PARIS, FRANCE – After winning the European pitch for Honda’s all-new electric car last year, Sid Lee and Hakuhodo are releasing a 360 campaign for the launch of the all-electric Honda e. The Honda e is a revolution in automaking, driven by Honda’s daring initiative to produce exclusively hybrid and electric vehicles by2022. This transition, from prototype to reality, is illustrated through a new style of product page on the brand’s site, developed by Sid Lee, and the film “This is Not a Prototype”, directed by Johnny Green, which depicts dreams becoming reality – the story of the Honda e.
When car manufacturers advertise their prototype models, the end result (if there is one), rarely resembles the initial design—a cycle that frustrates auto enthusiasts to no end. However, ‘This is Not a Prototype’ assures that the Honda e is anything but. This vehicle is already an important piece of automotive history, as well as a progressive step for the brand.
That story is reflected in Honda e’s new product page design, created especially for the all-electric model by Sid Lee, which invites users to explore the new reality for themselves. A long landing page revolves around a 3D model of the car, allowing users to scroll through and view the most striking features of the Honda e– interior and exterior design, performance, energy, safety, and connectivity – from all angles . Rather than listing off the different features, Sid Lee developed a storyline as fluid as the car itself, with full-screen imagery that highlights the details and the new model’s story, demonstrating that the Honda e is proof that powerful dreams can be.
The main launch film, “This is Not a Prototype” echoes this truth, opening inside of a woman’s imagination, high above the clouds, before descending onto a white, illuminated road—a powerful symbol of concepts and their path to becoming real. As the Honda e advances down this road, it glides through a dream-world—with its responsiveness and agility on full display. The woman, whose psyche we are in, finally appears in the driver’s seat. As the white road turns to concrete—and night to dawn, we watch as the car transitions into the real world. The Honda e represents the power in believing, the importance of challenging convention and the beauty when dreams become real.
At the end of last year, Honda launched a build-up campaign, which gave us a first glimpse at the debut electric vehicle. Also created by Sid Lee and Hakuhodo, “Dreamers” features a pair of real-life ‘believers’ who turn their dreams into reality for a living. 3-D product designer &Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Self-Assembly Lab, Christophe Guberan, describes his personal approach to minimalism while giving us a tour of the car’s sleek exterior. Israeli fashion designer, Noa Raviv, takes us inside of the vehicle, while discussing how the retro-futuristic elements parallel her own work. Directed and photographed by Benedict Redgrove, “Dreamers” presented an inspiring vision for the future that all of us can believe in, a future that is now here, with the all new Honda e.
“The launch of Honda e is a pivotal point for the brand as we expand the electrified car range into the electric car market, and work to achieve 100% electrified vehicles across Europe by 2022. After the positive response Honda received from the prototype unveil at Geneva Motor Show, we wanted to use this momentum to announce the mass production model would indeed include the unique qualities and design that many fell in love with. Together with Sid Lee we were able to build awareness and desire in advance of the launch. ‘This is not a prototype’ captured the challenging sprit of Honda, delivering a car that dreams are made of. The campaign captured this story and brought the car to life”says Fabrice Estève, Marketing Communications Manager.
Credits:
Title of ad:“This is Not a Prototype”
Client: Honda Motors Europe
Head of Marketing and Product Planning: Sandra Hughes
Marketing Communications Manager: Fabrice Estève
European Communications Manager: Joana Rourke
Agency: Sid Lee Paris & Hakuhodo Germany
Sid Lee Paris
Chief Creative Officer, Europe: Sylvain Thirache
President: Johan Delpuech
Managing Director: Bruno Lee
Strategist: Ambroise Soulé
Group Account Director: Jean-Baptiste Destabeau
Account Manager: Nicolas Boivin
Copywriters: Julien Sens, Jillian Young
Art Directors: Ludovic Gontrand, Hugo Demazière
Head of Production: Thomas Laget
Producer: Benoit Fernandes, Julia Flusin, Arthur Cantin
Head of digital production: David Bismut
Hakuhodo Germany
Managing Director: Katsui Ryoichi
Strategist: Masahiko Iiyama
Account Director: Ren Masayuki
Account Manager: Chris Lewis
Launch campaign
Director: Johnny Green
Production company: Gang Films – Paris
Executive producer: Jean Villiers
DOP: Johny Lynch / Cezary Zacharewicz
Editor: Sam Sneade / Fred Baudet
Production designer : Vova Radlinskiy
Visual effects: Blockhead – Sydney
VFX Supervisor : Stefan Coory
Post-producers: Sam Hall / Julien Daniel
Line producer: James Waters
Production service: Radioaktiv – Kiev
Line producer Kiev: Darko Skulsky
Talent: Margot Davy
Print Post Production: Soloviof
Sound Design : Kouz – Bruno Parot
Color grading: Carbon VFX – L.A., Everest Studio
Color graders: Aubrey Woodiwiss, Bertrand Duval
Pre-launch campaign
Pre-launch director photographer: Benedict Redgrove
Pre-launch production Company: Saké
Head of Production: David Abouna
Line Producer: Amine Ketem
DOP: Alexandre Jamin
Post Production: Nightshift
Print Post Production: Ink
Sound Design: Benzene
