Honda launches the latest version of its Swindon-built Jazz supermini today with another ground-breaking advertising campaign – the first-ever to use an App that lets viewers ‘play’ with its animated characters in real time by using their mobile phone.
The App uses innovative technology that allows anyone with an Apple iPhone to ‘catch’ animated characters as they appear on screen – whether a TV, computer of another smartphone.
Called This Unpredictable Life, the commercial is the first to use screen-hopping technology. It debuts this evening at around 9.45pm on ITV1 and Channel 4. It will also be broadcast from Honda’s YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/HondaVideo
The free-to-download iPhone App (called ‘Honda Jazz – This Unpredictable Life, available from The iTunes Store) will give viewers the chance to catch up to seven characters and objects that feature in the TV ad – they seemingly jump onto the user’s device. They can then be made to perform – for example, a toy space monkey dances when the ‘catcher’ sings into their phone.
More than 220,000 Jazzes have been sold in the UK, making it one of the UK’s most popular small family cars. The car is the mainstay of Honda’s massive assembly plant at South Marston.
The latest version improves on the award-winning package of maximum space inside a compact body. It retains its flexible seating design and huge boot capacity, but is now cleaner, quieter and smoother to drive thanks to engine enhancements and suspension adjustments.
Honda Jazz – This Unpredictable Life follows a character as he dreamily floats through life, collecting experiences and possessions. The story culminates in a Honda Jazz appearing to mould it’s way around the characters, demonstrating, according to Honda, the car’s ability to handle all that life has to throw at the modern family.
It was created by Wieden + Kennedy and Nexus, the team that launched the car maker’s multi award-winning Hate Something, Change Something campaign for its cleaner diesel engines in 2004.
Martin Moll, head of marketing for Honda (UK), said: “This new ad campaign reflects the experiences of our Jazz customers, showing how its TARDIS-like interior has the versatility and space to cope with almost anything.”
The new Honda Jazz is priced from £11,295.
