Honda 2017 Super Bowl commercial features Viola Davis, Stan Lee, Tina Fey ‘yearbook photos’
Over the past several years, we’ve seen Honda do their best to execute a number of memorable Super Bowl ads, and there are usually a few things that tie them together — they’re very good at celebrity cameos, and while they are occasionally funny, at the same time they often don’t go over-the-top. They realize that their audience are families, and they don’t want to stray too far from that appeal.
This time around, the car company decided to come up with an idea for their CR-V that featured many celebrities giving a message of hope and inclusion, and using a rather interesting perspective to make that happen: Yearbook photos. It’s nostalgic, and the A-list lineup includes Tina Fey, Missy Elliott, Robert Redford, Stan Lee, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Viola Davis, and more.
What worked – The idea is technically impressive, especially since it’s hard to know how exactly the car company managed to bring so many of these different photos to life. (Did people in these photos sign off on this, or are they all digitally-created?) Also, the message is sentimental, and we do think this is the year that many brands want to share messages of hope.
What didn’t – There really isn’t much brand messaging in here at all. While it was an enjoyable watch, it’s hard to say that we’d be able to tell you after the fact that this is an ad for Honda; instead, it just feels like a fun look back into memory lane featuring some celebrities. It’s memorable, but not because of the advertiser. It’s more about the concept and a weak execution of selling the car.
Overall – It’s a nice ad, but every year we wonder the same thing: Is this what you want to spend your money on? While the concept is brilliant and the tech well-done, it’s hard to think that Honda will make that much money back given that there’s nothing about this ad that can be associated with them. Grade: B-.
What did you think of the ad? Share now in the comments, and head over here to get some other commercials from the big game! (Photo: Honda.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f06ng5cII8o
