Honda’s New Line of Ads Appeal to the Human-all-too-human

When addressing your audience, there are more options than persuading him how awesome he would appear using your product, or how deliriously happy such a purchase will make you; it might be enough simply to affirm him as he is, a human with weaknesses and foibles. That’s the thinking behind the advertisements of the new Honda Accord. Each of the print ads features somebody in an all-too-human predicament, juxtaposed with the features the Accord is equipped with to address the problem such as lane departure warning, blind spot display –the typical genre of impressive little gadgets that car-makers have been cramming into their vehicles.

“We didn’t want to show a commercial-perfect representation of life. Our characters have flaws,” said Jason Sperling, the senior vice president and group creative director of RPA, who are working with Honda to make the new line of advertisements.

“When we looked at the new Accord and all its features and improvements it seemed to be built with a real understanding of the driver,” Sperling said, sounding more like a Honda commercial then a creative designer. “And not just their normal human inclinations, but something more insightful – who they are, their personal concerns, their horrid commutes, their relationships, their interests, their stresses and the adverse effects they have on their daily lives. It’s through knowing them more personally that Honda has created a more intuitive, intelligent car.”

Whether or not Honda has unique insight into the existential condition of the 21^st century man, they know enough to hire an ad man who will drop the word “intuitive” when explaining their product.

The ad takes the tact like many do that “it’s okay to be human, so long as you buy our product.” It can be just as lucrative to pander to a customer’s humility as it is to flatter their vanity.