Honda Brings 'The Power of Dreams' to Life With Two-Minute Commercial Created by Stop-Motion Artist and Influencer PES

TORRANCE, Calif., Sept. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Capitalizing on Honda's established, strong brand identity and its core belief in "The Power of Dreams," the company is launching a two-minute commercial, "Paper," during CBS Sunday NFL on Sunday, Sept. 20. After months in the making, thousands of hand-drawn and -colored illustrations from multiple artists provide the platform for an intricate paper-flipping journey to beautifully show Honda's history and range of mobility products.

"The goal is for the marketing itself to become a demonstration of Honda thinking and all the people that touch our wide range of products along the way," said Tom Peyton, Assistant Vice President of Marketing for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "This commercial stands for the courage and conviction to imagine and make dreams a reality and speaks to Honda's innovative nature and respect for personal achievement and contributions."

"The Power of Dreams" philosophy speaks to Honda's belief that drives the company's R&D and diverse array of advanced-technology products, and to the determination to bring them to market. This rejuvenated approach to overall brand marketing is the sum of Honda's best thinking and could only come from the company's years of design and innovation.

The commercial takes an unconventional approach to showcase Honda's "Power of Dreams" — it depicts the journey and many iterations of Honda engines using paper — the medium where many dreams begin — and was entirely shot in-camera with a few scenes stitched together to create one seamless journey. The commercial opens with weathered and sepia-like paper and progresses to modern graph paper.

"Paper" was shot by Academy Award-nominated PES, the creator of some of the most widely viewed stop-motion films of all time, using inventive camera tricks to play with perspective and dimension throughout the inspired commercial. It opens with founder Soichiro Honda's use of a radio generator to power his wife's bicycle, and the story continues with Honda's development of motorcycles including a nod to winning Isle of Man TT races (1961-1967), segueing to outboard motors and then to the first CVCC vehicle. Nostalgia leads the viewer through a series of past Honda vehicle models, such as multiple generations of the Civic and Accord as well as the all-new 2016 Pilot, to F1 and Indy racing to the development of robotics and jets and numerous innovations in between. The commercial concludes with the copy, "You never know where a dream will lead you."

After watching the commercial, users will be prompted to explore an interactive version highlighting each product shown. Clicking a product will trigger a pop-up, allowing users to see the real product, and explore its history and significance to Honda.

Additionally, a behind-the-scenes video elaborates on the production and artistry of the film with commentary from PES.

"Paper" will be supported on Honda's social channels with Twitter trivia, teaser clips on Instagram and Vine, Honda product images on Instagram and GIFs on Twitter.

The two-minute spot will run on network TV placements scheduled on popular programs such as "Dancing with the Stars," "Rosewood," "Minority Report," and "Blue Bloods." Capping the week of Sept. 26, "Paper" will air on ESPN during Saturday College Football. A 60-second version will air throughout October on NBC, CBS, Fox and ABC. In addition to TV, digital placements will occur on Facebook and YouTube.

About Honda
Honda offers a full line of reliable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive automobiles for American car buyers through approximately 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The Honda lineup includes the Accord, Crosstour, Civic, Fit, CR-Z and Insight, along with the Pilot and CR-V sport/utility vehicles and the Odyssey minivan.

Honda has the longest-lasting cars¹ of any mainstream automotive brand in America, and more models achieving an IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating than any other automotive nameplate.

Honda has been producing automobiles in America for more than 30 years and currently operates 16 major manufacturing facilities in North America. In 2013, more than 94 percent of all Honda vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, using domestic and globally sourced parts.

¹ Longevity based on IHS Automotive, Polk U.S. vehicles in operation registration statistics 1988–2012 for Honda and non-luxury competing brands.

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SOURCE American Honda Motor Co., Inc.