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2008 Honda Civic Hybrid
Campaign Pitch
December 13, 2007
presented by
Pure Communications
“								 ”
building bridges
purecommunications
Founded in September 2007, Pure Communications is a full
service, fully integrated advertising agency. Our mission is to perform
exhaustive analyzes of our client’s business and industry in order to
create compelling strategies, high-impact creative, captivating media
connections, and lively public relations events. With specialization
in the automobile industry and in environmental activism, we target
clients who use their corporate powers to advance the social good.
We dedicate ourselves to examining challenges from all possible
angles, and the result is completely integrated communications.
Pure Communications is part of the Doug McLeod Group. With
only five employees, we are still waiting to win our first big client.
Katherine Scoptur, Account Director
Amanda McGowan, Research Director
MaryJo Fitzgerald, Creative Director
Allie Gehan, Media Director
Allison Brost, Public Relations Director
Pure Communications
5115 Vilas Hall
821 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53706
purecommunications
Executive Summary					 4
Situation Analysis						 6
History and Industry Trends					 7
Competitive Analysis					 8
Consumer Analysis						 10
Brand Analysis						 13
Media Usage Analysis					 14
Creative Category Analysis					 15
Public Opinion and Stakeholder Analysis			 16
SWOT Analysis						 18
Campaign Strategy					 21
Campaign Objective						 22
Primary Target Market					 22
Secondary Target Market					 23
Competitive Advantage					 24
The Honda Brand						 24
Campaign Tactics						 25
Conclusion							 26
The Creative Plan						 28
Problems Facing the Honda Civic Hybrid			 29
Our Solution							 29
The “Building Bridges” Campaign				 29
Creative Executions						 30
The Media Plan						 38
Media Planning						 39
Media Objectives						 39
Media Strategy						 39
Broadcast							 40
Print								 41
Outdoor							 42
Internet							 42
Campaign Timeline						 43
The Public Relations Plan				 45
Public Opinion						 46
Stakeholders							 46
Public Relations Strategy					 47
Media Relations Strategy and Target Vehicle Selection 	 47
Tactics: Primary Target Market				 47
Tactics: Secondary Target Market				 49
Conclusion							 50
Appendix							 57
Survey Questions						 58
Focus Group Conversation Starters				 60
News Clippings						 61
Reference List						 64
table of
contents
4
Honda Motor Co. is seen as one of the most reliable, dependable,
and fuel-efficient automakers in the world. In 2007, Honda had the
highest fuel-economy of any automobile manufacturer, and Honda
publicly announced in its “2010 Vision” to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions by 2010 for both its products and operations.
Committed to addressing environmental issues through its
manufacturing of automobiles, Honda first introduced the Honda
Civic Hybrid in 2003 as a hybrid version of the Honda Civic sedan.
The 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid accounted for only 11.8 percent of
announced hybrid sales in January 2007 – August 2007, becoming
the second-best seller of hybrid vehicles in the United States. The
Toyota Prius accounted for 67.4 percent of these sales, becoming
both the hybrid brand leader and hybrid vehicle-of-choice.
Pure Communications ultimately wants to increase salience of
the Honda Civic Hybrid within the hybrid auto market and within
Honda’s product line. This increased salience will boost sales,
eventually enabling the Civic Hybrid to replace the Prius as the
hybrid vehicle-of-choice.
To increase the Civic Hybrid’s salience, we will promote the car as
a fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle, and promote the car as a more reliable
and more conventional car than the Prius. Pure Communication
will satisfy these two short-term objectives with its 2008 Honda
Civic Hybrid “Building Bridges” Campaign.
Pure Communications will create awareness of the Civic Hybrid.
and educate a primary market target of Thinkers and a secondary
target market of mid-size to large-size companies through integrated
creative, media, and public relations plans. As a result, we eventually
will enable the Honda Civic Hybrid to replace the Toyota Prius as
the hybrid vehicle-of-choice.
		 executive
		 summary
5
bridge: something that provides a link,
		 connection,
			 or means of coming together.
situation
analysis
“The Civic helped us forget about how great
a leap the Prius was only two years ago. And
it reminded us of all you didn’t get with the
Toyota: world-class handling ... and, more
than anything, a design that left people
knowing you were driving a new car – not
an escape pod.” – Honda Civic Hybrid
consumer
“ 	
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purecommunications
History and Industry
Trends
Our Struggling Environment
Research shows that the state of our
environment is rapidly declining, in part due
to automobiles. Generating 1/6 of the world’s
greenhouse gas emissions, automobiles are
a major contributor of local air pollutants,
such as particulate matter, carbon monoxide,
and nitrogen oxides. Future long-term
technologies such as hybrid vehicles are
expected to achieve emissions reductions up
to 80 percent of vehicles today.1
Why Hybrid Vehicles Are the
Solution
According to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, the total vehicle miles
drivers traveled in the United States
increased 178 percent from 1970 to 2005
and continues to rise at a rate of 2 to 3
percent per year.24
The average driver puts
40 miles per day on a car. About 34 million
Americans commute nearly an hour a day
driving to and from work. To combat rising
emissions with increased driving, the federal
government mandated new fuel-economy
regulations on automakers, making 20.7
miles per gallon for trucks and 27.5 mpg for
cars the corporate average fuel economies. A
vehicle boasting 25 mpg rather than 20 mpg
prevents 10 tons of carbon dioxide over the
lifetime of the vehicle, urging automakers to
look toward sources other than gasoline or
diesel for fuel transportation.2
Market Share Reporter 2007 reported that
in 2006, top automakers GM, owning 24.48
percent of the auto market share, Toyota,
owning 14.71 percent, and Honda, owning
8.91 percent, either had hybrids in the auto
market or plan to in the near future.3
The
Toyota Prius was the first hybrid to perform
as a conventional vehicle, while reducing
pollution and increasing fuel-efficiency.
Honda was the first automaker to offer three
hybrid vehicle models and to sell hybrid
vehicles in the United States.16, 17
Together,
Toyota and Honda hold 90 percent of the
hybrid market.16
Drivers have noticed this change in fuel-
efficient vehicles. Sales of new hybrid cars
in the United States went from nearly nothing
in 1999 to 84,000 hybrid vehicles sold in
2004.4
Sales of hybrids are expected to rise
as high as 35 percent in 2007. By 2011,
75 hybrid models are expected saturate
the market, compared to 14 hybrid models
today. California and Virginia lead the states
in hybrid sales.16
Business Week reported in March 2007 that
whilethe“greening”oftheautoindustryisstill
young, consumers are increasingly interested
in purchasing hybrid vehicles. Eighty percent
of car consumers reported fuel costs were on
their minds last year as gas prices reached
nearly $3 a gallon for regular unleaded fuel.
As a result of erratic gas prices, 57 percent
of car consumers say they would consider a
hybrid vehicle as their next car purchase, and
49 percent would consider a vehicle using
alternative fuel sources such as E85 ethanol.5
Globally, demand for hybrid vehicles will
grow 20 percent annually through 2010 due
to unstable fuel prices, increased emissions
regulations, and lowering hybrid vehicle
costs. The United States, Western Europe,
and Japan lead the way, and China is quickly
catching up.6
Not So Fast …
While the growth of hybrid vehicles is
noticeable, these vehicles are still far from
taking over the auto industry. A car dealer
observes that “everyone who comes into
our dealership wants to talk about hybrids.
About 2 percent of those people actually buy
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one.”13
According to Market Share Reporter,
hybrid vehicles accounted for only 1 percent
of auto share market segments in 2005. JD
Power and Associates predicts that by the
end of 2010, hybrids will still have less than
4 percent of total auto sales.3
Competitive Analysis
The Product: Honda Civic Hybrid
The Honda Civic Hybrid boasts an
impressive 40 mpg city driving and 45 mpg
gallon highway driving. Starting at a cost of
$22,600, the hybrid’s engine is what makes
this car unique and environmentally friendly.
Referred to as an Integrated Motor Assist
system, the gasoline and battery engine both
give and take. A dual and sequential ignition
four-cylinder engine promotes complete
combustion, boosting fuel-efficiency and
reducing emissions. When the Civic Hybrid
runs solely on electric power at low speeds,
it emits zero emissions. The gauge on the
dashboard lets the driver know when the
engine is being assisted by the electric motor.
The Civic Hybrid also uses regenerative
breaking to recycle energy. When the driver
backs off the throttle or hits the brakes,
the energy that is usually wasted is instead
captured in batteries located behind the
rear passenger seat. The car also employs an
automatic stop idle feature to save gas and
cut emissions by turning off when idling. 10,
13
Competitor: Toyota Prius
Honda and Toyota currently yield 90 percent
of the hybrid market, but several other
automakersareincreasinglyproducinghybrid
models of their own. Automakers producing
hybrid vehicles include Honda, Toyota and
Lexus, Ford, Chevy, Mercury, Saturn, and
Nissan. However, the Civic Hybrid’s top
competitor is the Toyota Prius because both
cars have similar dimensions and prices.
The Prius accounts for 67.4 percent of
announced hybrid sales from January 2007
to August 2007, selling 124,620 units. The
Civic Hybrid sold 21,736 units, accounting
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for 11.8 percent of announced hybrid
sales.13
The Wall Street Journal reported that
Toyota and Lexus sold 18,130 hybrid units
in September 2007, compared to Honda’s
2,321 units sold.7
The Prius engine automatically switches
between electric and combustion, or runs
on both as needed. When the car is idle,
the engine shuts off, and the Prius can run
on electric power alone at low speeds.
Regenerative braking recharges the battery
while coasting or braking.11
Consumer
Reports ranked the Prius as number three
in the wagon and hatchback car category in
October 2007, and reported benefits of the
Prius include: quality, reliability, innovation,
quiet ride, gas mileage, and a rear view
camera.14
Toyota recently partnered with
Apple to release an iPod Integration Kit in
September 2007, providing a direct link
between the Prius’ car audio system and an
Apple iPod. This kit costs $300.11
Despite
these features, the Prius is highly criticized
for its sunny cabin, unattractive styling,
and unnatural, choppy braking that greatly
hinders the car’s drivability.14
In a Hybrid Comparison Test, the 2006
Honda Civic Hybrid clearly gave hybrid
drivers everything they felt that they missed
with the 2005Toyota Prius. According to one
Civic Hybrid consumer, “the Civic helped
us forget about how great a leap the Prius
was only two years ago. And it reminded us
of all you didn’t get with the Toyota: world-
class handling ... and, more than anything,
a design that left people knowing you were
driving a new car - not an escape pod.”15
The Civic Hybrid provides drivers with the
quality values that they look for in a car:
safety, reliability, and a simple yet sleek
design that resembles a conventional car.
Despite the Civic Hybrid’s favorable
conventionality, hybrid drivers often want
to make a statement with their choices to
drive hybrid vehicles. These consumers
want other drivers to see this statement,
without having to drive an “escape pod” of a
Prius. For example, Peter Kessner, a devout
environmentalist, bought a Honda Civic
Hybrid four years ago to show his peers that
he wants to save the planet. No one noticed
this statement because few could distinguish
the Civic Hybrid from the Civic. Peter traded
his Civic Hybrid for a Prius because “if I’m
driving a hybrid, I want people to know it,”
Peter said.16
Partner Brand: Honda Civic
The highly successful Honda Civic greatly
benefits the Honda Civic Hybrid. This top
ranked compact car is the second-longest
continuously running nameplate from a
Japanese manufacturer. Only the Toyota
Corolla has been in production longer. In
2006, Honda redesigned the Civic to give
it a curvier look, but this vehicle is still the
safe, reliable, and fuel-efficient car that so
many consumers know.10
In October 2007, Consumer Reports ranked
the Civic as good in reliability, and as
excellent in depreciation and satisfaction.
The Civic reflects Honda’s corporate
goal to be an environmentally friendly
automaker, particularly by obtaining ULEV-2
(Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) certification.
The Civic is rated highly by both U.S.
governmental National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration and the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety, who lists the
Civic as the Top 2007 Small Car in overall
crash worthiness.14
The Civic Hybrid works from the Honda
Civic by adding features to its identical
exterior appearances, and by lowering gas
mileage and fuel emissions. According to
Consumer Reports, the Civic Hybrid also
has an MP3 player, electric power source,
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continuously variable transmission, and trip
computer.10
The ability to work off of and add
to the already established Civic is a unique
advantage for the Civic Hybrid, but the Civic
Hybrid still must find a way to distinguish
itself from the non-hybrid Civic.
Consumer Analysis:
Product Consumers, Purchasers,
and Influencers
The Civic Hybrid consumer is a combination
of a Civic user – a person for whom the
Honda Civic fits their lifestyle, transportation
needs, and budget constraints – and a
person who is receptive to ideas that
improve the environment, such as buying
a hybrid vehicle. To determine this, Pure
Communications analyzed Simmons
demographic, psychographic, and lifestyle
data about Civic and Prius consumers. Civic
Hybrid owner data was not yet available.
The demographic breakdown of a potential
Honda Civic Hybrid consumer is:
Female.•	 Fifty-nine percent of Honda
Civic owners and 78 percent of Prius
owners.
18 to 34 years old.•	 Forty-eight percent
of Honda Civic owners, although 78
percent of Prius owners were 35 to 44
years old.
Employed.•	 Seventy-five percent
of Honda Civic owners, although
69 percent of Prius owners are
unemployed.
Married or single.•	 Forty-nine percent of
Honda Civic owners are married and
36 percent are single and have never
married.
Income of more than $50,000 per year.•	
Sixty-three percent of Honda Civic
owners.
Residence primarily in the West.•	 Thirty-
four percent of Honda Civic owners
and 85 percent of Prius owners.18
According to consumer psychographics,
Civic and Prius consumers express similar
personalities. These consumers described
themselves as trustworthy, competent, and
reliable, as well as kind, good-hearted, and
warm-hearted. Other frequent descriptions
included: passionate, open-minded, efficient
and intelligent, smart, and bright. Both Civic
and Prius drivers described themselves as
not egocentric or self-centered, awkward or
absent minded, nor tense, nervous or high
strung.18
Consumers’ environmental attitudes also
are important influencers in deciding to
buy a hybrid vehicle. Simmons data shows
that females and 18 to 34-year-olds are the
most environmentally conscious consumers.
Females are more likely to recycle, and this
recycling increases with age. Additionally,
women and older adults are most likely
worry about pollution.18
Studies show that advertising to
environmentallysavvygroupsoftenoverlooks
the majority of consumers who are receptive
to environmental messages but need a
little more education. According to a study
published in Automotive News, three out of
five car consumers consider buying a hybrid,
and five out of six car consumers cite fuel
economyasacriticalelementinthisdecision.
Forty-five percent of respondents would be
receptive to environmental messages with
a bit more information. Forty percent of
respondents are indifferent to the hybrids’
environmental impacts, and 15 percent are
environmental alarmists, already actively
engaged in improving the environment and
understand hybrids environmental roles.19
AccordingtoSeptember2006MintelReports,
if consumers believe their choices and the
products they buy affect the environment,
10
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they will change buying behavior. However,
while young adults are most likely to be
aware of environmental problems, they
do not believe their incomes allowed
them to buy “green,” including hybrids.20
Young adults perceive the Civic Hybrid as
inaccessible due to initial affordability, even
though consumers ultimately save on fuel
economy. On the other hand, older adults
who know they can afford a hybrid need
more education about hybrid vehicles to
change buying behavior.
Primary Research Findings
Through an October 2007 consumer survey,
Pure Communications identified 18 to 34-
year-olds, as well as 45 to 54-year-olds, as
most likely to consider purchasing a hybrid
vehicle. Eighteen to 34-year-olds use their
cars primarily to go to school and work. They
donotexpresspreferencebetweenAmerican-
made and foreign-made cars but instead look
for reliability, safety, size, and fuel-efficiency
when purchasing a car. This group is most
knowledgeable about hybrid vehicles and
favors the environmental friendliness and
fuel economy of the product.21
The Civic Hybrid design is secondary to
fuel-efficiency for this demographic. Survey
respondents described the Civic as “small,
efficient, reliable, economical and classic,”
while describing the Prius as “trendy,
innovative, futuristic looking and ugly.” This
age group also expressed a “can do” attitude
towards helping the environment and is
conscious of their energy uses. They do not
necessarily feel that individual actions make
a difference, indicating that this demographic
needs another motivator or incentive to
purchase a hybrid vehicle.21
Meanwhile, 45 to 54-year-olds use their cars
primarily for family activities, work, and
leisure. While this group primarily factors
safety and reliability in car purchases, design
is the predominant factor. This group can
generally afford something aesthetically
pleasing, leisurely, comfortable, trustworthy,
and safe. These consumers buy “whatever
makes most sense to me,” so communicating
to this group requires addressing why the
Civic Hybrid fits their lifestyles. While
avoiding the perception of the Civic Hybrid
as small and uncomfortable, the car can
fulfill this market group’s growing concern
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for the environment and the belief that their
individual actions make a difference. This
group is at a point where they want to and
can afford to buy the “latest thing,” but still
want something that is reliable.21
Pure Communications supported these
survey findings with a focus group.
