New Spot from RPA & PES is a Paper Joyride Through Honda History

Capitalizing on Honda’s established, strong brand identity and its core belief in “The Power of Dreams,” the company is launching a two-minute commercial, “Paper,” during CBS Sunday NFL on Sunday, Sept. 20. After months in the making, thousands of hand-drawn and -coloured illustrations from multiple artists provide the platform for an intricate paper-flipping journey to beautifully show Honda’s history and range of mobility products. 

“The goal is for the marketing itself to become a demonstration of Honda thinking and all the people that touch our wide range of products along the way,” said Tom Peyton, Assistant Vice President of Marketing for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “This commercial stands for the courage and conviction to imagine and make dreams a reality and speaks to Honda’s innovative nature and respect for personal achievement and contributions.”

“The Power of Dreams” philosophy speaks to Honda’s belief that drives the company’s R&D and diverse array of advanced-technology products, and to the determination to bring them to market. This rejuvenated approach to overall brand marketing is the sum of Honda’s best thinking and could only come from the company’s years of design and innovation.

The commercial takes an unconventional approach to showcase Honda’s “Power of Dreams” — it depicts the journey and many iterations of Honda engines using paper — the medium where many dreams begin — and was entirely shot in-camera with a few scenes stitched together to create one seamless journey. The commercial opens with weathered and sepia-like paper and progresses to modern graph paper. 

“Paper” was shot by Academy Award-nominated PES, the creator of some of the most widely viewed stop-motion films of all time, using inventive camera tricks to play with perspective and dimension throughout the inspired commercial. It opens with founder Soichiro Honda’s use of a radio generator to power his wife’s bicycle, and the story continues with Honda’s development of motorcycles including a nod to winning Isle of Man TT races (1961-1967), seguing to outboard motors and then to the first CVCC vehicle. Nostalgia leads the viewer through a series of past Honda vehicle models, such as multiple generations of the Civic and Accord as well as the all-new 2016 Pilot, to F1 and Indy racing to the development of robotics and jets and numerous innovations in between. The commercial concludes with the copy, “You never know where a dream will lead you.” 

In the coming weeks, people who watch the commercial on YouTube will be prompted to explore an interactive version highlighting each product shown. Clicking a product will trigger a pop-up, allowing users to see the real product, and explore its history and significance to Honda.

Full Credits

Agency:  RPA

EVP, CCO: Joe Baratelli

SVP, ECD: Jason Sperling

VP, CD/Art Director: Chuck Blackwell

VP, CD/Copywriter: Ken Pappanduros

Senior Copywriter: Chris Bradford

Art Director: Laura Crigler

Copywriter: Josh Hepburn

SVP, Chief Production Officer: Gary Paticoff

VP, Executive Producer: Isadora Chesler

Producer: Matt Magsaysay

SVP, Group Strategic Planning Director: Christian Cocker

VP, Director of Business Affairs: Maria Del Homme

EVP, Management Account Director: Brett Bender

VP, Group Account Directors: Adam Blankenship & Jeff Moohr

Management Supervisor: Rose McRitchie

Account Executives: Susan Kim & Paul Sulzer 

Product Information Manager: Marco Fantone

Production Company:  Reset Content

Director: PES 

Managing Director: Dave Morrison 

Executive Producers: Jen Beitler & Jeff McDougall 

Head of Production: Amanda Clune 

Producer: Stan Sawicki 

DP: Eric Adkins 

Production Supervisor: Mario D'Amici 

Production Designer: John Joyce 

Motion Control Operator: Mark Eifert 

Motion Control Assistant: Calvin Frederick 

Animation Supervisor: Eileen Kohlhepp 

Animators: Amy Adamy, Sihanouk Mariona, David Braun, Julian Petschek, Javan Ivey, Jen 

Prokopowicz, Brandon Lake, Ranko Tadic & Quique Rivera

Illustrators: Jerrod McIlvain, Nicole Cardiff, Vincent Lucido, Arwen King, Meghan Boehman, 

Monica Magana, Kei Chong, Trevor Brown & Alex Theodoropulos

Set Dresser/Painter: Veronica Hwang

Illustration Coordinator: Evan Koehne

Art Department: Nate Theis, Ellen Ridgeway, Melissa Quezada

Editorial: Rock Paper Scissors

Editor: Stewart Reeves

EP: Angela Dorian

Producer: Leah Carnahan-Dogruer

Assistant Editor: Jasmina Zaharieva

VFX &Finishing: A52

VFX Supervisor & Lead Flame: Andy Rafael Barrios   

CG Supervisor: Kirk Shintani  

EP: Patrick Nugent 

Producer: Lusia Boryczko 

Head of Production: Kim Christensen 

Executive Producer: Patrick Nugent 

2D VFX Artists: Michael Plescia, Enid Dalkoff, Chris Moore, Cam Coombs, Michael Vagilenty

CG Artists: Aaron Baker, Mike Bettinardi, Michael Cardenas, Jon Belcome, Joe Chiechi

Pre-Viz: Ranko Tadic, Ingolfur Guomundsson, Benito Vargas

Colourist: Tommy Hooper 

Online Editor: Dan Ellis

Colour/Online Assist: Gabe Sanchez, Chris Riley, Erik Rojas 

Roto Artists: Cathy Shaw, Robert Shaw, Tiffany Germann 

Sound Design: Factory UK – Sound Design Studios

Sound Designer: Phil Bolland

Head of Production: Lou Allen

Mix: Lime Studios

Re-Recording Mixer: Dave Wagg

Assistant Re-Recording Mixer: Adam Primack

Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan