Advertiser: HONDA
Agency: STARCOM MEDIAVEST GROUP
Category: Best Use of Screens
Advertising campaign: PSICODRIVING
Advertising Executive: Elisabeth Navarro (Honda Motor Europe España)
On Line Media Executive: Joan Soler (Honda Motor Europe España)
Managing Director Barcelona: Rita Gutiérrez (Starcom MediaVest Group)
Director Creativo Spotless: Sergi Zapater (Spotless)
Advertising/Crm Assistant Manager: Natalia Sagales (Honda Motor Europe España)
Media Planner: Roser Puig (Starcom MediaVest Group)
Account Director: Ana Escrivá (Starcom MediaVest Group)
Director General Spotless: Daniel Martínez Tessier (Spotless)
Marketing And Public Relations Manager: Elena Gris (Honda Motor Europe España)
Managing Director Starcom MediaVest Group Spain: Marta Ruiz-Cuevas (Starcom MediaVest Group)
Execution
We created ‘Psicodriving’, a branded comedy series for television, and a unique opportunity for our target to visit someone they could confide in and talk to about their problems – all while taking a ride in the new Civic.Working with national broadcaster Antena 3, we got our ‘Psychoanalyst’ (actually a well-known actor) to drive his ‘Kidult’ patients around, giving advice on issues they were dealing with, in the process becoming the first automotive brand in Spain ever to provide content to a TV network.Each episode focused on a different issue; topics like growing up and accepting responsibility, dealing with women, sexual performance, career pressure, and even threesomes…The integration of Civic was seamless with the car an integral part of the action and present throughout, and we created a Facebook app that allowed fans to psychoanalyze themselves and learn what type of ‘Kidult’ they were, sharing the results.
Effectiveness
Psicodriving was a MEDIA FIRST for Spain. No other automotive brand had done anything close and earned exposure during the first 2 weeks of the campaign was unprecedented.Each episode was watched by over 2 million viewers, with the final one reaching almost 3 million, and the Facebook app got over 1,300 ‘Kidults’ to ‘psychoanalyze’ themselves.Target traffic to dealers increased 14% vs. previous Quarter, and the show impacted the purchase funnel, with awareness up 6%, purchase consideration up 2%, and brand (model) recall jumping a record-breaking 36% vs. 2011.
Strategy
The automotive industry has been one of the hardest hit in Spain’s economic recession and the launch of the new Civic was achieving neither the expected results in awareness, nor sales.Civic has traditionally been positioned slightly left-of-center and targeted an adventurous younger male audience. This segment however, has perhaps suffered most under the recession. Also, the new model had increased in price and become one of the most expensive in the segment. We needed to focus on an older, more affluent, and quirkier target – men approaching their 40’s.The truth about this growing segment is that many of them are at a point in their lives where they’re going through a lot of emotional challenges and changes. Many are entering a second youth, or in some cases never really grew up in the first place. in short, they’re ‘Kidults’ up for anything.This was our opportunity.