Consisting mainly of 18 to 34-year-olds,
all participants agreed they would consider
buying a hybrid, citing reasons such as fuel-
efficiency, environmental friendliness, and
contributing to the general “green trend” of
today. “Problems with the environment in
the future will be the same if not increasing
what they are today. Hybrids are going to
help,” Ariel Bradford, 22, said.22
When asked to state hybrid models they had
heardof,respondentsnamedtheToyotaPrius,
Honda Civic Hybrid, Ford Escape, and Lexus
as brands of hybrid cars. No respondents
owned a hybrid, citing affordability as the
main deterrent, even though respondents
overestimated the price of a Honda Civic
Hybrid by almost $10,000. Participants
expressed some confusion about how hybrids
work, although Bradford concluded that “the
older you get, you want a reliable car that
works for you and your budget.”22
Companies as purchasers
Aside from the individual car consumer,
companies are other potential Civic
Hybrid purchasers to consider. According
to Automotive News, companies are
increasingly choosing hybrids for company
cars. In the first quarter of 2006, 26.2 percent
of Priuses were purchased for “business
only” or “business or personal use.” By first
quarter 2007, 38.8 percent of Priuses were
bought for those purposes. Hybrids make
good financial sense for companies with fuel
savings and provide a positive, eco-friendly
image for the company. For example, Atlanta
business owner Jay Colgate bought Priuses for
company cars to differentiate the company.
He gained 35 clients without even advertising
because clients were impressed with the
company’s environmental dedication.23
In April 2006, Business Week ranked Proctor
& Gamble, Google, 3M, Virgin, Target,
Apple, Samsung and Amazon among the
world’s most innovative companies by
reinventing business processes, and building
new markets and ideas for creativity and
growth.35
Incorporating the Civic Hybrid
into its business can be an innovative step
forward for a company.
Additional Consumer Influencers
Costs. Consumer Reports show that hybrids
do not save money on fuel alone to
compensate for their initial higher prices.9
The Los Angeles Times reported in 2007
that Intellichoice, a Los Angeles-based firm,
found hybrid buyers still win when factoring
in costs of financing, fuel, insurance, state
taxes and license fees, repairs, maintenance,
and depreciation. Hybrids show a better total
cost of ownership over five years or 70,000
miles than non-hybrid competitors, proving
that they are worth the higher short-term cost
for long-term savings. Hybrids retain value
better than conventional vehicles, have
moderate maintenance and repair costs,
and have lower fuel cost. The five-year cost
of owning and operating a Civic Hybrid is
$23,268, whereas the cost of owning and
operating a Civic is $31,595.9
Incentives. Incentives such as tax-free
purchases and free parking encourage
consumers to purchase hybrid vehicles. Civic
Hybrid owners are eligible for Alternative
Motor Vehicle Credit tax incentives. The
2008 and 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid models
are eligible for $2,100 in federal tax credit,
and the 2005 model is eligible for $1,700.10
Location. A city’s size, traffic, and commute
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conditions as well environmental attitudes
influence consumers’ car purchases.
According to Forbes.com, California has
the worst traffic jams. In Los Angeles, the
average commuter is delayed 93 hours per
year in traffic, and the San Francisco metro
area is second place in the worst cities for
commutes.37
After evaluating environmental categories
such as air and water quality, transportation,
designpolicy,andmore,NationalGeographic
ranked cities including Portland, Seattle,
Denver, New York City, Boston, Washington
D.C., Atlanta, Chicago and Minneapolis as
top “green cities” in the United States.38
Timing. According to Consumer Reports, car
consumers are more likely to purchase new
cars in the late summer to early fall, as the
new model year begins.36
Brand Analysis:
The company and its market
position
When asked about Honda Motor Co.’s Honda
Civic Hybrid, the first statement out of Ariel
Bradford’s mouth at our focus group was: “It
makes sense.”22
Honda is seen as one of the
most reliable, dependable, and fuel-efficient
automakersintheworld. Additionally,Honda
is committed to addressing environmental
issues through its cars.
Although Honda Motor Co. is based in Japan,
Honda produces automobiles, motorcycles,
all-terrain vehicles, personal watercraft,
lawn mowers and engines in 10 major U.S.
plants, with two new plants currently under
construction. American Honda Motor Co.
is based in Torrance, Calif. Honda employs
more than 25,000 employees in the United
States, and 30,000 employees in North
America.10
Named the Greenest Automaker in America
by the Union of Concerned Scientists
in 2007 for the fourth consecutive time,
Honda’s automobiles emit the lowest overall
smog-forming emissions and global warming
emissions in the United States.10
In 2007,
Honda had the highest fuel economy of any
automobile manufacturer with a 22.9 mpg
average of all its vehicles.6
In May 2006, Honda was the first automaker
to publicly announce in its “2010 Vision”
voluntary target goals for reduction of
carbon dioxide emissions by 2010 for both
its products and operations. Honda set
goals of 5 percent reduction in emissions
for cars from 2005 and 10 percent reduction
for motorcycles and power products from
2000. As a result, emissions at Honda auto
plants declined 5 percent from 2000 to
2005. Honda wants to reduce emissions by
another 5 percent for auto plants and another
20 percent for motorcycles and power plants
by 2010.10
Honda also developed a plant-based fabric
for its car interiors in May 2006. This “bio-
fabric” offsets any CO2 emissions produced
during the disposal stage of the car through
the CO2 absorption that occurs during the
growth stage of plants used in raw materials.
This fabric was constructed from Honda’s
Life Cycle Assessment concept, which strives
to reduce CO2 emissions throughout the
entire life cycle of the car, from production to
usage to disposal. Honda established “green
factories” and “green buildings” initiatives to
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Honda is seen as one of the
most reliable, dependable, fuel-
efficient automakers in the world,
and is committed to addressing
environmental issues through its cars.
increase energy efficiency, reduce waste, and
enhance recycling activities in its plants. The
“green purchasing” program encourages and
supports activities by more than 600 North
American OEM parts suppliers to adopt green
factory programs, leading all Honda facility
to reduce emissions and energy use, reuse
raw materials, and recycle manufacturing
material, paper and plastic. Since Honda
implemented these initiatives, energy use per
every automobile dropped 6 percent in North
America Honda manufacturing, and has zero
waste to landfill plants in America.10
Brand Drawbacks
The major problem Honda needs to address is
customer service at its dealerships. Multiple
Web sites and blogs exposed consumers
reporting problems with their Honda dealers.
Comments included: “I haven’t been back to
talk to my Honda dealer after they tried to
convince me hybrids weren’t worth the cost
difference. I bought my second hybrid from
Toyota as a result.”33
Honda dealerships
should not discourage hybrid purchases
because that contradicts the company’s
culture of environmental activism. Another
negative comment included a Honda dealer
being unable to explain changes in gas
mileage due to the consumer’s driving habits.
Product education must be addressed within
the company to ensure all Honda associates
can educate consumers with comprehensive
information about all Honda products.33
Media Usage Analysis
Honda traditionally uses three main mediums
to reach consumers: television, print and
music. According to Simmons data, Civic
drivers are more likely than the average
consumer to watch television channels
such as CNN, BET, Comedy Central, Food
Network, ESPN, MTV, and Oxygen. Honda’s
most recent commercial for the Civic Hybrid,
“Trashed,” first appeared in spots on ESPN on
September 21 and in spots on CBS NFL on
September 23. Following the commercial’s
debut, “Trashed” also appeared on E!,
Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, TNT, and USA.
“Trashed” appeared during television shows
such as The Bachelor, Big Shots, Desperate
Housewives, Heroes, and Private Practice.18
New print ads for the Civic Hybrid appeared
in October in magazines such as Blender,
Elle, ESPN, Maxim, Rolling Stone, and US
Weekly. Civic Hybrid consumers are more
likely than the average consumer to read
magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Cooking
Light, Bon Appetit, The Economist, Glamour,
GQ, and People.18
Media Usage Patterns
In 2004, Americans viewed far more
television per year than any other medium,
watching an average 1,546 hours of television
per year.28
Of all media, television reaches the broadest
targetmarket. Eighty-fivepercentoftelevision
households watch cable weekly, but no
single cable network reaches more than
40 percent of households. Leading cable
networks include TBSC at 39 percent, USA
at 38.3 percent, and TNT at 38.2 percent.
Three-fourths of the major networks reach
over 70 percent of television households.
ABC leads this reach with 75.7 percent
reach, followed by CBS with 74.9 percent,
NBC with 74.6 percent, and Fox with 70.1
percent. Nielson data reports that in 2007,
111.4 million households were considered
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Honda was named the greenest
automaker in America by the Union
of Concerned Scientists in 2007 for
the fourth consecutive time
“television households.”28
Survey results show that media consumers
spend 265 minutes per day on average
watching television. Consumers only
spend 126 minutes listening to the radio, 85
minutes on the Internet, 29 minutes reading
the newspaper, and 16 minutes reading
magazines daily. Men spend 4 hours
31 minutes per day watching television,
whereas women spend 5 hours 17 minutes
per day watching television. Teens and
children spend 3 hours 19 minutes per day
watching television. Television viewing in
households has nearly doubled since the
1950s, increasing from 4.5 to 5 hours per
day in the 1950s to 8 hours 11 minutes in
2005.28
Data from a study of 59 brands proves that
brands with higher percentage of magazine
ads in the media mix boast higher total media
effectiveness. Eighty-four percent of adults
ages 18 and older read magazines. Eighty-
seven percent of readers subscribe to at least
one magazine, and 13 percent of readers buy
single copies. The average reader spends 44
minutes reading one magazine issue.28
Creative Category
Analysis
The advertising firm Rubin Postaer and
Associates generally provides Honda’s
creative. Located in Santa Monica, Calif.,
RPA’s target markets traditionally include a
younger population, ranging 25 to 45-year-
olds.
In 2005, RPA showcased a small campaign
for the Civic and the Civic Hybrid. One
commercial emphasized the car’s durability
and side curtain airbags. The commercial
aimed to show that Civic and Hybrid mixed
made something even better, but when the
2006 Civic Hybrid model emerged, the
advertising began to place more emphasis
on the cars.31
RPA’s 2006 Honda Civic campaign featured
three different Civic models, including the
Civic Hybrid, in attempt to re-brand the
car. Advertisements grouped the three Civic
models together in order to ensure that
consumers associated one Civic with the
other. Taglines for this campaign included:
“Even though it’s a hybrid, it’s still a Civic,”
and “It has a bigger engine and it goes faster,
but it’s still a Civic.” In this campaign,
RPA also established the backwards “C” in
Civic.31
Honda Civic Hybrid’s most recent “Reverse
Your Thinking” campaign primarily targets
consumers already familiar with the Civic.
RPA takes what is already known about the
Civic brand and asks consumers to see the
Civic in a new light. Advertisements still
group the three Civic models together, but
now consumers associate sophistication and
upper-middle class status with the Civic’s
sleeker design, in addition to its reliability
and conventionality. The Civic Hybrid is
the “green” Civic, expanding the product
to environmentally conscious consumers.
The Civic XI attracts younger consumers,
looking for speed, reliability, and fashionable
design.31
“Trashed” is the Civic Hybrid’s most recent
television advertisement. As part of the
“Reverse Your Thinking” campaign, the
commercial’s subject is environmentalism,
and RPA adds humor to choices consumers
make – insinuating consumers can either
clean up, get fed up, or carelessly contribute
to the problem while strengthening Honda’s
stance as environmentally friendly, according
to a Honda press release. Paired with “The
Odd Couple” theme song, “Trashed” depicts
a clean versus messy story line, with a voice
15purecommunications
situationanalysis
over by Kevin Spacey stating: “The incredibly
clean and fuel-efficient Civic Hybrid from
Honda. Reverse your thinking.”10
OthercampaignspromotingtheHondabrand
include the “Power of Dreams” television
spots and “The Nicest People” campaign. In
“Power of Dreams” spots, Honda primarily
communicates with males dreaming of
motors, power, engine and speed, ideally
translating this dream into buying a Honda
car, truck, motorcycle, etc. These spots
are futuristic, using slogans such as “I can
see for miles” and “See what we see.” The
commercial encourages the viewer to look
into the future and depict Honda as part of
this future.10
The “Nicest People” campaign is an example
of a past marketing strategy for Honda’s
motorcycles, but this campaign identifies
Honda loyalists. The campaign depicted the
“nicest people” riding Honda motorcycles
such as housewives, parents with children,
young couples and respectable people. These
portrayals made the motorcycle seem casual
and convenient for daily transportation,
giving a new value to the Honda product.
These “nice people” like the parents and
couples, who are searching for convenience,
stability, dependability, and simplicity in
their lives, are Honda’s customers.10
The Pure Communications consumer survey
revealed our consumers are more likely to
watch funny or emotional advertisement.
Respondents in the 18 to 24-year-old age
group reportedly avoid advertisements that
do not fall into these categories.21
Focus
group respondents said they had seen Civic
Hybrid advertisements but could not recall
their contents.22
Consumers in the 45 to
54 age group are most likely to remember
advertisements and slogans, as long as the
advertisement is informative.21
The main implication to Honda’s creative
advertising is distinguishing Civic Hybrid
advertisements from Civic advertisements.
Civic Hybrid advertisements are green,
whereas Civic advertisements are black.
Studies show that car advertisements are not
green enough. This failure to talk green is
costing advertisers opportunities to reach
mainstream buyers, and a “huge disconnect
between the advertising and the amount of
interest” in car-related environmental issues
exists.19
Concerns about fuel economy
and gas prices prompt consumers to learn
more about hybrid vehicles, but surveys
show only one in five car purchasers last
year recalled advertising mentioning global
warming, the environment, or green issues.
Two in five survey respondents remembered
advertisements with environmental themes
but could not recall the brand.19
The Civic
Hybrid should capitalize on its consumers’
willingness to receive informative
advertisements by including information
about the Civic Hybrid’s fuel-efficiency,
reliability, and conventionality.
Public Opinion and
Stakeholder Analysis
Public Opinion on the Honda
Civic Hybrid
Multiple blogs on the Web provide insight
into consumers’ experiences with the Civic
Hybrid. These blogs demonstrate the Civic
Hybrid’s main competitive advantage as the
safest and cleanest hybrid on the market,
particularly compared to the Prius. Scott N.
posted April 2005:
“I saw a version of the Honda Civic hybrid
that was actually a bit safer, and a bit
cleaner than the Prius, and with the Prius’
reputation for a 6 month wait (my wife
is a wonderful woman, but patient she is
not), I felt it was time to go shopping and
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purecommunications:buildingbridgescampaign
find me a “Cleaner Civic Hybrid.”32
The main disadvantage Civic Hybrid
purchasers cited on blogs was that their
average mileage was lower than promised:
“I have a 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid and am
not happy with the average mileage. We
are averaging 36-37 MPG. I don’t get it. If I
drivelikeasnail(superslowoffthelineand
very delicate on the gas during movement)
I can get around 45-50MPG. This is very
frustrating to me
if we drive like
normal people.
We drive mixed
c i t y / h w y . ”
Posted by
soundaround33
Not all Honda Civic Hybrid users are
disappointed in gas mileage, as one blogger
writes:
“Honda Civic 2004 highway 60%, 40%
town driving 42mpg. Purchased Mar. 4,
2004 Already got 35,000 miles on it and
I love it. Planning on buying another this
next year 2006.” Posted by N.K.33
Multiple explanations can be made for the
inconsistent gas mileage Civic Hybrid users
are encountering. Part of the overestimation
of fuel economy by hybrids is due to a nearly
two-decade long EPA testing problem that
overestimated fuel economy of hybrids.
EPA testing standards have recently been
changed, and estimated fuel economy for
hybrids should now be accurate. The way
Civic Hybrid users drive their hybrids will
also affect gas mileage. Educating associates
at dealerships to inform purchasers about
how to drive a hybrid efficiently is a way
to combat these discrepancies in fuel-
efficiency.
Stakeholders
Several organizations are interested in the
manufacturing of the Civic Hybrid and in
Honda’s success.
Union of Concerned Scientists. This leading
science-based non-profit organization works
for the environment and a safer world.
Every two years, they conduct analyses on
automakers. Honda has finished first since
2000 as the greenest automaker.10
Honda and its
Employees. Honda
employs over
25,000 employees
just in the United
States. Any
company culture
problems such
as education and
training should be addressed so all consumers
experience excellent customer service.10
EPA and the Government. Established
by Congress in 1970, this organization
works to achieve environmental goals by
working with other organizations through
partnership programs. EPA’s Green Power
partnership supports organizations that buy
or plan to buy green power. EPA’s Green
Vehicle Guide reports both fuel economy
and emissions of all newly manufactured
vehicles, which it updates annually.2
The
EPA also established the best workplace
for commuters program, which encourages
employers to sign voluntary agreements to
offer employees outstanding, traffic reducing
commuter benefits. The federal government
has established the Clean Air Act, giving the
federal government the authority to clean
up air pollution through fuel economy and
emissions regulations. Hybrid vehicles are
eligible for federal tax credit.24
The Competition. TheToyota Prius is currently
the top-selling hybrid, and more carmakers
are introducing hybrid models.
