microbe

I have never seen an advert anywhere for a Honda S2000 until today. I tend not to read motoring magazines so may have missed them but I was very surprised to see a big red engine start button on the back of today's Telegraph magazine. the advert has no details about performance or cost and was quite enigmatic but it got me wondering about what Honda was doing.

We all know that waiting lists can extend to 6 months so why bother spending money on adverts for a car that will always sell unless Honda intend upping the production with a concommitant reduction in re-sale values?

Kelvin

Big Cat

I think Honda adverts are all about promoting Honda. An image of leading-edge technology in everything from the NSX to their Lawnmowers and mobile generators. I cannot recall ever seeing an advert for the Legend after the first initial launch promotion.

Roadkill

This advert (and more like it - with very little graphic and a touch of teasing text) has actually been around on the back of various mags for a while. It's just marketing, I guess....get people in to see what has got such a cool-looking button and then fob them off with a poxy Civic which looks about as aerodynamic as a bus.
The adverts I am seriously concerned at are the TV ones with the kids building a Honda out of lego-type stuff. ....And that one where the word "OK" is supposed to be the world's commonest word. What the f....?

Polemicist

The "OK" TV advert and "starter-button" & "Chanel oil" press adverts are clearly part of a brand repositioning strategy Honda UK are in the process of implementing - and by golly they need it. Regardless of what the S2000 looks like, there's still the usual suspects who ask if a bi-focal windscreen is on the options list...

This left-field advertising is clearly aimed at the "yoof" market and the Civic Type-R is part of this strategy too I'd guess. I cannot believe Honda make much on the cars, but as part of the overall marketing strategy to get younger purchasers interested in the brand, if they make a loss on everyone they sell, it'll be money well "spent".

Paul(UK)

The cinema advert for the S2000 that showed in the preamble to Mission Impossible was pretty good. But that was a few years ago.
If I remember correctly it featured the rev counter climbing. At different points captions like "Goodbye Audi TT" "Goodbye Porsche Boxter" etc flashed on screen and at the end (9K) it said "Hello Honda S2000".

The Civic R ads in the motoring press a while back weren't too bad. I haven't seen the engine start advert but it is 3 years too late.

As for the American voice over TV ads, they really don't appeal to the supposed target audience. Whatever are they thinking of?
I'm starting to think that the brand really is for the blue rinse, bi-focal brigade.

And the formula 1 engine detonations aren't helping the Honda image much either.

Toyota and Mazda are doing a much better job at building the image of what were quite bland cars, IMO.

AndyDoh

I did'nt know what the honda S2000 was until the importer I went to buy a very sexy RX7 sold it from under my nose, so as I was keeping myself from kicking his head in I spotted this little convertable in the corner, strange for me as I hate "rag tops" and the puffy drivers but the S is something different I liked the look's but when he told me the power & redline that did it for me I now am the owner of a very quick and stealthy looking berlina black Honda S2000

"Thanks for selling the RX7 I nearly made a big mistake"