automotive

Honda Effort Showcases Its NHL Support

Honda

 

Honda, which this year became a marquee sponsor of the National Hockey League, is launching a campaign to support its backing of events like the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic in Chicago.

The campaign, via RPA, Santa Monica, Calif., launches Jan. 1 when NBC airs the Winter Classic.

"We shot in Winnipeg, featuring real kids who play hockey, shown in their real houses with their real parents. The spots feature the Pilot, Ridgeline and Odyssey and lets NHL fans know that Honda truly understands the game of hockey," said Joe Baratelli, SVP, creative director at RPA, in a release. "We set out to capture the commitment of the parents and the harsh conditions families endure all over North America to communicate Honda's reliability and trustworthiness."

The campaign comprises a pair of :15 and :30 TV spots, one of which breaks during the Winter Classic and the other later next month. The agency has tagged three current TV spots for Ridgeline, Odyssey and Pilot with the NHL logo. The five ads will air on NBC, NHL Network and Versus throughout the regular hockey season and the post-season.

advertisement

advertisement

The ad breaking during the Winter Classic shows scenes of kids at a hockey practice, cutting to a morning scene of a Honda vehicle starting up under newly fallen snow, a child rising from bed, coffee brewing, and a parent bringing his child to hockey practice. The ad showcases several Honda snow-capable vehicles like Ridgeline and Odyssey, and finishes at the practice with a voiceover: "As reliable as the people who drive them. Honda, official vehicle of the NHL and hockey parents everywhere."

Honda will also sponsor NBC's "Name that Squirt" segment, referring to junior-age hockey players. This in-game feature encourages game commentators and viewers to identify footage of pro hockey players when they were young.

Print ads with a "Power Meets Play" will begin on Dec. 31 in USA Today, and online banner ads will run on NHL.com.

Next story loading loading..