Corporate Sponsorships and Partnerships.  
17purecommunications
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“ 	
						 ”
“Problems with the environment
in the future will be the same if
not increasing what they are today.
Hybrids are going to help,” Ariel
Bradford, 22, said.
Purchase and parking incentives offer
opportunities for Honda to partner with
corporations and universities. For example,
Googleoffers$5,000towardahybridpurchase
and $2,500 toward a lease of a vehicle that
obtains partial zero emissions rating and at
least 45 mpg for any employee. American
Jewish Committee, Bank of America, and Clif
Bar provide the same incentives. University
of Miami and Montclair University offer 50
percent reductions in parking for hybrid
drivers.34
Honda already has established several
partnerships and sponsorships around the
United States, mostly in California. For
example, American Honda Motor Co
sponsors the CivicTour, a two-month concert
series displaying musical talent across the
country. The tour allows music fans to see
their favorite acts at low prices, while giving
them a first-hand glimpse of the Honda
Civic.10
Media
Traditional media is not enough to reach
the hybrid consumer. These consumers
instead require multi-channel strategies to
be reached. Suggested advertising media
include self-service technology, particularly
keyboards, touch screens, and kiosks, where
consumers can explore for themselves.27
Honda is also currently using music as a
medium to reach its audience. In f.y.e music
retail stores, a Civic Hybrid creative is played
for consumers sampling a CD or DVD at in-
store kiosks. The Black Eyed Peas “tricked
out” a Honda Civic Hybrid for their kick their
tour in March 2006. The Civic Hybrid was
featured in the group’s “Pump It” video, and
the car was the grand prize in a sweepstakes
built around the tour.25
In 2007, Fall Out Boy featured the Civic
Hybrid in their tour. Cool additions to the
model designed by the brand such as metallic
black, gunmetal and silver flaked paint,
graphics and autographs, and eco-friendly
hemp upholstery were some of the “tricked
out” elements added to the car. Fans entered
a sweepstakes to win the car. This idea of
pairing the Civic Hybrid with a touring music
band brings innovation and environmental-
thinking to the masses by combining a hot,
new product with a hot, popular band.26
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Honda is in the top three automakers•	
in the world and the most fuel-efficient
automaker
Honda is one of two companies (with•	
Toyota) who currently yields 90 percent
of the hybrid market.
Honda has been named the greenest•	
automaker four times in a row by the
Union of Concerned Scientists.
The Honda Civic is a well-established•	
brand
The Honda Civic Hybrid has better•	
handling and design and looks more like
conventional car than its competitors
TheHondaCivicHybridgetsimpressively•	
high gas mileage
Honda consumers describe themselves•	
using the same adjectives Honda uses to
describe itself: trustworthy and reliable
Hybrid consumers describe themselves•	
to be similar to Honda consumers
The product’s audience want advertising•	
that is informative -- Honda can do this
Honda is committed to saving the•	
environment and has various programs
to do so
Honda consumers watch an array of•	
television channels and read magazines
Public opinion shows Honda Civic•	
Hybrid users are generally happy with
their purchase
18
purecommunications:buildingbridgescampaign
The Honda Civic Hybrid is safer and•	
cleaner than the Toyota Prius
Honda has several diverse partnerships•	
and sponsorships to get the brand name
and image out to consumers
Weaknesses
Company culture -- consumers have•	
complainedHondaassociatesdiscourage
hybrid purchases and are uneducated
about the Honda Civic Hybrid in
general
The product is indistinguishable from•	
non-hybrid Civics
Size and acceleration of the Honda•	
Civic Hybrid does not meet the needs of
lifestyles of many car consumers
18-34-year-olds are a likely consumer•	
for Honda, but they reportedly “avoid
ads” when possible
Past slogans, ads and campaigns have•	
been seen by consumers, but not
remembered
Advertising the Honda Civic Hybrid has•	
not differed from advertising for the non-
hybrid Honda Civic
Honda Civic Hybrid is more a bit•	
expensive than competitors
Opportunities
Environmental issues are becoming•	
more of a concern for car consumers,
and hybrid vehicles seem to be part of
the solution
Hybrid sales are increasing and expected•	
to continue to increase in coming years
Hybrid owners have generally reported•	
satisfaction with their hybrids
An increasing consumer interest in•	
“green” messaging in advertising
an increasing general “green” lifestyle•	
trend
Companies and cities have become•	
more interested in using hybrids for
transportation needs
Tax credit and corporate and university•	
incentives encourage hybrid purchasing
Threats
The Toyota Prius is currently the number•	
one selling hybrid
More and more automakers are•	
introducing hybrid models
Younger age groups know more about•	
the environment and hybrids, but they
do not have the resources to buy yet.
Consumer markets with the resources to•	
buy a hybrid are generally not educated
enough to make the purchase decision
19purecommunications
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Summary Table
Honda Civic Hybrid Sedan Toyota Prius Honda Civic Sedan
Models
Hybrid Sedan, Hybrid
Sedan with Satellite-Linked
Navigation system
Prius, Touring Prius
(bigger) DX, LX, EX, EX-L
Colors Silver metallic Blue metallic
Gray metallic Beige metallic
Magnetic pearl Gray metallic
Silver Blue Metallic Black Pearl
White Blue Pearl
Red Pearl
Silver metallic
Exterior
Wheelbase (in.) 106.3 106.3 106.3
Length (in.) 176.7 175 176.7
Height (in.) 56.3 58.7 56.5
Width (in.) 69 67.9 69
Interior
Headroom (in., front/rear) 39.4 / 37.4 39.1/37.3 39.4 / 37.4
Legroom (in., front/rear) 42.2 / 34.6 41.9/38.6 42.2 / 34.6
Shoulder Room
(in., front/rear) 53.6 / 52.3 55.0/52.9 53.7 / 52.4
Hiproom (in., front/rear) 51.9 / 51.0 51.0/51.6 51.9 / 51.0
Cargo Volume (cu. ft.) 10.4 14.4 12
Passenger Volume
(cu. ft.) 90.9 96.2 90.9
Seating Capacity 5 5 5
Performance
Integrated Motor Assist IMA
system: 110 hp, 1.3 liter,
8-valve, SOHC, i-VTEC
4-cylinder gas engine +
electric motor
1.5 liter, aluminum double
overhead cam 16-valve
VVT-I 4-cylinder
140-hp, 1.8-Liter, 16-Valve
SOHC i-VTEC engine
Continuously variable
transmission
Electronically controlled
continuously variable
transmission
5-speed manual or
automatic
Idle-stop feature
Gas mileage 40 mpg city/45 mpg hwy
48 mpg city/45 mpg
hwy/46 mpg combined
5-Speed Manual: 26 mpg
city/34 mpg hwy/29 mpg
combined
Advanced Technology
Partial-zero-emission
vehicle (AT-PZEV) rating
Advanced Technology
Partial-zero-emission
vehicle (AT-PZEV) rating
Price $22,600 $20,950 DX: $15,010
With Navigation system:
$24,350 Touring: $23,220 LX: $16,960
EX: $18,710
10, 11
campaign
strategy
“ 	
							 ”
As consumers, Thinkers are
conservative and practical.
They look for durability,
functionality and value in
the products they buy.
Campaign Objective
Sales of hybrids are expected to rise as high as
35 percent by the end of 2007, according to
ourresearchintheSituationAnalysis. Despite
this increase, the Toyota Prius dominates the
hybrid auto market. The Prius accounted
for 67.4 percent of announced hybrid sales
from January 2007 – August 2007, whereas
the Honda Civic Hybrid accounted for 11.8
percent of these sales.
To take advantage of the hybrid’s increasing
popularity, Pure Communications ultimately
wants to increase salience of the Honda
Civic Hybrid within the hybrid auto market
and within Honda’s product line. With this
increased salience, the Honda Civic Hybrid
will experience higher sales and, eventually,
will replace the Toyota Prius as the hybrid
brand leader and as the hybrid vehicle-of-
choice.
To achieve these long-term goals, Pure
Communications will satisfy the following
short-term objectives in the 2008 Honda
Civic Hybrid “Building Bridges” Campaign:
To promote the Honda Civic Hybrid as fuel-
efficient hybrid vehicle
To promote the Honda Civic Hybrid as a
more reliable and a more conventional car
than the current hybrid brand leader, the
Toyota Prius
Pure Communications will inform
consumers of the Civic Hybrid’s fuel-
efficient characteristics and educate them
of this vehicle’s reliability and conventional
features, as a competitive advantage over the
Toyota Prius, through a three-part cognitive
process:
We will create awareness of hybrid•	
vehicles’ beneficial effects on the
environment.
We will create awareness of the Honda•	
Civic Hybrid’s fuel-efficiency.
We will create awareness of the•	
Honda Civic Hybrid’s reliability and
conventional car features, as compared
to the Toyota Prius.
Pure Communications will implement this
three-part cognitive process through two
distinct methods. We first will emphasize
reach in our campaign by broadly informing
car consumers of the fuel-efficient hybrid
version of Honda’s already-established Civic
model. We then will appeal directly to
car consumers who are receptive to hybrid
vehicles. By educating this target market
about the Civic Hybrid’s reliability and
conventional car features, we will attempt to
reshape the current common attitude of the
Toyota Prius as the hybrid brand leader and
as the hybrid vehicle-of-choice.
Primary Target Market
Changing the present perception of the
Prius as the hybrid vehicle brand leader
poses implications to our “Building Bridges”
campaign because the Prius holds 55.6
percent more hybrid auto market share than
the Civic Hybrid. Pure Communications
will address this perception by directing our
cognitive-based campaign at a distinct car
consumer market segment.
Through the qualitative and quantitative
research outlined in the Situation Analysis,
Pure Communications determined a shared
22
purecommunications:buildingbridges
“ 	
						 ”
The Honda Civic Hybrid will
experience higher sales and,
eventually, will replace the Toyota
Prius as the hybrid brand leader and
as the hybrid vehicle-of-choice.
mindset between Honda Civic and hybrid
vehicle consumers, identifying this receptive
target market as the “Thinkers.”
Motivated primarily by ideals and guided by
knowledge and principles, Thinkers possess
the following characteristics:
They are mature, satisfied, comfortable,•	
and reflective people who value order,
knowledge, and responsibility.
They tend to be well educated.•	
They actively seek out information in the•	
decision-making process.
They are well informed about world and•	
international events.
They are alert to opportunities that•	
broaden their knowledge.
Although Thinkers are conscious of their
individual contributions to society and
receptivetoideasthatbettertheircommunities,
they are unsure of the measurable impact
of their individual contributions. Thinkers
respect conventional institutions of authority
and social decorum, even though they are
interested in considering new ideas.
Thinkers are conservative and practical
consumers. They look for durability,
functionality, and value in the products they
buy. Typically loyal customers,Thinkers tend
to choose familiar products and established
brands.
Within this primary target market, Pure
Communications specifically will pursue
18 to 34-year-old car consumers. Through
Simmons data, extensive surveying, and
focus groups, Pure Communications
identified that Honda Civic users are more
likely than the average consumer to belong
to this age group. Eighteen to thirty-four year
olds are most knowledgeable about hybrid
vehicles and their beneficial impacts on the
environment. According to our qualitative
data, fuel-efficiency and reliability rank
among the most important concerns that
these young car consumers consider when
purchasing a car.
The Prius already sustains a loyal customer
base in older age demographics. Our
research suggests that consumers who
purchase a hybrid vehicle tend to be loyal to
that brand. By appealing to 18 to 34-year-
old Thinkers who are purchasing their first or
second cars, the Honda Civic Hybrid ideally
will secure Honda brand loyalty from these
entry-level car consumers, especially as they
consider subsequent car purchases.
Secondary Target
Market
Pure Communications additionally identified
a secondary target market: mid-size to large-
size companies. According to our research
in the Situation Analysis, these companies
are increasingly choosing hybrids for their
company cars. As Thinkers are interested
in durable, conventional, and cost-efficient
cars that can transport them from “Point A
to Point B,” corporate institutions consider
similar qualities when purchasing company
car fleets.
Pure Communications will target mid-size
to large-size companies who frequently use
company cars, either by allowing employees
to use the company-owned cars on a need-
by-need basis or by leasing out company-
purchased cars to employees at a discount.
To keep this secondary target compatible
with our primary target market, we will
specifically select mid-size to large-size
companies on the following criteria:
Employsubstantialnumbersofemployees•	
age 18 to 34 years old
23purecommunications
campaignstrategy
Considered innovative by their•	
communities
Exhibit environmental concern in their•	
business actions
Examples of these businesses include Procter
& Gamble, Google, 3M,Virgin,Target,Apple,
Samsung and Amazon.
Pure Communications will approach this
secondary market less aggressively than our
primary market, but we will still implement
the three-part cognitive process outlined in
the Campaign Objectives section. Because
corporations act as social and economic
institutions, they have the power and the
authority to advance new ideas within
society. While Thinkers do not always
follow the status quo, they still respect social
institutions, looking to them for guidance
and to promote social growth.
Competitive Advantage
The Civic Hybrid not only boasts high fuel-
efficiency but also is more reliable and
more conventional than the Prius. Pure
Communications will educate our primary
and secondary target markets of these
competitive advantages, ideally prompting
our targeted car consumers to purchase the
Civic Hybrid.
The Civic Hybrid has higher fuel-efficiency
than Honda’s non-hybrid version, the
Honda Civic. Our survey respondents
overwhelmingly name this fuel-efficiency
as a crucial and primary concern when
purchasing a new car. As conservative
consumers, Thinkers also are more inclined
to purchase fuel-efficient vehicles to offset
rising gas prices. 57 percent of car consumers
say they would consider purchasing a hybrid
vehicle as their next purchase to avoid rising
gas prices.
While fuel-efficiency is the predominant
concern, our research indicates that hybrid
car consumers also consider reliability and
conventionality of the car. Consumer Reports
ranked the Civic Hybrid as a top small car
in October 2007, and the car scored 72
percent on its overall road test, whereas the
Prius scored 68 percent.
Both the Civic and the Civic Hybrid dominate
Consumer Reports’ top picks of small cars.
The Civic Hybrid and the Civic have similar
car dimensions, as shown in the Situation
Analysis. The Prius boasts slightly larger
exterior and interior dimensions, but Prius
consumers tend to be older than Civic Hybrid
consumers. Our Thinkers belong primarily
to the 18 to 34 age demographic and tend to
be singles or married professionals without
children. As conservative consumers, our
Thinkers do not need excess passenger
volume nor excess cargo space.
Test-drivers criticize the Prius’ drivability
and praise the Civic Hybrid’s ability to drive
like a conventional car. Because hybrids
demonstrate long-term savings in operational
car costs such as maintenance and repair,
the Civic Hybrid is more economical than
a conventional car, while maintaining its
conventional car drivability. Whereas
the costs of owning and operating a Civic
amounts to $31,595, the cost of owning
and operating a Civic Hybrid amounts to
$23,268.
The Honda Brand
Honda Motor Co. is one of the most
dependable and fuel-efficient automakers in
the world. In its production of automobiles,
Honda is committed to addressing
environmental challenges, particularly in
improving fuel-efficiency, reducing smog-
24
purecommunications:buildingbridges
forming emissions, and advancing real-world
alternatives to gasoline. By demonstrating
this environmental concern in all of its
automobile productions, Honda, as an
established corporate institution that our
Thinkers respect, has the power to set and
to practice environmental standards that will
benefit society.
Campaign Tactics
Pure Communications will satisfy the short-
term objectives detailed in the Campaign
Objectives section through a fully integrated
advertising and public relations campaign.
By creating awareness of the Civic Hybrid
and by educating car consumers of its
competitive advantages through creative
messages, strategic media placement,
and promotions, Pure Communications
ultimately will elevate the Civic Hybrid to
the hybrid vehicle-of-choice, over the Prius.
Creative Plan
Thinkers actively seek out information in
their decision-making processes, so we will
primarily execute a cognitive-based creative
plan. Car consumers rely heavily on data
concerning factors like fuel-economy,
dependability, and physical dimensions
when purchasing a car, and our cognitive-
based creative plan will deliver this data
to our target markets. The creative plan
also will translate easily between our two
target markets, since because both markets’
purchasing behaviors ultimately depend on
the pertinent information available.
We will use both broadcast and print
advertisements in our creative plan.
Broadcast advertisements should create
general awareness of the Civic Hybrid,
whereas print advertisements should educate
our target markets of the vehicle’s competitive
advantages. Broadcast advertisements will
reinforce the Honda brand, promoting brand
loyalty, whereas print advertisements will
provide the information Thinkers need to
make a high-involvement purchase.
