Honda Crv Ad Campaign Project

ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN – HONDA CRV

ADVERTISEMENT AND COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT

(ASSIGNMENT 03)

ADVERTISING

OF

HONDA CRV CAMPAIGN

I N T E R N AT I O N A L M A N AG E M E N T I N S T I T U T E , N E W D E L H I

E X E C U T I V E P O S T G RA D U AT E D I P LO M A I N M A N AG E M E N T

S u b m i t t e d B y : S u b m i t t e d T o :

G R O U P 6 P R O F. M . M . A n a n d

M o d a k P r i y S i n g h ( 0 8 X P G D M 3 1 )

Page | 1 Submitted By : GROUP NO. - 6


ACKNOLEDGEMENT

We are grateful to Prof M.M. Anand for his constant guidance and

encouragement throughout the Advertising and Communications

Management course. We are indebted to him for the thorough understanding

of the advertising function and its various facets and dynamics.

The New 2009 Honda CRV Advertising Campaign



The Honda Brand

Honda Siel Cars India Ltd., (HSCI) was incorporated in December 1995 as a

joint venture between Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Japan and Siel Limited, a

Siddharth Shriram Group company, with a commitment to providing Honda’s

latest passenger car models and technologies, to the Indian customers.

The Honda City, its first offering introduced in 1997, revolutionized the Indian

passenger car market and has ever

since been recognized as an

engineering marvel in the Indian

automobile industry. The success of

City as well as all its other models has



led HSCI to become the leading premium car manufacturer in India.

The total investment made by the company in India till date is Rs. 1620

crores. The company has a capacity of manufacturing 100,000 cars.

The All-New 2009 Honda

CRV

The all-new 2009 Honda CRV

is the Honda brand's newest

crossover vehicle, offering a

unique combination of

versatility and flexibility in a

sporty, sexy package. The

all-new vehicle takes the capability of a sport-utility vehicle (SUV) and the

overall efficiency of a passenger car and blends all the best attributes of

each into an all-new "right-sized" crossover for the Honda brand. Clever,

flexible seating and storage combinations include standard five-passenger

seating with spacious cargo room and available third-row seating for carrying

up to seven passengers. Spacious storage bins, hidden in the floor and

available under the front passenger seat cushion, combined with the

standard Chill Zone for beverage storage, make Honda CRV incredibly

flexible and functional.



COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS:

In formulating business strategy, managers must consider the strategies of the firm's competitors. While in highly fragmented commodity industries the moves of any single competitor may be less important, in concentrated industries competitive analysis becomes a vital part of strategic planning.

Competitor analysis has two primary activities,

1) obtaining information about important competitors, and

2) using that information to predict competitor behavior. The goal of competitive analysis is to understand:

with which competitors to compete, competitors' strategies and planned actions,

how competitors might react to a firm's actions,

how to influence competitor behavior to the firm's own advantage.

Casual knowledge about competitors usually is insufficient in competitor analysis. Rather, competitors should be analyzed systematically, using organized competitor intelligence-gathering to compile a wide array of information so that well informed strategy decisions can be made.



Competitor Analysis Framework

Michael Porter presented a framework for analyzing competitors. This framework is based on the following four key aspects of a competitor:

Competitor's objectives Competitor's assumptions

Competitor's strategy

Competitor's capabilities

Objectives and assumptions are what drive the competitor, and strategy and capabilities are what the competitor is doing or is capable of doing. These components can be depicted as shown in the following diagram:

Competitor Analysis Components



CONSUMER INSIGHT: User Reviews



Attitude toward the service provider: affective response and behavioral intention

Consumers’ affective response

Most published services research (e.g. McDougall and Levesque, 2000) has

examined customer satisfaction as an outcome of service quality

dimensions. While various measures of satisfaction have been used, few

studies have focused on consumers’ affective response to the passenger car.

In particular, the affective or feeling component of attitude as an influence

on behavioral intention is compelling.

The relationship between customer satisfaction and future intentions has

also been established. However, limited empirical evidence appears to exist

concerning the relationship between overall affective perceptions of the

service provider and future purchase intentions.

Behavioural intention is an important consequence of product/service quality

since after a service encounter, potential customers (both first time and

repeat) may be influenced by product and services advertising. In this

context, knowledge of the impact core versus pre-core service encounter

elements has on current consumers’ attitude toward the service provider

and their future purchase intentions would enhance the likelihood of creating



effective advertising. Clow et al. (1996) noted that service providers should

create realistic service encounter expectations by reinforcing via advertising

the most critical service quality variables. Crucial to the success of such a

strategy is the proper identification of which service quality variables are

critical.

