TORRANCE, Calif., Sept. 2, 2017 : The redesigned 2018 Honda Fit is here - the sportiest and most fun-to-drive Fit yet - and to amplify the Fit's enhanced fun factor, Honda is debuting a new integrated marketing campaign, titled Fit for Fun, focusing on the 'fun' attributes of the vehicle including: a new Sport trim, striking new colors and enhanced technology including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Fit also now has available Honda Sensing safety and driver assistive technologies on all trims. The "Fit for Fun" campaign is the brand's most robust multicultural, mobile and social-driven campaign to-date and rolls out with new TV creative and social content incorporating the fun and versatility of Fit, as communicated by comedians and influencers throughout. "Honda has created a campaign for Fit specifically geared toward younger car buyers who lead busy lifestyles and are uber-connected," said Susie Rossick, Assistant Vice President of Honda Marketing at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Millennials are the most diverse group of buyers out there, and the Honda brand has seen an increase of 12 percentage points in multicultural millennial buyers since 2010. We have created an engaging and comedy-driven campaign that speaks directly to these buyers where they spend the most time consuming media -- online."
2018 Honda Fit Gets Creative
Honda created a contextual marketing campaign for the 2018 Fit that uses elements native to each media platform to demonstrate the key benefit: that the Fit is small but roomy. The campaign leads off with a 30-second general market TV spot, "Fun Surprises," (https://youtu.be/xKR5rksTc_o) in which the entire commercial set is packed into the back of the Fit. Likewise, in the brand's 15-second ad on Hulu, buttons from the Hulu video player are packed into the back of the Fit. On Snapchat and Instagram Stories, emojis and other native elements, like finger-drawn type, get packed into the back. Also on Snapchat, Honda will be the first automaker to capitalize on the platform's Dynamic Filter Component to geo-target those celebrating the Labor Day weekend and returning college students with fun Fit-themed graphics launching in September. Even in the rich media online banners, the Fit Sport interacts with typical banner elements, like the Learn More button.
To extend the Fit campaign to multicultural audiences, Honda is launching a :30 Hispanic TV spot, "Secret Life of Fits" (https://youtu.be/VbSF-ILa_gE) and a series of "Fituation" spots geared toward reaching African American millennial car buyers (https://youtu.be/lrgFiddd7z4).
Fit for Everyone - Multicultural Campaign Elements
In a new :30 Hispanic spot, "Secret Life of Fits," Honda shows how the 2018 Fit is a vehicle built for fun -- adaptable, up for anything, quick and powerful; in fact, it can't stop having fun, even when it's not being driven. The spot targets a diverse group known for their appetite for adventure and excitement - but like to strike a balance between living in the moment while planning for tomorrow - and are looking for a vehicle with some personality. In addition, coming in late September, in partnership with Latino digital network, mitu, Honda will debut a new online series merging comedy with traffic, and will feature comedians including Lejuan James, Frankie Quinones, Jenny Lorenzo and Jesus Trejo.
In the new "Fituation" series of TV spots, co-written and directed by Chris Spencer, Honda is looking to appeal to an African American millennial audience with a focus on the fun aspects of the vehicle including the new Display Audio system, and highlighting the Fit's new Sport trim. Instagram comedian Renny will help deliver the brand's "Fituation" message with a humorous tone. Renny helps communicate the idea that with the Honda Fit, any ordinary situation can be turned into a "Fituation."
Additional Fit Campaign Elements
In support of the launch of the 2018 Honda Fit, Honda will partner with UPROXX to produce five episodes of the hit web series "Hang Time" -- a playful take on the celebrity interview with both guest and interviewer hanging from goal posts, that features the Fit throughout the episodes. Nose-to-nose and joke to joke, it's the most intimate interview in pop culture. Rolling out later this month across key UPROXX platforms and social handles, the episodes for Honda will include appearances by actor/comedian Nick Cannon, Chandler Parsons (Memphis Grizzlies), and chart-topping rapper KYLE (3x Platinum single "iSpy (feat. Lil Yachty)"), amongst others and of course, the 2018 Fit.
The general market "Fun Surprises" TV spot will make its on-air debut within the highly anticipated NFL and NCAA football games at the start of their seasons as well as within top-rated Late Night and Cable programming, including NBC's Saturday Night Live, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, AMC's Fear of the Walking Dead, and FX's The Strain. To target multicultural audiences, the "Fituation" series will extend reach within networks and programs including BET, TV One, NFL, and NCAAF. Likewise, the Hispanic "Secret Life of Fits" TV spot will air in Hispanic Primetime, Cable, and Sports programming. To reach Millennial viewers who are cord-cutters or cord-nevers, the campaign leverages premium online platforms and devices, including Hulu, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku.