Both broadcast and print advertisements
shouldappealtoourentry-levelcarconsumer
demographic. We will do this not only by
educating our target markets of the Civic
Hybrid’s competitive advantages but also
by invoking emotions such as responsibility,
knowledge, and accomplishment within our
target consumers. These emotions ideally
will inspire car consumers to seek out
more information about the Civic Hybrid
and its competitive advantages. With this
information, our target market eventually
will purchase the Civic Hybrid.
Media Plan
Following the two distinct methods of
implementing our “Building Bridges”
campaign outlined in the Campaign
Objectives section, Pure Communications
will use a pulsing media strategy. The
“Building Bridges” campaign will run from
January 2008 through December 2008,
but we will kick-off the campaign in April
with a heavy pulse of broadcast and print
advertisements. The campaign will continue
at this heavy pulse throughout October. Car
consumers tend to purchase new cars from
late summer through fall, when automakers
introduce the next year’s new models. While
advertising of the Civic Hybrid will not stop
completely in the winter months, we will
25purecommunications
campaignstrategy
“ 	
						 ”
Pure Communications determined
a shared mindset between Honda
Civic and hybrid vehicle consumers,
and we identified this receptive target
market as the “Thinkers.”
drastically decrease media placement of
both broadcast and print advertisements
in these months. Because we want to
simultaneously create awareness of the Civic
Hybrid and educate our target markets of
the vehicle’s competitive advantages, Pure
Communications will run both print and
broadcast advertisements at similar GRPs
throughout the entire campaign.
Broadcast advertisements will appear mainly
on conglomerate television and radio
networks such as ABC, NBC, and CBS. We
will place television advertisements during
prime-time shows in order to reach large
audiences,becausetelevisionadvertisements
will be used to create awareness of the Civic
Hybrid. Radio advertisements will be placed
during peak travel times such as weekdays
from 6 – 8 a.m. and from 5 – 7 p.m., when
commuters are most likely to be in their cars.
Print advertisements will primarily appear in
nationally circulated consumer magazines
such as Time and People magazines, and
in magazines that boast high circulations
among Thinkers, such as The New Yorker
and The Economist.
While our creative messages will
largely appear in national medias, Pure
Communications identified geographical
locations that are most receptive to the Civic
Hybrid. According to our research in the
Situation Analysis, hybrids are most used in
the West and in urban and suburban mid-
sized to large-sized cities, where many
people commute from work or home.
Pure Communications will similarly target
mid-size to large-size cities based on the
following criteria:
High traffic levels•	
High commuting levels•	
Accommodate many young•	
professionals
Considered green cities•	
Examples include the following cities and
their immediate suburbs: Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Denver, New
York City, Boston, Washington D.C., Atlanta,
Chicago, and Minneapolis.
Public Relations Campaign
Our public relations campaign will
complement the creative messages and
media placements, particularly by educating
the primary and secondary target markets
about the Civic Hybrid’s competitive
advantages. Our promotional tactics
will more aggressively educate these car
consumers, especially by emphasizing
hands-on, interactive experiences with the
Civic Hybrid.
As described in the Situation Analysis,
Honda previously sponsored Honda Civic
Hybrid Music Tours, and we will consider
hosting a similar nationwide event allowing
consumers to interact with the Civic Hybrid.
This “Building Bridges” test-drive tour will be
publicized with press conferences and press
kits, sponsored by local green companies
or environmental organizations, and honor
environmentally forward-thinking local
citizens. The test-drive tour will visit cities
where its residents are more receptive to the
Civic Hybrid than the average car consumer,
such as the cities outlined above.
Through these promotional tactics and
creativemessages,PureCommunicationswill
also drive traffic to the Honda Civic Hybrid
26
purecommunications:buildingbridges
“ 	
						 ”
Consumer Reports ranked the Civic
Hybrid as a top small car in October
2007.
Web site. We will list the Web site’s URL
in print advertisements and on promotional
literature, such as press releases, pamphlets,
and press kits. Car consumers will also use
the Web site to register for the test-drive tour
mentioned above.
Conclusion
In the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid “Building
Bridges” Campaign, Pure Communications
will fulfill its short-term objectives of
promoting the Civic Hybrid as a fuel-
efficient hybrid vehicle and of promoting the
Civic Hybrid as a more reliable and more
conventional car than the Prius. Through
a fully integrated advertising and public
relations campaign, Pure Communications
will create awareness of the Civic Hybrid and
will educate car consumers of the vehicle’s
competitive advantages.
We will direct this campaign at Thinkers,
our primary target market, and at mid-size to
large-size companies, our secondary target
market. Through quantitative and qualitative
research, we identified these two groups
as most receptive to the Civic Hybrid, and
we determined these target markets’ most
receptive contact points through extensive
media analysis. By reaching our target
consumers and by satisfying this campaign’s
short-term objectives, the Honda Civic
Hybrid eventually will increase in salience
within the hybrid auto market and ultimately
replace theToyota Prius as the hybrid vehicle-
of-choice.
27purecommunications
campaignstrategy
creative
“ 	
							 ”
These Thinkers are receptive
to the Civic Hybrid because
they are constantly searching
for ways to create balance in
their lives.
purecommunications
Problems Facing the
Honda Civic Hybrid
Hybrid vehicles are relatively new in the•	
auto market
The Toyota Prius dominates the hybrid•	
auto market segment
The Toyota Prius is seen as the hybrid•	
brand leader and hybrid vehicle of
choice
Consumers tend to associate hybrid•	
vehicles with the Toyota Prius
Our Solution
Promote the Honda Civic Hybrid’s•	
competitive advantage as a fuel-efficient
hybrid vehicle
Promote the Honda Civic Hybrid’s•	
competitive advantages as a more
reliable and a more conventional car
than the current hybrid brand leader, the
Toyota Prius
The “Building Bridges”
Campaign
The Honda Civic Hybrid is unlike any other
vehicle in the auto market. Acting as both a
fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle and a reliable,
conventional compact car, the Civic Hybrid
tightens the gap between innovative, green
auto technology and traditional, standard
automobiles. The Honda Civic Hybrid builds
a bridge between these two seemingly
clashing aspects of the automobile industry.
This bridge represents the perfect balance
between advancing technology and the
respected status quo. This bridge represents
the perfect balance between a promising
future and a rich history. This bridge is the
Honda Civic Hybrid.
Target Audience
The Thinkers, our primary target market, are
looking for this bridge. They are intelligent,
sophisticated, and conscientious of the world
that they live in. They are still young, but
they demonstrate up-and-coming go-getter
attitudes. They are interested in bettering
themselves and the society surrounding
them. These Thinkers are receptive to the
Civic Hybrid because they are constantly
searching for ways to create balance in their
lives. They want to save the world, but they
will do so in a practical, rational, and mature
manner.
Brand Personality, Emotions
Conveyed, and Desired Actions
Pure Communications’ creative executions
for the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid “Building
Bridges” Campaign will cater to these values.
In our advertisements, we will invoke
emotions such as responsibility, knowledge,
and humble accomplishment, since these
types of ideals motivate our Thinkers to
act. Because our primary target market
generally are 18 to 34-year-old entry-level
car consumers, our creative executions also
will be humorous to appeal to this younger
demographic. As our Thinkers seek out
information in the decision-making process,
particularly for high-involvement products
such as a car, Pure Communications will
communicate to our target market about the
Civic Hybrid’s competitive advantages.
Pure Communications will both broadly
inform Thinkers of the fuel-efficient Civic
Hybrid and educate these consumers of the
Civic Hybrid’s reliability and conventional
car features, as detailed in the Campaign
Strategy. Although we will use television,
radio, and outdoor advertising to create
general awareness of the Civic Hybrid, our
29purecommunications
creative
heavily cognitive print advertisement will
present the Thinkers with comprehensive
data supporting the fact that the Civic Hybrid
is the right vehicle for them.
In television, radio, and outdoor
advertisements, Pure Communications will
employ a soft-sell approach familiarizing
Thinkers with the Civic Hybrid. Our hard-
sell approach in magazine and newspaper
advertisements will ideally prompt these car
consumers to purchase the Civic Hybrid.
Continuity Elements
This campaign will establish the Civic Hybrid
not only as both a hybrid vehicle and a car,
but also as a vehicle that our Thinkers can
trust. We will create this trust through creative
continuity elements, such as positioning the
Honda logo and “Building Bridges” slogan
in every advertisement and by using clean,
black uniform type. Each advertisement also
will pit the Civic Hybrid against a parody of
competing hybrids, and of less fuel-efficient
cars and SUVs. By placing the Civic Hybrid
in between these two extreme types of
vehicles, the Civic Hybrid both physically
and metaphorically becomes the bridge.
Creative Executions
Television
EachTV spot will be 30 seconds long. We will
emphasizesoft-selloverhard-sellbecausethe
campaign’s television advertisements should
emphasize reach in creating awareness of
the Civic Hybrid. Because the “Building
Bridges” campaign is cognitive-based and
our Thinkers consistently crave information,
each commercial will still include minimal
information about the Civic Hybrid’s fuel-
efficiency, reliability and conventional car
features.
“Stuck”
This 30-second commercial features a
young woman commuting to work in her
Civic Hybrid. She is stuck in traffic. She is
surrounded by ridiculous spaceship-looking,
egg-like, bubbly “hybrids” on one side and
by gas-guzzling, boxy enormous “SUVs” on
the other side. As she looks from right to left
in her Civic Hybrid, she clicks on her radio,
playing “We’re From Barcelona” by I’m From
Barcelona, an up-beat song. The lyrics aren’t
played, just the music. The young woman
enjoys sitting in her car, happy with her
decision to build the bridge between car and
hybrid. A voice-over says: “The all-new 2008
Honda Civic Hybrid – looks like a car, drives
like a car. In a fuel-efficient hybrid.” The
screen fades to the Honda “Building Bridges”
logo and “Honda. Building Bridges.”
“Lock It”
This30-secondcommercialpairswith“Stuck,”
featuring the same young, sophisticated
woman. She arrives at work and pulls into
her parking spot. Other co-workers are
there with their ridiculous-looking “hybrids”
and “SUVs.” As she gets out of the car, she
effortlessly locks her Civic Hybrid with the
push of a button (her keyless entry fob) and
continues walking towards the work building
with ease. She smiles and says hello to her
co-workers, who are having a rough time
trying to lock their vehicles. The “hybrids”
are hovering, making it impossible to reach
the lock. The co-workers with “SUVs” are
having a hard time simply getting out of their
vehicles without a ladder. The Civic Hybrid
driver walks by with a bounce in her step
as “We’re From Barcelona” begins playing.
A voice-over says: “The all-new 2008 Honda
Civic Hybrid – looks like a car, drives like
a car. In a fuel-efficient hybrid.” The screen
fades to the Honda “Building Bridges” logo
and “Honda. Building Bridges.”
30
purecommunications:buildingbridges
31purecommunications
Song: “We’re From Barcelona” by
I’m From Barcelona
She clicks on her radio.
VO: The all-new 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid –
looks like a car, drives like a car. In a fuel-efficient
hybrid.
Song: fade
VO: Honda. Building Bridges.
Thinker is stuck in traffic on her way to work. She looks to both sides, seeing an over-
exaggerated “hybrid” bubble car on one side.
Sbe sees an over-exaggerated “SUV” to her other
side.
creative
“Stuck”
32
purecommunications:buildingbridges
Song: fade
VO: Honda. Building Bridges.
Song: “We’re From Barcelona” by I’m From Bar-
celona
Thinker locks her car.
VO: The all-new 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid – looks like a
car, drives like a car. In a fuel-efficient hybrid.
Woman looks at co-workers having difficulty locking
their vehicles.
Thinker arrives at work, parks.
Thinker, happy about her Civic Hybrid
purchase, walks into work.
“Lock it”
Radio
The radio spot will be a 30-second support ad for the television commericals. It will include
more cognitive information to cater to the Thinkers’ desire for information about high-
involvement products. It will feature the same song as in theTV ads, “We’re From Barcelona.”
A sample script is below.
SFX: “We’re From Barcelona” by I’m From Barcelona
VOICEOVER: The all-new 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid builds bridges.
WOMAN: Do you want a fuel-efficient hybrid without looking like a spaceship about to take off
every time you accelerate?
WOMAN: Or how about a durable, reliable car that saves you money while you sit in traffic?
VOICEOVER: With 40 miles per gallon in the city and 45 highway miles, the Civic Hybrid is the
perfect choice.
VOICEOVER: Starting at just $22,600.
VOICEOVER: Visit www.honda.com.
VOICEOVER: The Honda Civic Hybrid. Building Bridges.
SFX: fade out
Print
Print ads will run primarily in magazines, with some support ads both outdoor and in
newspapers. The ads will have simple, clean designs. The Civic Hybrid will be featured
in the center of the ad to draw attention to its sleek design and conventionality. The copy
will be black, with important phrases bolded. Each ad will feature the Building Bridges
logo. They will play off of the television ads, with more emphasis on fuel-efficiency and the
comparison between a conventional car and an over-exaggerated “hybrid” as in the TV ads.
They will feature more cognitive information like the radio ads to increase awareness about
gas mileage and price. Four samples follow.
33purecommunications
creative
34
purecommunications:buildingbridges
The all-new 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid
Fuel-efficient, reliable, durable. Not a bubble.
Starting at $22,600. 40 miles per gallon in the city, 45 highway miles.
Visit www.honda.com for more information.
Honda. Building Bridges.
35purecommunications
creative
The all-new fuel-efficient 2008 Honda
Civic Hybrid
See any resemblance? Neither do we.
Starting at $22,600. 40 miles per gallon in the city, 45 highway miles.
Visit www.honda.com for more information.
Honda. Building Bridges.
36
purecommunications:buildingbridges
The all-new 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid
Fuel-efficient, reliable, durable. Not a bubble.
Starting at $22,600. 40 miles per gallon in the city, 45 highway miles.
Visit www.honda.com for more information.
Honda. Building Bridges.
37purecommunications
creative
Sittingintraffic?
Theall-new
fuel-efficient2008
HondaCivicHybrid
Honda.BuildingBridges.
Getbettergasmileage.
45milespergallon
highwaydriving.
media
“ 	
							 ”
Pure Communications has allocated
95 percent or $76,243,952 of the
campaign’s 80 million dollar budget for
media purchasing and a pulsing media
strategy.
purecommunications
Media Planning
The prevalence of hybrid vehicles in todayís
auto market is limited. To ultimately increase
salience of the Honda Civic Hybrid within the
hybrid auto market, we first will promote the
Civic Hybrid as a fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle,
and as a more reliable and conventional car
the current hybrid brand leader, the Toyota
Prius. Through a diverse mix of media, Pure
Communications will create awareness of the
Civic Hybrid and educate our target markets
of the Civic Hybrid’s competitive advantages.
This integrated media strategy will reach a
broad number of car consumers, effectively
cutting through the clutter populating mass
culture.
Media Objectives
To cut through this clutter, Pure
Communications identified the campaign’s
primary target market as Thinkers.
Educated, mature, and conscientious, these
Thinkers want to improve their surrounding
environment. Through a cognitive-based
campaign, we will targetThinkers in the 18 to
34-year-old demographic. Civic users tend to
belong to this age group, and this age group
is more likely than the average consumer to
care about environmental impacts such as
lowering gas emissions.
We also will direct media efforts at a
secondary target market: mid-size to large-
size companies. This secondary target
market will be approached less aggressively,
so the bulk of our media efforts will focus on
communicating with the Thinkers. We will
use the following media to communicate
with our target markets:
Television•	
Radio•	
Magazine•	
Newspaper•	
Outdoor•	
Internet•	
Media Strategy
In September 2007, the Prius outsold
the Civic Hybrid by 15,809 units. Pure
Communicationswilllaunchthe2008Honda
Civic Hybrid ìBuilding Bridgesî Campaign in
April 2008 in attempt to ultimately increase
sales. We will employ a pulsing strategy,
with the highest pulses of advertisements
occurring from April through October,
because consumers tend to purchase cars
from late summer through fall.
Inthesesixmonths,wewillstrategicallyplace
both broadcast and print advertisements to
create awareness of the Civic Hybrid and
to educate car consumers of the vehicle’s
competitive advantages. Television and
radio advertisements will create awareness
of the product and appeal more emotionally
to the consumers. Magazine and newspaper
advertisements will educate consumers of the
product’s competitive advantages, serving as
informational supplements to the broadcast
advertisements.
While advertising of the Civic Hybrid will
not stop completely in the winter months,
we will drastically decrease the media
placement pulse for both broadcast and print
advertisements in the building phase of the
media plan, from November through March.
People are less likely to purchase vehicles
in these months, but we do not want to
eliminate advertising all together, since our
target market tends to research their purchase
decisions in advance. Thinkers tend to seek
out knowledge, so we will place Civic Hybrid
advertisements in mediums geared towards
39purecommunications
media
this target market.
