Title: Cog
Client: Honda
Agency: Wieden & Kennedy, London
Executive Creative Directors: Tony Davidson & Kim Papworth
Art Director: Matt Gooden
Copywriter: Ben Walker
Director: Antoine Bardou-Jacquet
Agency Producer: Rob Steiner
Producers: Fi Kilroe, Madeleine Sanderson, James Tomkinson, Franck Montillot
Director of Photography: David Ungaro
Lighting Director / Lighting: David Ungarro
Account Director: Francesca Birch
Account Executive: Jonathan Campbell
Post Production: The Mill
Special Effects/VFX: Barnsley @ The Mill
Flame Assistant: Dave Birkill
Producer: Fi Kilroe
Editor: Bill Smedley
Sound: Jonnie Burn, Warren Hamilton @ Wave Studios
Music: SugarHill Gang - “Rapper’s Delight”
Honda Cog won countless awards, including CLIO (gold), Epica (gold), Cannes Lions (gold), The One Show (best of show), International ANDY awards (silver), British Television Advertising Awards (Best TV commercial of the year), Advertising Creative Circle Awards, (gold, platinum), Eurobest (gold), D&AD Awards (silver), IPA Advertising Effectiveness Awards (gold), International Automotive Advertising Awards (gold and best of show), and Advertising Festival Ad Awards Tenerife.
The 2 minute commercial, entitled “cog”, uses over 85 individual parts of the new Accord which precisely and intricately “knock on to” and interact with one another to form a complex chain reaction which lasts until the new Accord is finally revealed.
Interesting
This Advertisement for the new Honda Accord was shot in real time with no CGI involved in the sequence. It required 606 takes and cost $6 million to shoot and took 3 months to complete. A single cog sets off a chain reaction that sets component parts of a Honda Accord in elaborate and orchestrated motion.
Context
When Honda came to us, they were underperforming in the UK car market.
One of the most striking reasons for this under-performance was their recessive image. They were seen as dull but reliable. Good engineers, but uninspiring car makers. The car market is too cluttered and too complicated for people to consider many car brands. The more recessive ones fade from people’s attention very quickly.
Philosophy/Solution
Our task was clear – get Honda onto people’s shortlists. This meant combating perceptions of Honda as a brand, not just extolling the virtues of the cars.
Honda’s corporate culture and history are uniquely compelling. Mr. Honda himself was a fascinating, unexpected character. Not to tell these stories would have been a communications crime. So we told them in a series of brand and product ads that explain Honda’s ?Power Of Dreams’ philosophy
Results
Since we started working with Honda in 2002, their sales are up 55%. Consideration of Honda for next car is up from 12% in 2002 to 26% in 2006. Ad awareness is ahead of rivals VW and Toyota on a fraction of their spend. The campaign has delivered over £400m in incremental sales revenue and has helped Honda’s website become most visited of any car manufacturer.