VISIT TO WEBSITES & DISCUSSION WITH CLIENTS/AGENCY:

Clients who use their own password-protected Web sites to glean insights

about their brands find them most useful when developing marketing

concepts, according to a new survey that will be released this week.

The sites, which have been used by marketers as diverse as Procter &

Gamble, Coca-Cola, Staples, Hallmark, Kraft and Chrysler, use

questionnaires, polls and live chats to get real-time feedback and advice

from consumers on everything from new product designs to the look and

tone of advertising. The consumers are handpicked and rewarded with

insider perks, such as a chance to participate in a carmaker's driving event.

When asked which client departments benefit most from the sites, survey

respondents ranked marketing at the top of the list (96 percent),

followed by market research (71 percent), product development (67

percent), public relations (29 percent), sales (21 percent) and

human resources (8 percent).

Respondents also see the sites as catalysts for change. Fifty-four percent

said using them "changed how we think about collaboration," 46

percent that they "changed how we think about customers" and 33

percent said they both "changed a product design" and "changed

our marketing strategy."



Seattle-based Sector Intelligence conducted the survey for Passenger, a Los

Angeles shop that creates private Web sites for clients. Sector polled 25

executives at 16 brands in late 2008 and early 2009 to gain a sharper, more

detailed understanding of how they use the sites.

Some clients see sites as an alternative to traditional focus group research

and ad-hoc surveys. Forty-three percent said that using this method of

consumer feedback reduced the number of focus groups they conducted in

the past year and 36 percent said the practice cut down on the number of

surveys they needed.

The New Honda CRV Campaign

The campaign, which will introduce the new theme line "If you can

dream it, do it," focuses on the Honda CRV's unique combination of

innovative features, versatility and flexibility all available at a great value

that can help turn dreams into reality.

The campaign ties consumers to the new Honda CRV emotionally by helping

them realize their dreams, then drives them to action, Wherever potential

owners go -- online, in print, on television, at events -- we will show them

how the CRV can help them live a bigger life with a focus on the class



exclusive features and the best value in the segment."

With nearly one third of the media mix (29 percent) for CRV dedicated to

interactive, Honda will find and connect directly with shoppers through online

activity by delivering targeted messages to the CRV's two primary audiences

-- "young couples" and "empty nesters."

The interactive programs will include homepage takeovers of AOL, Yahoo!

and MSN, with behavioral targeting on various car shows. The Honda CRV

will also be visible on travel, wellness, finance, sports and entertainment

Web sites.

In another effort to give hands-on exposure to the brand, the Honda brand

will also embark on a mobile marketing tour. The Honda Grab Life Tour will

travel to events across the country, including races. 2009 CRV will be the

first feature vehicle in this interactive tour that includes lifestyle activities

such as an Internet Cafe, gaming stations, a brand/launch vehicle trivia

game and eShots photos. There will also be a test track that will provide

participants with real world driving situations, highlighting the product

benefits of the full Honda product line.



Honda will also launch a

unique promotion in

partnership with Time

Inc., called "Honda CRV

of a Lifetime."

Consumers will be

invited to register for

"can't buy it"

experiences that will

take four lucky winners

on a compelling CRV tied to travel, well-being (spa or active/outdoor),

entertainment/celebrity or sports. Consumers will be directed to

www.HondaCRVofalifetime.com to enter for the chance to win. The site will

feature four 15- and 30-second promotional spots which will provide details

for each of the trips so consumers can choose the CRV they would most like

to experience.

Communication Objective: Honda's goal is to attract the attention of

consumers interested in a versatile crossover utility vehicle that are often

young, active people who may be single or just starting families. The

communication objective of this advertisement would be to create glory and

a sense of pride in the consumers mind set once the consumer decides to

buy CRV. The campaign would also try to show off the consumers desire to

buy a product that is different from any other product in the market and is

meant only for him.

Target Audience:

A key issue for any passenger car maker is the identification of those

features/service elements that are most important to the target market.

Given the hefty sums spent on media space and time, effective advertising



message strategy is critical. According to the elaboration likelihood model

(Petty et al., 1993), persuasion via advertising may occur through central or

peripheral routes depending on the consumer’s level of brand involvement.

Highly involved consumers deliberately examine and process message cues

that are “central” to a logical evaluation of the brand. Alternatively, less

involved consumers attend to limited information and pictorial associations

that evoke key brand attributes, but in a “peripheral” way. In practice,

peripheral tactics include minimal body copy (or voice over) with any

combination of the following cues: a celebrity endorser, aesthetically

pleasing scenic imagery, popular music, cute babies, cute pets, or attractive

couples (individuals). In passenger rail transportation, peripheral methods of

advertising may be indicated assuming consumers’ involvement is lower due

to constrained choice (having only a single passenger rail brand from which

to choose).