Pure Communications has allocated 95
percent, or $76,243,952, of the campaignís
$80 million budget for media purchasing,
saving five percent for contingencies or
unexpected costs.
Broadcast
Broadcast media such as television and
radio will be used to create awareness of the
Civic Hybrid, and of Hondaís reliable and
dependable brand image.
Television
Themediaplaninvolvesnationaltelevisionas
well as spot television advertising. Television
is the most pervasive form of media and often
apparent in every household. According to
Simmons data, Honda users tend to watch
national channels such as ABC, NBC, and
CBS. As the Media Flow Chart shows, we
will assign 26 percent, or $21,069,391, of
our media allocation to national television in
both primetime and late night advertising.
Honda Civic users are also more likely
than the average consumer to watch cable
channels such as CNN, BET, Comedy Central,
Food Network, ESPN, MTV and Oxygen, so
we allocated 13 percent, or $10,767,120,
to national cable television primetime
advertising.
We will purchase spot television in order
to reach specific regional audiences, such
as Los Angeles, Southern California and the
other geographical target market listed in the
Campaign Strategy. Sixteen percent of this
spot advertising will be national television at
both primetime and late night times, costing
$13,242,624, while nearly five percent, or
$3,820,440 is allocated for spot advertising
on cable primetime television. As evident
on the Media Flow Chart, 61 percent, or
$48,899,575, of our media budget will be
spent on television advertising.
Radio
Four percent of the media budget or
$3,099,420, is allocated for radio advertising,
as documented in the Media Flow Chart.
Radio is an inexpensive form of media, lends
itself to all sorts of different situations and
contexts, and supports other forms of media
used in the campaign such as outdoor. We
will use national and spot radio ads during
40
purecommunications:buildingbridges
% Media Allocation
61%
18%
9%
2%
4% 1%
Television
Magainzes
Newspapers
Outdoor
Radio
Internet
purecommunications
body text
41
peak drive times such as weekday mornings
from 6-8 a.m. and evenings from 5-7 p.m.,
although more GRPs are dedicated to
national radio.
Similar to television, national radio is a
viable medium for selling automobiles
because it reaches broad audiences, and
we will place our advertisements on large
network radio affiliates such as CBS, ABC,
and Clear Channel to reach these audiences.
Our radio spot ads will appear in large cities
such as Los Angeles and other cities listed in
the Campaign Strategy. We will also place
advertisements during more educational
programs or talk shows in order to appeal to
our Thinkers.
Print
The “Building Bridges” campaign’s broadcast
advertisements should reach mass audiences
in order to create awareness of the Civic
Hybrid. In contrast, our heavily cognitive
printadvertisementswilleducateourThinkers
about the Civic Hybridís fuel-efficiency,
and reliable and conventional car features,
as compared to the Prius, while using rich
imagery and design to differentiate the Civic
Hybrid from the Prius.
Magazine
Cognitive consumers like ourThinkers tend to
spend ample time looking at magazines and
are more likely than the average consumer to
retain information seen in advertisements.
According to Simmons data, female Civic
owners tend to read magazines such as
Cosmopolitan,People,andGlamour. Because
of this information, Pure Communications
allocated about six percent, or $5,097,600,
of our media budget to national womenís-
interest magazines. Male Civic owners read
GQ and Sports Illustrated, so we allocated
roughly seven percent, or $5,866,690,
of the media budget to national menís-
interest magazines. Roughly 4 percent, or
$3,625,048, of the budget is allocated for
general interest and trade magazines such as
Time, The Economist, and Newsweek. Trade
magazines will be used particularly to target
media
GRP'S per month
152 152 152
426 425 425 425 426 425 426
152 152
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
January February
March
April May June July
August
September
October
NovemberDecember
GRP'S per
month
“ 	
						 ”
By reinforcing Honda’s dependable
image, the Honda Civic Hybrid will
attach itself to a reliable label, causing
further distinction between Honda
and the competitors of Toyota.
our secondary target market: mid-size to
large-size companies.
Circulations for the magazines mentioned
above are as follows:
Cosmopolitan•	 : 2,916,000
People•	 : 28.9 million
Glamour•	 : 2,262,242
GQ:•	 931,694
Sports Illustrated:•	 3,250,912
Time,•	 3,250,00
The Economist:•	 1,260,457
Newsweek,•	 3.1 million
Newspaper
We will use national and local newspapers
both for their market selectivity and to target
specific geographic locations. Newspaper
readership increases with age and education,
andreaching68percentofadults,newspapers
also allow a narrow and more specific reach
of educated people like our Thinkers.
Nine percent of the media budget is allocated
toward newspaper advertising. As the Media
Flow Chart suggests, this percentage is split
between national newspapers and local
newspaperscirculatednationally.Fivepercent
of our budget, or $3,664,528, is allocated
for national newspaper advertisements, and
these ads will run as half page, black and
white displays.
The other four percent, or $3,491,091, of the
newspaper allocation is for local newspapers
circulated nationally, such as The Chicago
Tribune.  With a circulation number of 3.3
million per week, newspapers like The
Chicago Tribune allow us to reach specific
regions and multiple cities simultaneously.
Outdoor
Outdoorbillboardadvertisingwillsupplement
radio advertisements, heightening awareness
of the Civic Hybrid among commuters.
Billboardsallowforhigh-impactlargevisuals,
and serve primarily as brand reminders
reinforcing the creative concept of the
campaign. We allocated two percent of the
media budget, or $1,330,000, for outdoor.
Billboards will be placed in areas with
high traffic count such as the L.A. Freeway
in order to ensure maximum visibility in
the geographical regions specified in the
Campaign Strategy. 44 GRPs are allocated
for outdoor over the course of 12 months.
42
purecommunications:buildingbridges
48 48 48
272 272 272 272 272 272 272
48 48
26 26 26
53 53 53 53 53 53 53
26 26
17 16 16 16 17 16 17
2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 2
75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75
1 1 1 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 1
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
January February
March
April May June July
August
September
October
Novemeber December
Television
Magazines
Newspaper
Outdoor
Radio
Internet
GRP'S/MONTH/MEDIUM
Internet
We do not want to sell Honda Civic Hybrids
online but rather want to utilize the Internet
as an information hub. Through the Internet,
Pure Communications can track consumersí
online behaviors and adapt our advertising
messages accordingly. We will conduct this
tracking by purchasing key words, which
will account for a little over one percent
of the media budget, or $1,170,000. This
form of search advertisement places online
ads on results pages of search engines. Our
Thinkers are information-oriented, and
these key words will allow us to target them
specifically as they are researching the Civic
Hybrid online. We will purchase key words
on major search engines such as Google,
MSN, and Yahoo.
Campaign Timeline
As mentioned above, Pure Communications
will launch our campaign in April of
2008. We will use heavy GRPs steadily
from April through October, as most car
consumers purchase automobiles during
these months. GRP allocation will remain
generally consistent at around 11-12 percent
throughout these seven months, with slightly
more GRPs allocated during October, when
the next yearís car models are unveiled. By
heavily saturating consumers with broadcast
and print advertisements the months leading
into the fall and winter, we intend to
drastically increase awareness of the Civic
Hybrid, while allowing our Thinkers plenty
of time to research the vehicle themselves.
When our pulsing drastically decreases
around November 2008, we will eliminate
national television, focusing instead on
print advertising. These advertisement will
be placed in more specialized magazines
like The Economist, so that Civic Hybrid
information still is available for the Thinkers
seeking it.
*Note: Percentages are rounded to nearest
whole. See Media Flow Chart for specific
numbers.body textbody textbody text
43purecommunications
media
“ 	
						 ”
By heavily saturating consumers
with media for the months leading
into the fall and winter, we will
drastically increase awareness of the
Honda Civic Hybrid’s benefits to the
environment, fuel-efficiency, as well
as the reliability and conventionality
of Honda vehicles.
44
purecommunications:buildingbridges
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberCPP/MediaVehicle%MediaAllocation$MediaAllocationTotalGRPs
MediaCategories
Television
NationalTVPrimetime55555555555555$33,10315.93%$12,744,655385
NationalTVLatenight48484848484848$24,77610.41%$8,324,736336
SpotTVPrimetime131313252525252525251313$36,02210.81%$8,645,280240
SpotTVLatenight151515343434343434341515$14,6885.75%$4,597,344313
NationalCableTVPrimetime80808080808080$19,22713%$10,767,120560
SpotCableTVPrimetime202020303030303030302020$12,3244.78%$3,820,440310
TelevisionSummary61%$48,899,575
Magazines
National-Men's131313202020202020201313$28,6187.33%$5,866,690205
National-Women's131313252525252525251313$21,2406.37%$5,097,600240
National-General8888888$64,7334.53%$3,625,04856
MagazineSummary18%$14,589,338
Newspapers
NationalNewspapers16161616161616$32,7195%$3,664,528112
LocalNewspapersNationally111$1,163,697/month4%$3,491,0913
NewspaperSummary9%$7,155,619
Outdoor
Billboards222444444422$35,000/month/spot2%$1,330,00038
OutdoorSummary2%$1,330,000
Radio
National-Primedrivetimes454545454545454545454545$2,9131.97%$1,573,020540
Spot-Primedrivetimes303030303030303030303030$4,2401.91%$1,526,400360
RadioSummary4%$3,099,420
Internet
Keywords111555555511$29,250/month1%$1,170,00040
InternetSummary1%$1,170,000
TOTAL%and$Used95%$76,243,952
TotalBudget$80,000,000
TotalGRPs1521521524264254254254264254261521523738
public
relations
“ 	
							 ”
This full-day event will give
potential Honda Civic Hybrid
purchasers the opportunity to
test-drive a Civic hybrid with a
trained Honda technician.
Public Opinion
Fourteen different models of hybrids exist in
the auto market, with 75 models expected
by 2011. Sales of hybrids shot from next
to nothing in 1999 to 84,000 in 2004, and
numbers continue to rise. Eighty percent
of car consumers stated that they were
concerned about gas prices last year. Due
to these prices, 57 percent of car consumers
said they would consider a hybrid vehicle
as their next car purchase, and 49 percent
said they would consider a vehicle that used
alternative sources of fuel.
The Surveys. Pure Communications
conducted a series of surveys in October
2007. According to our research, the 18 to
34-year-old demographic primarily valued a
vehicle’s fuel-efficiency.
The Focus Group. We discovered that the
majority of respondents thought that the
similar of design between the Civic Hybrid
and Civic was a major disadvantage to
purchasing the Civic Hybrid. However, these
respondents also viewed the Honda brand
as a dependable, cost-effective solution to
growing environmental concerns.
The Blogosphere. The most common
grievance on blogs relevant to the Civic
Hybrid was the Civic Hybrid’s lower-than-
promised gas mileage.
“We’re just normal Southern California
drivers, we don’t speed, and the best gas
mileage we have gotten so far, (was when)
we made a trip in the car to Vegas, coming
back we used the cruise control. We got 34.6
miles to the gallon,” said musician John True,
a Honda Civic Hybrid owner who is suing
Honda over incorrect gas mileage estimates,
on www.AutoblogGreen.com.
“Honda Civic 2004 highway 60%, 40%
town driving 42mpg. Purchased Mar. 4,
2004. Already got 35,000 miles on it and I
love it.  Planning on buying another this next
year 2006.” Posted by N.K., a proud Honda
Civic Hybrid owner, on www.soultek.com.
Differences in individual driving can
also affect the obtained gas mileage.
Knowledgeable Honda dealers can help
eliminate these gas mileage discrepancies
by preemptively educating drivers on how to
drive their hybrid more efficiently.
Stakeholders
Multiple organizations are concerned about
the environment and the positive legacy
that Honda continues with its latest hybrid
addition, the Honda Civic Hybrid. Keeping
the organizations below in mind while
developing the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid
“Building Bridges” Campaign will contribute
to having as many advocates as possible
helping to promote the Civic Hybrid. These
stakeholders are discusses more thoroughly
in the Situation Analysis.
Union of Concerned Scientists•	
Employees•	
The Government•	
Honda Motor Co. and American Honda•	
Motor Co.
Shareholders•	
Environmental groups such as the EPA•	
The Toyota Prius•	
As discovered in the primary research
exhibited in the Situation Analysis, many
consumers find the design of the Prius to be
futuristic and ugly. Ultimately increasing the
salience of the Civic Hybrid by promoting
the Civic Hybrid’s fuel-efficiency, reliability,
and conventional car features, as compared
to the Prius, car consumers will be offered
46
purecommunications:buildingbridges
the best of both worlds: an environmentally
friendly hybrid vehicle that drives like a
standard compact car.
Public Relations
Strategy
Public Relations will play a key role in
satisfying Pure Communication’s three short-
term objectives
as outlined in
the Campaign
Strategy. Through
public relations
tactics, Pure
Communications
will strategically
craft aggressive, hands-on events and
sponsorships that advance the “Building
Bridges” campaign and directly reach out to
our Thinker target market.
To target the Thinkers most effectively, all
public relations events and sponsorships will
focus on educating this group of entry-level
car consumers about on the Civic Hybrid’s
high fuel-efficiency, and reliability and
conventionality, as compared to the Prius.
These events and sponsorships will ideally
increase awareness of the Civic Hybrid,
leading to higher sales, while elevating
the Civic Hybrid to the hybrid vehicle-of-
choice.
Media Relations
Strategy and Target
Vehicle Selection
The 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid “Building
Bridges” Campaign begins in January 2008
with a low pulsing strategy. Heavy pulses
of media saturation will first occur April
2008 with the campaign’s official kick-off
date, since car consumers typically begin
purchasing cars at this time. Heavy media
pulses will continue through October,
when consumer vehicle purchases typically
decline.
Our public relations tactics will act as
supplements to our creative messages and
will focus primarily on educating theThinkers
about the Civic Hybrid’s competitive
advantages, particularly reinforcing our print
media’s hard-sell
approach of the
Civic Hybrid.
We will encourage
media to cover all
public relations
events by issuing
press releases and
kits, as well as by creating ties with local
journalists specific to the geographic markets
outlined in the Campaign Strategy and their
national affiliates.
Throughoutthe“BuildingBridges”campaign,
Pure Communication will monitor public
opinion towards the Civic Hybrid, Honda,
and the environment by reading blog entries
pertaining to these topics, conducting
consumer polls, and hosting focus groups
and surveys. We will also monitor media
and current event coverage relevant to
Honda Motor Co. and its competition,
specifically the Prius, and will anticipate
potential setbacks by devising a preemptive
crisis management plan.
	
Tactics: Primary Target
Market
The “Building Bridges” Tour
The “Building Bridges” Tour will offer
47purecommunications
publicrelations
“ 	
						 ”
Public Relations will strategically
craft aggressive, hands-on events
and sponsorships that advance
the campaign and give practical
application to the campaign strategies.
knowledgeable, hands-on information about
the Civic Hybrid’s competitive advantages,
including fuel-efficiency, reliability, and
conventionality.
This full-day event will give potential Civic
Hybrid purchasers the opportunity to test-
drive the vehicle with a trained Honda
technician. Throughout the day, renowned
speakers with automobile industry or
environmental background will address
issues concerning American drivers. Topics
include: rising gas prices, global warming
and automobile emissions, commuting, and
oil and Middle East instability.
This event will tour metro areas similar to
the geographical target markets listed in the
Campaign Strategy, as these regions boast the
highest numbers of hybrid vehicle purchases.
Other factors influencing hybrid purchases
that we tok into account when determining
regionalty include: commute times, amount
of traffic, city greenness, and jobs available
for young working professionals. These
would include cities and their immediate
suburbs such as Los Angeles, San Francisco,
are more.
The “Building Bridges” Tour Kick-off will be
held at the Honda Center, which is located
at 2695 East Katella Avenue in Anaheim,
California. This location is an ideal starting
point for the “Building Bridges” Tour due
to Honda’s large corporate presence in
Southern California. Additionally, Civic
Hybrid consumers are more likely than the
average car consumers to live in the West.
The “Building Bridges” Tour Kick-off is
scheduled for Saturday, April 19, 2008, with
doors opening at 10 a.m.
Registration for the nationwide event will
be conducted online beginning Wednesday,
January 2, 2008 through the all-new Honda
Civic Hybrid Web site. This Web site is
accessible from a link on the existing Honda
Web page: www.honda.com.
We will focus on educating and informing
ourThinkers as part of the cognitive campaign
outlined in the Campaign Strategy.
The “Building Bridges” Tour Press
Conference
A national press conference will be held on
Monday,April 7, 2008 at the Honda Center in
order to generate awareness and excitement
for the upcoming “Building Bridges” Tour.
This press conference will unveil the
scheduled cities that our tour plans to visit,
talk about the benefits of the Civic Hybrid,
particularly in relation to the Prius, detail the
speakers and events planned for the April 19
kick-off, and demonstrate how to register for
the tour on the all-new Honda Civic Hybrid
Web site.
