above the VW or the Toyota?
Whatever happened to the genius of ‘Cog’? Oh, right, TIA (This is Australia).
patience
No one, and I mean no one in the real world of the car buying public will think twice about this.
And…
No one, and I mean no one in the ad game will think this is creative.
Sorry.
Smacks of a ‘pitch-winning idea’.
Be interesting to see if Leos can do something impressive now they’ve got it in the bag.
@Blanded
Could agree with you more, Mate.
Just payin’ the bills, and absolutely nothing more, not for the agency, not for the director, and just barely for the client.
Uninspiring would be an understatement if it weren’t so common around these parts most days of late.
Suits and accountants are running the creative show, even at the best of shops, and boy does it show.
The once great Australian advertising industry, RIP with your ROI.
as inoffensive as it is unimaginative
in and un
That’s a whole lot of backslapping for a nothing ad. I managed to get out of bed this morning, no one gave me a bum pat or nothing. Ah Shucks.
Everyone just comes on here to slag off an ad.
From where they were at, to where they are now… this is getting there. Definitely getting there.
Obviously some Leo peeps commenting, but also I’m guessing, quite a few disgruntled ex-FCB people too!
Those comments up front reek of Leo’s people and friends. So, so transparent.
Wheres the idea? And the tune, I wonder how many counts that has on in it in ad land?
I was hoping Leo’s would take the brand in an interesting direction. Shame.
This is one forgettable ad.
and think which one sticks in your head your head more…?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVAttP8OTPk
No one’s claiming it’s amazing. It’s a solid spot and a solid start.
Rebuilding brands takes time, oh but opinionated CB bloggers would already know that. I’d imagine the Leo’s peeps are pretty excited about the future.
About the same average level as the local VW advertising.
Which is above average when compared to the ‘Love that car’ nonsense we’re subjected to in Australia.
….apart from Great Wall that doesn’t have a visual six-point sell, inane feature benefit V/O and supers, cut to a foot-tapping music track.
Nope?
Didn’t think so.
Volkswagen Tiguan “Cross Country”, Toyota “Border Security”, Toyota “Glass Organs”.
This isn’t in the same league, but at least it’s not footage of a car on a windy road set to some shit indie track.
This is a terrible ad, makes me want to smash a Honda every time I see it (which is unfortunately a lot). I particularly hate the music, that crap attempt to do an American accent and the cutesy laughing in the “No you’re not” “Yes I am” line
Hi I did a search on the Internet tonight trying to find out who the singers were because our household love the soundtrack.
I ended up entering a competition on the Honda site too and leaving my email address which no doubt I’ll get sent a few brochures. In terms of ” reaching the customer” I think its done its job as we’ve been talking about upgrading to an SUV for sometime.
PS Obviously I stumbled on this site too and can’t believe the bad mouthing in the industry ! If i was nasty I would say that those of you that have offloaded probably make those ads that you think are really clever, but make thousands of us “punters” switch off or grab the remote control as soon as your ads come on. But I’m not nasty.