• by Karl Greenberg , July 6, 2015

Honda is launching a campaign to introduce the third-generation Pilot. The effort positions the crossover as a family vehicle that can handle pretty much anything. 

One spot puts the Pilot in a weather testing room where it appears to roll across different weather conditions while robot arms put objects nearby, or inside, as a motorcyclist, or kid with a backpack. In a second spot, a dad is at the wheel driving his family down a country road to different destinations. One kid starts singing Weezer's "Buddy Holly." Soon the whole family is singing along. 

Jason Reitman, who helmed Pixar's "Up in the Air," directs. The first spot in the effort, via RPA, uses computer-generated images to demonstrate the Pilot's functionality in TV ads and digital and print. 

Honda says the TV ad will run on heavy rotation in cable, late night and early morning. The ads continue this fall on CBS NFL, ESPN NCAA Football and ABC/ESPN NBA, per the company. There will also be video assets on YouTube, Yahoo, and Windows 8. Digital roadblocks will run on YouTube and Yahoo. The campaign includes partnerships with Amazon, IMDB, TripAdvisor, Pinterest and XBOX. 

The campaign also includes print ads in the auto vertical, in publications like Road & Track, Autoweek, MotorTrend.  

Honda reported especially strong truck sales June, SUVs and crossovers gaining 18% in sales. The CR-V posted a 8.5% increase on sales of 28,349 vehicles. While year-to-date sales of Pilot were up over 31%, sales dipped a little last month during the month last year, probably because of the changeover to the new model.