The “Building Bridges” Tour Local
Press Kits
To supplement this national press conference,
press kits will be sent out to the local media
of each city that the tour will visit at least
three weeks prior to the “Building Bridges”
Tour’s visit.
These kits will contain a press release about
the “Building Bridges” Tour, an objectives
sheet, a fact sheet, and photos. An example
of this press kit and a sample media contact
list is at the end of the Public Relations
section.
While these press kits will increase awareness
48
purecommunications:buildingbridges
“ 	
						 ”
The “Building Bridges” award will be
given to innovative, forward-thinking
college students who are making a
difference in the world of inventing,
engineering, or the environment.
of the Civic Hybrid, we hope that these press
kits primarily generate hype for the “Building
Bridges” Tour.
The “Building Bridges” Award
This prestigious award will be given to
innovative, forward-thinking college
students who make significant contributions
in the fields of inventing, engineering, or the
environment.
Three national winners will be awarded for
the 2008 ignagural year. Nominations for
the award will be accepted on the Honda
Civic Hybrid Web site beginning Wednesday,
January 2 through Friday, March 21, 2008.
These winners will be publicly honored at
the “Building Bridges” Tour Kickoff at 2:00
p.m. on the Honda Center main stage. Each
winner will personally address the audience
before receiving their award. In addition,
all winners will receive a new 2008 Honda
Civic Hybrid.
This award reflects Honda Motor Co.’s
desire to be an innovative, forward-thinking
business, while also increasing general
awareness Civic Hybrid.
Environmental Partnership
For the “Building Bridges” Tour Kickoff, the
City of Los Angeles Environmental Affairs
Department (www.lacity.org/ead) will
partner with Honda in presenting clear,
knowledgeable information about the local
environment to event attendees.
In each city that the “Building Bridges” Tour
visits, a different environmental organization
willpartnerwithHondaforthatfull-dayevent.
This partnerships will be mutually beneficial,
offering environmental organizations and
agencies increased awareness, while also
branding Honda as an environmentally
conscious and forward-thinking business.
These partnerships will still be funded solely
by American Honda Motor Co.
Honda Civic Hybrid Web site:
www.HondaCivicHybrid.com
This site will be functional by Wednesday,
January 2, 2008. Although our campaign
does not experience heavy pulses until April
2008, this site will need to be ready prior
to that kick-off date because it is cited in
Honda press releases and other informational
literature. This Web site will also allow users
to enter nominees for the “Building Bridges”
Awards.
To increase the Web site’s traffic, Honda will
create a link for it on the left-hand column of
its automobile front-page: www.honda.com.
All press releases and Honda literature will
document this Web site. Because our target
market actively seeks information, mass
publicity of the site is unnecessary.
This site will bestow our Thinkers with
multiple avenues to seek additional
knowledgeable, including: the mechanics
of the Honda Civic Hybrid, environmental
or volunteer opportunities, a blog where
prospective buyers can talk to other owners
about their concerns or questions, and recent
world news on anything related to hybrids,
such as rising gas prices, the environment,
Middle East instability, the car industry, etc.
This Honda Civic Hybrid site will offer
accurate information in a knowledgeable
and professional manner, catering to the
informational needs of our Thinkers. But,
this Web site also will act as informal,
conversation-like hub, thus differing from
the current Civic Hybrid Web site that offers
technical information. OurThinkers not only
like to seek out information in the decision-
making process but also like to seek out
various opinions when considering a high-
involvement purchase.
49purecommunications
publicrelations
Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book
Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book
Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book
Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book
Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book
Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book
Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book
Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book
Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book
Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book
Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book
Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book
Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book
Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book
Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book
Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book

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Honda Civic Hybrid 2008 "Building Bridges" Campaign Book

  • 1. 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid Campaign Pitch December 13, 2007 presented by Pure Communications “ ” building bridges purecommunications
  • 2. Founded in September 2007, Pure Communications is a full service, fully integrated advertising agency. Our mission is to perform exhaustive analyzes of our client’s business and industry in order to create compelling strategies, high-impact creative, captivating media connections, and lively public relations events. With specialization in the automobile industry and in environmental activism, we target clients who use their corporate powers to advance the social good. We dedicate ourselves to examining challenges from all possible angles, and the result is completely integrated communications. Pure Communications is part of the Doug McLeod Group. With only five employees, we are still waiting to win our first big client. Katherine Scoptur, Account Director Amanda McGowan, Research Director MaryJo Fitzgerald, Creative Director Allie Gehan, Media Director Allison Brost, Public Relations Director Pure Communications 5115 Vilas Hall 821 University Avenue Madison, WI 53706 purecommunications
  • 3. Executive Summary 4 Situation Analysis 6 History and Industry Trends 7 Competitive Analysis 8 Consumer Analysis 10 Brand Analysis 13 Media Usage Analysis 14 Creative Category Analysis 15 Public Opinion and Stakeholder Analysis 16 SWOT Analysis 18 Campaign Strategy 21 Campaign Objective 22 Primary Target Market 22 Secondary Target Market 23 Competitive Advantage 24 The Honda Brand 24 Campaign Tactics 25 Conclusion 26 The Creative Plan 28 Problems Facing the Honda Civic Hybrid 29 Our Solution 29 The “Building Bridges” Campaign 29 Creative Executions 30 The Media Plan 38 Media Planning 39 Media Objectives 39 Media Strategy 39 Broadcast 40 Print 41 Outdoor 42 Internet 42 Campaign Timeline 43 The Public Relations Plan 45 Public Opinion 46 Stakeholders 46 Public Relations Strategy 47 Media Relations Strategy and Target Vehicle Selection 47 Tactics: Primary Target Market 47 Tactics: Secondary Target Market 49 Conclusion 50 Appendix 57 Survey Questions 58 Focus Group Conversation Starters 60 News Clippings 61 Reference List 64 table of contents
  • 4. 4 Honda Motor Co. is seen as one of the most reliable, dependable, and fuel-efficient automakers in the world. In 2007, Honda had the highest fuel-economy of any automobile manufacturer, and Honda publicly announced in its “2010 Vision” to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2010 for both its products and operations. Committed to addressing environmental issues through its manufacturing of automobiles, Honda first introduced the Honda Civic Hybrid in 2003 as a hybrid version of the Honda Civic sedan. The 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid accounted for only 11.8 percent of announced hybrid sales in January 2007 – August 2007, becoming the second-best seller of hybrid vehicles in the United States. The Toyota Prius accounted for 67.4 percent of these sales, becoming both the hybrid brand leader and hybrid vehicle-of-choice. Pure Communications ultimately wants to increase salience of the Honda Civic Hybrid within the hybrid auto market and within Honda’s product line. This increased salience will boost sales, eventually enabling the Civic Hybrid to replace the Prius as the hybrid vehicle-of-choice. To increase the Civic Hybrid’s salience, we will promote the car as a fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle, and promote the car as a more reliable and more conventional car than the Prius. Pure Communication will satisfy these two short-term objectives with its 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid “Building Bridges” Campaign. Pure Communications will create awareness of the Civic Hybrid. and educate a primary market target of Thinkers and a secondary target market of mid-size to large-size companies through integrated creative, media, and public relations plans. As a result, we eventually will enable the Honda Civic Hybrid to replace the Toyota Prius as the hybrid vehicle-of-choice. executive summary
  • 5. 5 bridge: something that provides a link, connection, or means of coming together.
  • 6. situation analysis “The Civic helped us forget about how great a leap the Prius was only two years ago. And it reminded us of all you didn’t get with the Toyota: world-class handling ... and, more than anything, a design that left people knowing you were driving a new car – not an escape pod.” – Honda Civic Hybrid consumer “ ”
  • 7. purecommunications History and Industry Trends Our Struggling Environment Research shows that the state of our environment is rapidly declining, in part due to automobiles. Generating 1/6 of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, automobiles are a major contributor of local air pollutants, such as particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides. Future long-term technologies such as hybrid vehicles are expected to achieve emissions reductions up to 80 percent of vehicles today.1 Why Hybrid Vehicles Are the Solution According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the total vehicle miles drivers traveled in the United States increased 178 percent from 1970 to 2005 and continues to rise at a rate of 2 to 3 percent per year.24 The average driver puts 40 miles per day on a car. About 34 million Americans commute nearly an hour a day driving to and from work. To combat rising emissions with increased driving, the federal government mandated new fuel-economy regulations on automakers, making 20.7 miles per gallon for trucks and 27.5 mpg for cars the corporate average fuel economies. A vehicle boasting 25 mpg rather than 20 mpg prevents 10 tons of carbon dioxide over the lifetime of the vehicle, urging automakers to look toward sources other than gasoline or diesel for fuel transportation.2 Market Share Reporter 2007 reported that in 2006, top automakers GM, owning 24.48 percent of the auto market share, Toyota, owning 14.71 percent, and Honda, owning 8.91 percent, either had hybrids in the auto market or plan to in the near future.3 The Toyota Prius was the first hybrid to perform as a conventional vehicle, while reducing pollution and increasing fuel-efficiency. Honda was the first automaker to offer three hybrid vehicle models and to sell hybrid vehicles in the United States.16, 17 Together, Toyota and Honda hold 90 percent of the hybrid market.16 Drivers have noticed this change in fuel- efficient vehicles. Sales of new hybrid cars in the United States went from nearly nothing in 1999 to 84,000 hybrid vehicles sold in 2004.4 Sales of hybrids are expected to rise as high as 35 percent in 2007. By 2011, 75 hybrid models are expected saturate the market, compared to 14 hybrid models today. California and Virginia lead the states in hybrid sales.16 Business Week reported in March 2007 that whilethe“greening”oftheautoindustryisstill young, consumers are increasingly interested in purchasing hybrid vehicles. Eighty percent of car consumers reported fuel costs were on their minds last year as gas prices reached nearly $3 a gallon for regular unleaded fuel. As a result of erratic gas prices, 57 percent of car consumers say they would consider a hybrid vehicle as their next car purchase, and 49 percent would consider a vehicle using alternative fuel sources such as E85 ethanol.5 Globally, demand for hybrid vehicles will grow 20 percent annually through 2010 due to unstable fuel prices, increased emissions regulations, and lowering hybrid vehicle costs. The United States, Western Europe, and Japan lead the way, and China is quickly catching up.6 Not So Fast … While the growth of hybrid vehicles is noticeable, these vehicles are still far from taking over the auto industry. A car dealer observes that “everyone who comes into our dealership wants to talk about hybrids. About 2 percent of those people actually buy 7purecommunications situationanalysis
  • 8. one.”13 According to Market Share Reporter, hybrid vehicles accounted for only 1 percent of auto share market segments in 2005. JD Power and Associates predicts that by the end of 2010, hybrids will still have less than 4 percent of total auto sales.3 Competitive Analysis The Product: Honda Civic Hybrid The Honda Civic Hybrid boasts an impressive 40 mpg city driving and 45 mpg gallon highway driving. Starting at a cost of $22,600, the hybrid’s engine is what makes this car unique and environmentally friendly. Referred to as an Integrated Motor Assist system, the gasoline and battery engine both give and take. A dual and sequential ignition four-cylinder engine promotes complete combustion, boosting fuel-efficiency and reducing emissions. When the Civic Hybrid runs solely on electric power at low speeds, it emits zero emissions. The gauge on the dashboard lets the driver know when the engine is being assisted by the electric motor. The Civic Hybrid also uses regenerative breaking to recycle energy. When the driver backs off the throttle or hits the brakes, the energy that is usually wasted is instead captured in batteries located behind the rear passenger seat. The car also employs an automatic stop idle feature to save gas and cut emissions by turning off when idling. 10, 13 Competitor: Toyota Prius Honda and Toyota currently yield 90 percent of the hybrid market, but several other automakersareincreasinglyproducinghybrid models of their own. Automakers producing hybrid vehicles include Honda, Toyota and Lexus, Ford, Chevy, Mercury, Saturn, and Nissan. However, the Civic Hybrid’s top competitor is the Toyota Prius because both cars have similar dimensions and prices. The Prius accounts for 67.4 percent of announced hybrid sales from January 2007 to August 2007, selling 124,620 units. The Civic Hybrid sold 21,736 units, accounting 8 purecommunications:buildingbridgescampaign
  • 9. for 11.8 percent of announced hybrid sales.13 The Wall Street Journal reported that Toyota and Lexus sold 18,130 hybrid units in September 2007, compared to Honda’s 2,321 units sold.7 The Prius engine automatically switches between electric and combustion, or runs on both as needed. When the car is idle, the engine shuts off, and the Prius can run on electric power alone at low speeds. Regenerative braking recharges the battery while coasting or braking.11 Consumer Reports ranked the Prius as number three in the wagon and hatchback car category in October 2007, and reported benefits of the Prius include: quality, reliability, innovation, quiet ride, gas mileage, and a rear view camera.14 Toyota recently partnered with Apple to release an iPod Integration Kit in September 2007, providing a direct link between the Prius’ car audio system and an Apple iPod. This kit costs $300.11 Despite these features, the Prius is highly criticized for its sunny cabin, unattractive styling, and unnatural, choppy braking that greatly hinders the car’s drivability.14 In a Hybrid Comparison Test, the 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid clearly gave hybrid drivers everything they felt that they missed with the 2005Toyota Prius. According to one Civic Hybrid consumer, “the Civic helped us forget about how great a leap the Prius was only two years ago. And it reminded us of all you didn’t get with the Toyota: world- class handling ... and, more than anything, a design that left people knowing you were driving a new car - not an escape pod.”15 The Civic Hybrid provides drivers with the quality values that they look for in a car: safety, reliability, and a simple yet sleek design that resembles a conventional car. Despite the Civic Hybrid’s favorable conventionality, hybrid drivers often want to make a statement with their choices to drive hybrid vehicles. These consumers want other drivers to see this statement, without having to drive an “escape pod” of a Prius. For example, Peter Kessner, a devout environmentalist, bought a Honda Civic Hybrid four years ago to show his peers that he wants to save the planet. No one noticed this statement because few could distinguish the Civic Hybrid from the Civic. Peter traded his Civic Hybrid for a Prius because “if I’m driving a hybrid, I want people to know it,” Peter said.16 Partner Brand: Honda Civic The highly successful Honda Civic greatly benefits the Honda Civic Hybrid. This top ranked compact car is the second-longest continuously running nameplate from a Japanese manufacturer. Only the Toyota Corolla has been in production longer. In 2006, Honda redesigned the Civic to give it a curvier look, but this vehicle is still the safe, reliable, and fuel-efficient car that so many consumers know.10 In October 2007, Consumer Reports ranked the Civic as good in reliability, and as excellent in depreciation and satisfaction. The Civic reflects Honda’s corporate goal to be an environmentally friendly automaker, particularly by obtaining ULEV-2 (Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) certification. The Civic is rated highly by both U.S. governmental National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, who lists the Civic as the Top 2007 Small Car in overall crash worthiness.14 The Civic Hybrid works from the Honda Civic by adding features to its identical exterior appearances, and by lowering gas mileage and fuel emissions. According to Consumer Reports, the Civic Hybrid also has an MP3 player, electric power source, 9purecommunications situationanalysis
  • 10. continuously variable transmission, and trip computer.10 The ability to work off of and add to the already established Civic is a unique advantage for the Civic Hybrid, but the Civic Hybrid still must find a way to distinguish itself from the non-hybrid Civic. Consumer Analysis: Product Consumers, Purchasers, and Influencers The Civic Hybrid consumer is a combination of a Civic user – a person for whom the Honda Civic fits their lifestyle, transportation needs, and budget constraints – and a person who is receptive to ideas that improve the environment, such as buying a hybrid vehicle. To determine this, Pure Communications analyzed Simmons demographic, psychographic, and lifestyle data about Civic and Prius consumers. Civic Hybrid owner data was not yet available. The demographic breakdown of a potential Honda Civic Hybrid consumer is: Female.• Fifty-nine percent of Honda Civic owners and 78 percent of Prius owners. 18 to 34 years old.• Forty-eight percent of Honda Civic owners, although 78 percent of Prius owners were 35 to 44 years old. Employed.• Seventy-five percent of Honda Civic owners, although 69 percent of Prius owners are unemployed. Married or single.• Forty-nine percent of Honda Civic owners are married and 36 percent are single and have never married. Income of more than $50,000 per year.• Sixty-three percent of Honda Civic owners. Residence primarily in the West.• Thirty- four percent of Honda Civic owners and 85 percent of Prius owners.18 According to consumer psychographics, Civic and Prius consumers express similar personalities. These consumers described themselves as trustworthy, competent, and reliable, as well as kind, good-hearted, and warm-hearted. Other frequent descriptions included: passionate, open-minded, efficient and intelligent, smart, and bright. Both Civic and Prius drivers described themselves as not egocentric or self-centered, awkward or absent minded, nor tense, nervous or high strung.18 Consumers’ environmental attitudes also are important influencers in deciding to buy a hybrid vehicle. Simmons data shows that females and 18 to 34-year-olds are the most environmentally conscious consumers. Females are more likely to recycle, and this recycling increases with age. Additionally, women and older adults are most likely worry about pollution.18 Studies show that advertising to environmentallysavvygroupsoftenoverlooks the majority of consumers who are receptive to environmental messages but need a little more education. According to a study published in Automotive News, three out of five car consumers consider buying a hybrid, and five out of six car consumers cite fuel economyasacriticalelementinthisdecision. Forty-five percent of respondents would be receptive to environmental messages with a bit more information. Forty percent of respondents are indifferent to the hybrids’ environmental impacts, and 15 percent are environmental alarmists, already actively engaged in improving the environment and understand hybrids environmental roles.19 AccordingtoSeptember2006MintelReports, if consumers believe their choices and the products they buy affect the environment, 10 purecommunications:buildingbridgescampaign
