• by Phyllis Fine , October 4, 2024

Honda is launching a cinematic ad that will run in its seemingly rightful place: the cinema.

The automaker will air “Unstoppable Dreams” “at theatres across America during major movie premiere releases,” it says in a press release (that’s as specific as the company will get right now).

The spot, by RPA, includes exciting-enough-for-the movies footage of racing competitors with ties to Honda, including late F1 legend Ayrton Senna and current FIA Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen.

Also showcased is a wide range of Honda products including the forthcoming tHonda hybrid-electric Prelude Concept and Honda eVTOL, the electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, along with the Honda 2025 CRF450R and the Honda Baja Ridgeline race truck.

"The decision to air the spot in movie theaters speaks to the cinematic nature of the campaign and will lend itself to an immersive experience for viewers following along as Max Verstappen, Ayrton Senna and others pursue their dreams,” Phil Hruska, senior manager, automotive marketing, American Honda told Marketing Daily in an email. “Without distractions, and in an optimal viewing environment to showcase the full-length spot, the message becomes that much more powerful."

The ad, narrated by John Cena, the official voice of the Honda brand,  features a clever “reverse poem” narration, with the words also written on the screen. It begins as the lament of a failure: “You won’t remember my name/This is the last time/You will see me at the top,” but then is read backward, so its first lines are now its last, and it turns into the story of a great success: “You will see me at the top/This is the last time/You won’t remember my name” ends the roughly 12-line poem.

Directed by Rupert Sanders (“The Crow,”) the spot is meant to “to showcase how personal setbacks can serve as the greatest teacher and catalyst to achieve big dreams,” according to the automaker.

“Unstoppable Dreams” will be featured across multiple media platforms, from broadcast TV and streaming to contextual digital media partnerships, as well as social media. The spot will make its television debut Oct. 6 during “Sunday Night Football” and will continue to air during other NFL and college football games, and the opening night of the 2024-25 NBA season.  Most appropriately, the spot will be the title sponsor for the Netflix series “Senna” about Brazilian racing legend Ayrton Senna, set to premiere Nov. 29, and will also be part of an F1 Las Vegas Takeover at Miracle Mile during race weekend.