
- Dramatically reduced advertising spend during 08’-10’ recession
- High production values
- Wide global distribution
- TA – ABC1, Male skew, Aspirer, Urban.City living, 25-45 but dependent on model
- E.G. Honda Diesel “Grrr? targets liberal, environmentally conscious families (advert 5 months in production)
- Filmic representations e.g. The Impossible Dream
- Key Focus – TV Advertising
- Many adverts have become part of popular culture e.g. The Cog, Grrr, The Choir through use of intertextuality
- Advertising Agency – Wieden and Kennedy (British production, American owned)
- W and K clients include Nike / Sky1 / Pizza Hut
- Japanese car giant – upmarket models e.g. Honda Civic/Accords
- Suffered falling sales during 2008-10 recession
- Currently (May 2010) developing The Impossible Dream into a higher production value commercial (reflecting the ‘end’ of the recession)
- The Impossible Dream suggests a Road Movie in terms of genre
- Adverts mix significant Product Image with Product Demonstration
- Challenging stereotypical, generic car advertising
- Intertextual, innovative references made to educated target audience in many commercials (Yellow Submarine, Thelma and Louise, Teletubbies, A Bug’s Life)
- Contrapuntal sound common, sometimes anti-product advertising
- Adverts – literary and self conscious
- The Cog – award winning (Grand Prix at Cannes), 6 months to produce, no CGI
- Other adverts – extensive, cutting edge use of CGI
- Retro culture frequently used
- Each advert has a mini-narrative e.g. The Impossible Dream is a journey through Honda products
- Most adverts – 3 act structure
- Masculine ‘aspiration’.