  • 11. they will change buying behavior. However, while young adults are most likely to be aware of environmental problems, they do not believe their incomes allowed them to buy “green,” including hybrids.20 Young adults perceive the Civic Hybrid as inaccessible due to initial affordability, even though consumers ultimately save on fuel economy. On the other hand, older adults who know they can afford a hybrid need more education about hybrid vehicles to change buying behavior. Primary Research Findings Through an October 2007 consumer survey, Pure Communications identified 18 to 34- year-olds, as well as 45 to 54-year-olds, as most likely to consider purchasing a hybrid vehicle. Eighteen to 34-year-olds use their cars primarily to go to school and work. They donotexpresspreferencebetweenAmerican- made and foreign-made cars but instead look for reliability, safety, size, and fuel-efficiency when purchasing a car. This group is most knowledgeable about hybrid vehicles and favors the environmental friendliness and fuel economy of the product.21 The Civic Hybrid design is secondary to fuel-efficiency for this demographic. Survey respondents described the Civic as “small, efficient, reliable, economical and classic,” while describing the Prius as “trendy, innovative, futuristic looking and ugly.” This age group also expressed a “can do” attitude towards helping the environment and is conscious of their energy uses. They do not necessarily feel that individual actions make a difference, indicating that this demographic needs another motivator or incentive to purchase a hybrid vehicle.21 Meanwhile, 45 to 54-year-olds use their cars primarily for family activities, work, and leisure. While this group primarily factors safety and reliability in car purchases, design is the predominant factor. This group can generally afford something aesthetically pleasing, leisurely, comfortable, trustworthy, and safe. These consumers buy “whatever makes most sense to me,” so communicating to this group requires addressing why the Civic Hybrid fits their lifestyles. While avoiding the perception of the Civic Hybrid as small and uncomfortable, the car can fulfill this market group’s growing concern 11purecommunications situationanalysis
  • 12. for the environment and the belief that their individual actions make a difference. This group is at a point where they want to and can afford to buy the “latest thing,” but still want something that is reliable.21 Pure Communications supported these survey findings with a focus group. Consisting mainly of 18 to 34-year-olds, all participants agreed they would consider buying a hybrid, citing reasons such as fuel- efficiency, environmental friendliness, and contributing to the general “green trend” of today. “Problems with the environment in the future will be the same if not increasing what they are today. Hybrids are going to help,” Ariel Bradford, 22, said.22 When asked to state hybrid models they had heardof,respondentsnamedtheToyotaPrius, Honda Civic Hybrid, Ford Escape, and Lexus as brands of hybrid cars. No respondents owned a hybrid, citing affordability as the main deterrent, even though respondents overestimated the price of a Honda Civic Hybrid by almost $10,000. Participants expressed some confusion about how hybrids work, although Bradford concluded that “the older you get, you want a reliable car that works for you and your budget.”22 Companies as purchasers Aside from the individual car consumer, companies are other potential Civic Hybrid purchasers to consider. According to Automotive News, companies are increasingly choosing hybrids for company cars. In the first quarter of 2006, 26.2 percent of Priuses were purchased for “business only” or “business or personal use.” By first quarter 2007, 38.8 percent of Priuses were bought for those purposes. Hybrids make good financial sense for companies with fuel savings and provide a positive, eco-friendly image for the company. For example, Atlanta business owner Jay Colgate bought Priuses for company cars to differentiate the company. He gained 35 clients without even advertising because clients were impressed with the company’s environmental dedication.23 In April 2006, Business Week ranked Proctor & Gamble, Google, 3M, Virgin, Target, Apple, Samsung and Amazon among the world’s most innovative companies by reinventing business processes, and building new markets and ideas for creativity and growth.35 Incorporating the Civic Hybrid into its business can be an innovative step forward for a company. Additional Consumer Influencers Costs. Consumer Reports show that hybrids do not save money on fuel alone to compensate for their initial higher prices.9 The Los Angeles Times reported in 2007 that Intellichoice, a Los Angeles-based firm, found hybrid buyers still win when factoring in costs of financing, fuel, insurance, state taxes and license fees, repairs, maintenance, and depreciation. Hybrids show a better total cost of ownership over five years or 70,000 miles than non-hybrid competitors, proving that they are worth the higher short-term cost for long-term savings. Hybrids retain value better than conventional vehicles, have moderate maintenance and repair costs, and have lower fuel cost. The five-year cost of owning and operating a Civic Hybrid is $23,268, whereas the cost of owning and operating a Civic is $31,595.9 Incentives. Incentives such as tax-free purchases and free parking encourage consumers to purchase hybrid vehicles. Civic Hybrid owners are eligible for Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit tax incentives. The 2008 and 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid models are eligible for $2,100 in federal tax credit, and the 2005 model is eligible for $1,700.10 Location. A city’s size, traffic, and commute 12 purecommunications:buildingbridgescampaign
  • 13. conditions as well environmental attitudes influence consumers’ car purchases. According to Forbes.com, California has the worst traffic jams. In Los Angeles, the average commuter is delayed 93 hours per year in traffic, and the San Francisco metro area is second place in the worst cities for commutes.37 After evaluating environmental categories such as air and water quality, transportation, designpolicy,andmore,NationalGeographic ranked cities including Portland, Seattle, Denver, New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Chicago and Minneapolis as top “green cities” in the United States.38 Timing. According to Consumer Reports, car consumers are more likely to purchase new cars in the late summer to early fall, as the new model year begins.36 Brand Analysis: The company and its market position When asked about Honda Motor Co.’s Honda Civic Hybrid, the first statement out of Ariel Bradford’s mouth at our focus group was: “It makes sense.”22 Honda is seen as one of the most reliable, dependable, and fuel-efficient automakersintheworld. Additionally,Honda is committed to addressing environmental issues through its cars. Although Honda Motor Co. is based in Japan, Honda produces automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, personal watercraft, lawn mowers and engines in 10 major U.S. plants, with two new plants currently under construction. American Honda Motor Co. is based in Torrance, Calif. Honda employs more than 25,000 employees in the United States, and 30,000 employees in North America.10 Named the Greenest Automaker in America by the Union of Concerned Scientists in 2007 for the fourth consecutive time, Honda’s automobiles emit the lowest overall smog-forming emissions and global warming emissions in the United States.10 In 2007, Honda had the highest fuel economy of any automobile manufacturer with a 22.9 mpg average of all its vehicles.6 In May 2006, Honda was the first automaker to publicly announce in its “2010 Vision” voluntary target goals for reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 2010 for both its products and operations. Honda set goals of 5 percent reduction in emissions for cars from 2005 and 10 percent reduction for motorcycles and power products from 2000. As a result, emissions at Honda auto plants declined 5 percent from 2000 to 2005. Honda wants to reduce emissions by another 5 percent for auto plants and another 20 percent for motorcycles and power plants by 2010.10 Honda also developed a plant-based fabric for its car interiors in May 2006. This “bio- fabric” offsets any CO2 emissions produced during the disposal stage of the car through the CO2 absorption that occurs during the growth stage of plants used in raw materials. This fabric was constructed from Honda’s Life Cycle Assessment concept, which strives to reduce CO2 emissions throughout the entire life cycle of the car, from production to usage to disposal. Honda established “green factories” and “green buildings” initiatives to 13purecommunications situationanalysis “ ” Honda is seen as one of the most reliable, dependable, fuel- efficient automakers in the world, and is committed to addressing environmental issues through its cars.
  • 14. increase energy efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance recycling activities in its plants. The “green purchasing” program encourages and supports activities by more than 600 North American OEM parts suppliers to adopt green factory programs, leading all Honda facility to reduce emissions and energy use, reuse raw materials, and recycle manufacturing material, paper and plastic. Since Honda implemented these initiatives, energy use per every automobile dropped 6 percent in North America Honda manufacturing, and has zero waste to landfill plants in America.10 Brand Drawbacks The major problem Honda needs to address is customer service at its dealerships. Multiple Web sites and blogs exposed consumers reporting problems with their Honda dealers. Comments included: “I haven’t been back to talk to my Honda dealer after they tried to convince me hybrids weren’t worth the cost difference. I bought my second hybrid from Toyota as a result.”33 Honda dealerships should not discourage hybrid purchases because that contradicts the company’s culture of environmental activism. Another negative comment included a Honda dealer being unable to explain changes in gas mileage due to the consumer’s driving habits. Product education must be addressed within the company to ensure all Honda associates can educate consumers with comprehensive information about all Honda products.33 Media Usage Analysis Honda traditionally uses three main mediums to reach consumers: television, print and music. According to Simmons data, Civic drivers are more likely than the average consumer to watch television channels such as CNN, BET, Comedy Central, Food Network, ESPN, MTV, and Oxygen. Honda’s most recent commercial for the Civic Hybrid, “Trashed,” first appeared in spots on ESPN on September 21 and in spots on CBS NFL on September 23. Following the commercial’s debut, “Trashed” also appeared on E!, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, TNT, and USA. “Trashed” appeared during television shows such as The Bachelor, Big Shots, Desperate Housewives, Heroes, and Private Practice.18 New print ads for the Civic Hybrid appeared in October in magazines such as Blender, Elle, ESPN, Maxim, Rolling Stone, and US Weekly. Civic Hybrid consumers are more likely than the average consumer to read magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Cooking Light, Bon Appetit, The Economist, Glamour, GQ, and People.18 Media Usage Patterns In 2004, Americans viewed far more television per year than any other medium, watching an average 1,546 hours of television per year.28 Of all media, television reaches the broadest targetmarket. Eighty-fivepercentoftelevision households watch cable weekly, but no single cable network reaches more than 40 percent of households. Leading cable networks include TBSC at 39 percent, USA at 38.3 percent, and TNT at 38.2 percent. Three-fourths of the major networks reach over 70 percent of television households. ABC leads this reach with 75.7 percent reach, followed by CBS with 74.9 percent, NBC with 74.6 percent, and Fox with 70.1 percent. Nielson data reports that in 2007, 111.4 million households were considered 14 purecommunications:buildingbridgescampaign “ ” Honda was named the greenest automaker in America by the Union of Concerned Scientists in 2007 for the fourth consecutive time
  • 15. “television households.”28 Survey results show that media consumers spend 265 minutes per day on average watching television. Consumers only spend 126 minutes listening to the radio, 85 minutes on the Internet, 29 minutes reading the newspaper, and 16 minutes reading magazines daily. Men spend 4 hours 31 minutes per day watching television, whereas women spend 5 hours 17 minutes per day watching television. Teens and children spend 3 hours 19 minutes per day watching television. Television viewing in households has nearly doubled since the 1950s, increasing from 4.5 to 5 hours per day in the 1950s to 8 hours 11 minutes in 2005.28 Data from a study of 59 brands proves that brands with higher percentage of magazine ads in the media mix boast higher total media effectiveness. Eighty-four percent of adults ages 18 and older read magazines. Eighty- seven percent of readers subscribe to at least one magazine, and 13 percent of readers buy single copies. The average reader spends 44 minutes reading one magazine issue.28 Creative Category Analysis The advertising firm Rubin Postaer and Associates generally provides Honda’s creative. Located in Santa Monica, Calif., RPA’s target markets traditionally include a younger population, ranging 25 to 45-year- olds. In 2005, RPA showcased a small campaign for the Civic and the Civic Hybrid. One commercial emphasized the car’s durability and side curtain airbags. The commercial aimed to show that Civic and Hybrid mixed made something even better, but when the 2006 Civic Hybrid model emerged, the advertising began to place more emphasis on the cars.31 RPA’s 2006 Honda Civic campaign featured three different Civic models, including the Civic Hybrid, in attempt to re-brand the car. Advertisements grouped the three Civic models together in order to ensure that consumers associated one Civic with the other. Taglines for this campaign included: “Even though it’s a hybrid, it’s still a Civic,” and “It has a bigger engine and it goes faster, but it’s still a Civic.” In this campaign, RPA also established the backwards “C” in Civic.31 Honda Civic Hybrid’s most recent “Reverse Your Thinking” campaign primarily targets consumers already familiar with the Civic. RPA takes what is already known about the Civic brand and asks consumers to see the Civic in a new light. Advertisements still group the three Civic models together, but now consumers associate sophistication and upper-middle class status with the Civic’s sleeker design, in addition to its reliability and conventionality. The Civic Hybrid is the “green” Civic, expanding the product to environmentally conscious consumers. The Civic XI attracts younger consumers, looking for speed, reliability, and fashionable design.31 “Trashed” is the Civic Hybrid’s most recent television advertisement. As part of the “Reverse Your Thinking” campaign, the commercial’s subject is environmentalism, and RPA adds humor to choices consumers make – insinuating consumers can either clean up, get fed up, or carelessly contribute to the problem while strengthening Honda’s stance as environmentally friendly, according to a Honda press release. Paired with “The Odd Couple” theme song, “Trashed” depicts a clean versus messy story line, with a voice 15purecommunications situationanalysis
  • 16. over by Kevin Spacey stating: “The incredibly clean and fuel-efficient Civic Hybrid from Honda. Reverse your thinking.”10 OthercampaignspromotingtheHondabrand include the “Power of Dreams” television spots and “The Nicest People” campaign. In “Power of Dreams” spots, Honda primarily communicates with males dreaming of motors, power, engine and speed, ideally translating this dream into buying a Honda car, truck, motorcycle, etc. These spots are futuristic, using slogans such as “I can see for miles” and “See what we see.” The commercial encourages the viewer to look into the future and depict Honda as part of this future.10 The “Nicest People” campaign is an example of a past marketing strategy for Honda’s motorcycles, but this campaign identifies Honda loyalists. The campaign depicted the “nicest people” riding Honda motorcycles such as housewives, parents with children, young couples and respectable people. These portrayals made the motorcycle seem casual and convenient for daily transportation, giving a new value to the Honda product. These “nice people” like the parents and couples, who are searching for convenience, stability, dependability, and simplicity in their lives, are Honda’s customers.10 The Pure Communications consumer survey revealed our consumers are more likely to watch funny or emotional advertisement. Respondents in the 18 to 24-year-old age group reportedly avoid advertisements that do not fall into these categories.21 Focus group respondents said they had seen Civic Hybrid advertisements but could not recall their contents.22 Consumers in the 45 to 54 age group are most likely to remember advertisements and slogans, as long as the advertisement is informative.21 The main implication to Honda’s creative advertising is distinguishing Civic Hybrid advertisements from Civic advertisements. Civic Hybrid advertisements are green, whereas Civic advertisements are black. Studies show that car advertisements are not green enough. This failure to talk green is costing advertisers opportunities to reach mainstream buyers, and a “huge disconnect between the advertising and the amount of interest” in car-related environmental issues exists.19 Concerns about fuel economy and gas prices prompt consumers to learn more about hybrid vehicles, but surveys show only one in five car purchasers last year recalled advertising mentioning global warming, the environment, or green issues. Two in five survey respondents remembered advertisements with environmental themes but could not recall the brand.19 The Civic Hybrid should capitalize on its consumers’ willingness to receive informative advertisements by including information about the Civic Hybrid’s fuel-efficiency, reliability, and conventionality. Public Opinion and Stakeholder Analysis Public Opinion on the Honda Civic Hybrid Multiple blogs on the Web provide insight into consumers’ experiences with the Civic Hybrid. These blogs demonstrate the Civic Hybrid’s main competitive advantage as the safest and cleanest hybrid on the market, particularly compared to the Prius. Scott N. posted April 2005: “I saw a version of the Honda Civic hybrid that was actually a bit safer, and a bit cleaner than the Prius, and with the Prius’ reputation for a 6 month wait (my wife is a wonderful woman, but patient she is not), I felt it was time to go shopping and 16 purecommunications:buildingbridgescampaign
  • 17. find me a “Cleaner Civic Hybrid.”32 The main disadvantage Civic Hybrid purchasers cited on blogs was that their average mileage was lower than promised: “I have a 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid and am not happy with the average mileage. We are averaging 36-37 MPG. I don’t get it. If I drivelikeasnail(superslowoffthelineand very delicate on the gas during movement) I can get around 45-50MPG. This is very frustrating to me if we drive like normal people. We drive mixed c i t y / h w y . ” Posted by soundaround33 Not all Honda Civic Hybrid users are disappointed in gas mileage, as one blogger writes: “Honda Civic 2004 highway 60%, 40% town driving 42mpg. Purchased Mar. 4, 2004 Already got 35,000 miles on it and I love it. Planning on buying another this next year 2006.” Posted by N.K.33 Multiple explanations can be made for the inconsistent gas mileage Civic Hybrid users are encountering. Part of the overestimation of fuel economy by hybrids is due to a nearly two-decade long EPA testing problem that overestimated fuel economy of hybrids. EPA testing standards have recently been changed, and estimated fuel economy for hybrids should now be accurate. The way Civic Hybrid users drive their hybrids will also affect gas mileage. Educating associates at dealerships to inform purchasers about how to drive a hybrid efficiently is a way to combat these discrepancies in fuel- efficiency. Stakeholders Several organizations are interested in the manufacturing of the Civic Hybrid and in Honda’s success. Union of Concerned Scientists. This leading science-based non-profit organization works for the environment and a safer world. Every two years, they conduct analyses on automakers. Honda has finished first since 2000 as the greenest automaker.10 Honda and its Employees. Honda employs over 25,000 employees just in the United States. Any company culture problems such as education and training should be addressed so all consumers experience excellent customer service.10 EPA and the Government. Established by Congress in 1970, this organization works to achieve environmental goals by working with other organizations through partnership programs. EPA’s Green Power partnership supports organizations that buy or plan to buy green power. EPA’s Green Vehicle Guide reports both fuel economy and emissions of all newly manufactured vehicles, which it updates annually.2 The EPA also established the best workplace for commuters program, which encourages employers to sign voluntary agreements to offer employees outstanding, traffic reducing commuter benefits. The federal government has established the Clean Air Act, giving the federal government the authority to clean up air pollution through fuel economy and emissions regulations. Hybrid vehicles are eligible for federal tax credit.24 The Competition. TheToyota Prius is currently the top-selling hybrid, and more carmakers are introducing hybrid models. Corporate Sponsorships and Partnerships. 17purecommunications situationanalysis “ ” “Problems with the environment in the future will be the same if not increasing what they are today. Hybrids are going to help,” Ariel Bradford, 22, said.