One more essential aspect is that to the extent brand-building is important in

advertising, emotional rather than rational advertising executions should

prevail. Consumers choosing passenger cars transportation (over substitute

forms of transportation) are not constrained by a single brand from which to

choose. Thus, the glamorized, even romanticized depictions of cars’ travel

may entice first-timers, particularly the leisure traveler, to try the CRV.

The target audience for this campaign would be consumers who are looking

for high class luxury vehicles ,who are early adapters and looking for

differentiating products. This campaign would generate a sense of pride

among buyers.

MEDIA PLAN

Television Campaign



Online activities, events and promotional partnerships will be complemented

by television advertising that takes the viewer on an adventure that only the

Honda CRV can make happen. Building on the theme "If you can dream it, do

it," the Honda CRV television commercials will debut on with two general

market television ads and two multicultural spots.

In the "Water Slide," a Honda CRV pulls up in an urban setting on a

sweltering hot day. From the CRV's flexible interior space and unique storage

compartments, pieces are unloaded that when put together build the world's

largest water slide. Professional people -- lawyers, stock brokers, etc. -- come

out to see what all the commotion is about.

"CRV Animates" is an ad that puts a real CRV in an animated scene with a

highly stylized background. As the vehicle drives through the spot, an

animated family uses various features of the vehicle like the Flip 'n Stow(TM)

in-seat storage, the third row seat and the rear seat DVD. The ad closes with

a value message.

Another ad, opens on a man, dressed casually, walking up to his new

Honda CRV parked in front of his modest apartment. As he gets in, the

viewer sees the CRV's interior space and features like Flip 'n Stow in-seat

storage. As he drives through his neighborhood, the viewer sees the middle

part of the frame lift up and doors appear, closing like an elevator until the

next scene. The viewer then sees the same driver dressed a bit more

professionally, leaving his nicer downtown condo. As before, the middle part

of the frame lifts up and doors appear, again closing like an elevator. In the

next scene, the man is driving through a more suburban neighborhood

where he pulls up in front of his house. The voiceover says, "The higher you

go, the sweeter the CRV. Introducing the new CRV that's ready for anything."



Another Ad opens on a woman parking her new Honda CRV when she

sees an attractive man and his dog. The woman knows the man won't go

anywhere without his dog, but the dog is digging holes in the ground. The

woman is deciding between the man or her new car, finally deciding to pick

up the man and his dog. The dog is excited to get in the car and ready to dig,

but discovers the in-floor storage bins, so he calms down and watches a

movie playing on the DVD system. The man says, "I think my dog likes you."

The woman thinks to herself, "It's all about the car." The announcer closes

the spot with, "Introducing the all-new 2009 Honda CRV. If you can dream it,

do it."

Television advertisement would focus on channels that are viewed by

business class people. The advertisement would be telecasted at late

evening so as to attract the target audience. Clips of the advertisement

would be circulated at Hotels, Airports where the target audience sees the

add.

Print Ads

The first is a series of single page ads called "Acronym," which can be

tailored with a message that will resonate with a publication's readers,

allowing for maximum flexibility. For example, the headline in one ad will

say, "Comes with More RHM*," meaning "Rotating Heads Per Minute."

The second print execution, consisting of a two-page spread and a single

page ad, focuses on the interior space and flexibility of the new CRV by

comparing it to the floor plan of a house. The headline reads, "The All-New

CRV. Move Right In."

The print adds would mainly focus on magazines and other materials that

are related to business class people where the target audience surfs. The



advertisement would generate beautiful pictures of the product to attract

consumers who are looking for high class and luxury vehicles.

Print add magazines selected would be those that are circulated in high class

hotels, pubs, airports etc .

Experiential Opportunities

In addition to the Grab Life Tour, Honda will also launch a guerilla marketing

campaign by taking a fleet of CRV’s to the places where people live, work

and play in cities, raising awareness, facilitating interaction with the vehicle

and gathering potential hand raiser information.



Outdoor Advertisement:

The outdoor advertisement would focus on displays near malls, shopping

omplex, airports, etc so as to attract the target audience. Displays would

also be done at places like golf clubs, etc where high class gentry regularly

visits. Main purpose of the outdoor advertisement would be to create a sense

of pride among buyers and show them the essence of Honda brand.


Documents

Honda Crv Ad Campaign Project