  • 18. Purchase and parking incentives offer opportunities for Honda to partner with corporations and universities. For example, Googleoffers$5,000towardahybridpurchase and $2,500 toward a lease of a vehicle that obtains partial zero emissions rating and at least 45 mpg for any employee. American Jewish Committee, Bank of America, and Clif Bar provide the same incentives. University of Miami and Montclair University offer 50 percent reductions in parking for hybrid drivers.34 Honda already has established several partnerships and sponsorships around the United States, mostly in California. For example, American Honda Motor Co sponsors the CivicTour, a two-month concert series displaying musical talent across the country. The tour allows music fans to see their favorite acts at low prices, while giving them a first-hand glimpse of the Honda Civic.10 Media Traditional media is not enough to reach the hybrid consumer. These consumers instead require multi-channel strategies to be reached. Suggested advertising media include self-service technology, particularly keyboards, touch screens, and kiosks, where consumers can explore for themselves.27 Honda is also currently using music as a medium to reach its audience. In f.y.e music retail stores, a Civic Hybrid creative is played for consumers sampling a CD or DVD at in- store kiosks. The Black Eyed Peas “tricked out” a Honda Civic Hybrid for their kick their tour in March 2006. The Civic Hybrid was featured in the group’s “Pump It” video, and the car was the grand prize in a sweepstakes built around the tour.25 In 2007, Fall Out Boy featured the Civic Hybrid in their tour. Cool additions to the model designed by the brand such as metallic black, gunmetal and silver flaked paint, graphics and autographs, and eco-friendly hemp upholstery were some of the “tricked out” elements added to the car. Fans entered a sweepstakes to win the car. This idea of pairing the Civic Hybrid with a touring music band brings innovation and environmental- thinking to the masses by combining a hot, new product with a hot, popular band.26 SWOT Analysis Strengths Honda is in the top three automakers• in the world and the most fuel-efficient automaker Honda is one of two companies (with• Toyota) who currently yields 90 percent of the hybrid market. Honda has been named the greenest• automaker four times in a row by the Union of Concerned Scientists. The Honda Civic is a well-established• brand The Honda Civic Hybrid has better• handling and design and looks more like conventional car than its competitors TheHondaCivicHybridgetsimpressively• high gas mileage Honda consumers describe themselves• using the same adjectives Honda uses to describe itself: trustworthy and reliable Hybrid consumers describe themselves• to be similar to Honda consumers The product’s audience want advertising• that is informative -- Honda can do this Honda is committed to saving the• environment and has various programs to do so Honda consumers watch an array of• television channels and read magazines Public opinion shows Honda Civic• Hybrid users are generally happy with their purchase 18 purecommunications:buildingbridgescampaign
  • 19. The Honda Civic Hybrid is safer and• cleaner than the Toyota Prius Honda has several diverse partnerships• and sponsorships to get the brand name and image out to consumers Weaknesses Company culture -- consumers have• complainedHondaassociatesdiscourage hybrid purchases and are uneducated about the Honda Civic Hybrid in general The product is indistinguishable from• non-hybrid Civics Size and acceleration of the Honda• Civic Hybrid does not meet the needs of lifestyles of many car consumers 18-34-year-olds are a likely consumer• for Honda, but they reportedly “avoid ads” when possible Past slogans, ads and campaigns have• been seen by consumers, but not remembered Advertising the Honda Civic Hybrid has• not differed from advertising for the non- hybrid Honda Civic Honda Civic Hybrid is more a bit• expensive than competitors Opportunities Environmental issues are becoming• more of a concern for car consumers, and hybrid vehicles seem to be part of the solution Hybrid sales are increasing and expected• to continue to increase in coming years Hybrid owners have generally reported• satisfaction with their hybrids An increasing consumer interest in• “green” messaging in advertising an increasing general “green” lifestyle• trend Companies and cities have become• more interested in using hybrids for transportation needs Tax credit and corporate and university• incentives encourage hybrid purchasing Threats The Toyota Prius is currently the number• one selling hybrid More and more automakers are• introducing hybrid models Younger age groups know more about• the environment and hybrids, but they do not have the resources to buy yet. Consumer markets with the resources to• buy a hybrid are generally not educated enough to make the purchase decision 19purecommunications situationanalysis
  • 20. 20 purecommunications:buildingbridgescampaign Summary Table Honda Civic Hybrid Sedan Toyota Prius Honda Civic Sedan Models Hybrid Sedan, Hybrid Sedan with Satellite-Linked Navigation system Prius, Touring Prius (bigger) DX, LX, EX, EX-L Colors Silver metallic Blue metallic Gray metallic Beige metallic Magnetic pearl Gray metallic Silver Blue Metallic Black Pearl White Blue Pearl Red Pearl Silver metallic Exterior Wheelbase (in.) 106.3 106.3 106.3 Length (in.) 176.7 175 176.7 Height (in.) 56.3 58.7 56.5 Width (in.) 69 67.9 69 Interior Headroom (in., front/rear) 39.4 / 37.4 39.1/37.3 39.4 / 37.4 Legroom (in., front/rear) 42.2 / 34.6 41.9/38.6 42.2 / 34.6 Shoulder Room (in., front/rear) 53.6 / 52.3 55.0/52.9 53.7 / 52.4 Hiproom (in., front/rear) 51.9 / 51.0 51.0/51.6 51.9 / 51.0 Cargo Volume (cu. ft.) 10.4 14.4 12 Passenger Volume (cu. ft.) 90.9 96.2 90.9 Seating Capacity 5 5 5 Performance Integrated Motor Assist IMA system: 110 hp, 1.3 liter, 8-valve, SOHC, i-VTEC 4-cylinder gas engine + electric motor 1.5 liter, aluminum double overhead cam 16-valve VVT-I 4-cylinder 140-hp, 1.8-Liter, 16-Valve SOHC i-VTEC engine Continuously variable transmission Electronically controlled continuously variable transmission 5-speed manual or automatic Idle-stop feature Gas mileage 40 mpg city/45 mpg hwy 48 mpg city/45 mpg hwy/46 mpg combined 5-Speed Manual: 26 mpg city/34 mpg hwy/29 mpg combined Advanced Technology Partial-zero-emission vehicle (AT-PZEV) rating Advanced Technology Partial-zero-emission vehicle (AT-PZEV) rating Price $22,600 $20,950 DX: $15,010 With Navigation system: $24,350 Touring: $23,220 LX: $16,960 EX: $18,710 10, 11
  • 21. campaign strategy “ ” As consumers, Thinkers are conservative and practical. They look for durability, functionality and value in the products they buy.
  • 22. Campaign Objective Sales of hybrids are expected to rise as high as 35 percent by the end of 2007, according to ourresearchintheSituationAnalysis. Despite this increase, the Toyota Prius dominates the hybrid auto market. The Prius accounted for 67.4 percent of announced hybrid sales from January 2007 – August 2007, whereas the Honda Civic Hybrid accounted for 11.8 percent of these sales. To take advantage of the hybrid’s increasing popularity, Pure Communications ultimately wants to increase salience of the Honda Civic Hybrid within the hybrid auto market and within Honda’s product line. With this increased salience, the Honda Civic Hybrid will experience higher sales and, eventually, will replace the Toyota Prius as the hybrid brand leader and as the hybrid vehicle-of- choice. To achieve these long-term goals, Pure Communications will satisfy the following short-term objectives in the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid “Building Bridges” Campaign: To promote the Honda Civic Hybrid as fuel- efficient hybrid vehicle To promote the Honda Civic Hybrid as a more reliable and a more conventional car than the current hybrid brand leader, the Toyota Prius Pure Communications will inform consumers of the Civic Hybrid’s fuel- efficient characteristics and educate them of this vehicle’s reliability and conventional features, as a competitive advantage over the Toyota Prius, through a three-part cognitive process: We will create awareness of hybrid• vehicles’ beneficial effects on the environment. We will create awareness of the Honda• Civic Hybrid’s fuel-efficiency. We will create awareness of the• Honda Civic Hybrid’s reliability and conventional car features, as compared to the Toyota Prius. Pure Communications will implement this three-part cognitive process through two distinct methods. We first will emphasize reach in our campaign by broadly informing car consumers of the fuel-efficient hybrid version of Honda’s already-established Civic model. We then will appeal directly to car consumers who are receptive to hybrid vehicles. By educating this target market about the Civic Hybrid’s reliability and conventional car features, we will attempt to reshape the current common attitude of the Toyota Prius as the hybrid brand leader and as the hybrid vehicle-of-choice. Primary Target Market Changing the present perception of the Prius as the hybrid vehicle brand leader poses implications to our “Building Bridges” campaign because the Prius holds 55.6 percent more hybrid auto market share than the Civic Hybrid. Pure Communications will address this perception by directing our cognitive-based campaign at a distinct car consumer market segment. Through the qualitative and quantitative research outlined in the Situation Analysis, Pure Communications determined a shared 22 purecommunications:buildingbridges “ ” The Honda Civic Hybrid will experience higher sales and, eventually, will replace the Toyota Prius as the hybrid brand leader and as the hybrid vehicle-of-choice.
  • 23. mindset between Honda Civic and hybrid vehicle consumers, identifying this receptive target market as the “Thinkers.” Motivated primarily by ideals and guided by knowledge and principles, Thinkers possess the following characteristics: They are mature, satisfied, comfortable,• and reflective people who value order, knowledge, and responsibility. They tend to be well educated.• They actively seek out information in the• decision-making process. They are well informed about world and• international events. They are alert to opportunities that• broaden their knowledge. Although Thinkers are conscious of their individual contributions to society and receptivetoideasthatbettertheircommunities, they are unsure of the measurable impact of their individual contributions. Thinkers respect conventional institutions of authority and social decorum, even though they are interested in considering new ideas. Thinkers are conservative and practical consumers. They look for durability, functionality, and value in the products they buy. Typically loyal customers,Thinkers tend to choose familiar products and established brands. Within this primary target market, Pure Communications specifically will pursue 18 to 34-year-old car consumers. Through Simmons data, extensive surveying, and focus groups, Pure Communications identified that Honda Civic users are more likely than the average consumer to belong to this age group. Eighteen to thirty-four year olds are most knowledgeable about hybrid vehicles and their beneficial impacts on the environment. According to our qualitative data, fuel-efficiency and reliability rank among the most important concerns that these young car consumers consider when purchasing a car. The Prius already sustains a loyal customer base in older age demographics. Our research suggests that consumers who purchase a hybrid vehicle tend to be loyal to that brand. By appealing to 18 to 34-year- old Thinkers who are purchasing their first or second cars, the Honda Civic Hybrid ideally will secure Honda brand loyalty from these entry-level car consumers, especially as they consider subsequent car purchases. Secondary Target Market Pure Communications additionally identified a secondary target market: mid-size to large- size companies. According to our research in the Situation Analysis, these companies are increasingly choosing hybrids for their company cars. As Thinkers are interested in durable, conventional, and cost-efficient cars that can transport them from “Point A to Point B,” corporate institutions consider similar qualities when purchasing company car fleets. Pure Communications will target mid-size to large-size companies who frequently use company cars, either by allowing employees to use the company-owned cars on a need- by-need basis or by leasing out company- purchased cars to employees at a discount. To keep this secondary target compatible with our primary target market, we will specifically select mid-size to large-size companies on the following criteria: Employsubstantialnumbersofemployees• age 18 to 34 years old 23purecommunications campaignstrategy
  • 24. Considered innovative by their• communities Exhibit environmental concern in their• business actions Examples of these businesses include Procter & Gamble, Google, 3M,Virgin,Target,Apple, Samsung and Amazon. Pure Communications will approach this secondary market less aggressively than our primary market, but we will still implement the three-part cognitive process outlined in the Campaign Objectives section. Because corporations act as social and economic institutions, they have the power and the authority to advance new ideas within society. While Thinkers do not always follow the status quo, they still respect social institutions, looking to them for guidance and to promote social growth. Competitive Advantage The Civic Hybrid not only boasts high fuel- efficiency but also is more reliable and more conventional than the Prius. Pure Communications will educate our primary and secondary target markets of these competitive advantages, ideally prompting our targeted car consumers to purchase the Civic Hybrid. The Civic Hybrid has higher fuel-efficiency than Honda’s non-hybrid version, the Honda Civic. Our survey respondents overwhelmingly name this fuel-efficiency as a crucial and primary concern when purchasing a new car. As conservative consumers, Thinkers also are more inclined to purchase fuel-efficient vehicles to offset rising gas prices. 57 percent of car consumers say they would consider purchasing a hybrid vehicle as their next purchase to avoid rising gas prices. While fuel-efficiency is the predominant concern, our research indicates that hybrid car consumers also consider reliability and conventionality of the car. Consumer Reports ranked the Civic Hybrid as a top small car in October 2007, and the car scored 72 percent on its overall road test, whereas the Prius scored 68 percent. Both the Civic and the Civic Hybrid dominate Consumer Reports’ top picks of small cars. The Civic Hybrid and the Civic have similar car dimensions, as shown in the Situation Analysis. The Prius boasts slightly larger exterior and interior dimensions, but Prius consumers tend to be older than Civic Hybrid consumers. Our Thinkers belong primarily to the 18 to 34 age demographic and tend to be singles or married professionals without children. As conservative consumers, our Thinkers do not need excess passenger volume nor excess cargo space. Test-drivers criticize the Prius’ drivability and praise the Civic Hybrid’s ability to drive like a conventional car. Because hybrids demonstrate long-term savings in operational car costs such as maintenance and repair, the Civic Hybrid is more economical than a conventional car, while maintaining its conventional car drivability. Whereas the costs of owning and operating a Civic amounts to $31,595, the cost of owning and operating a Civic Hybrid amounts to $23,268. The Honda Brand Honda Motor Co. is one of the most dependable and fuel-efficient automakers in the world. In its production of automobiles, Honda is committed to addressing environmental challenges, particularly in improving fuel-efficiency, reducing smog- 24 purecommunications:buildingbridges
  • 25. forming emissions, and advancing real-world alternatives to gasoline. By demonstrating this environmental concern in all of its automobile productions, Honda, as an established corporate institution that our Thinkers respect, has the power to set and to practice environmental standards that will benefit society. Campaign Tactics Pure Communications will satisfy the short- term objectives detailed in the Campaign Objectives section through a fully integrated advertising and public relations campaign. By creating awareness of the Civic Hybrid and by educating car consumers of its competitive advantages through creative messages, strategic media placement, and promotions, Pure Communications ultimately will elevate the Civic Hybrid to the hybrid vehicle-of-choice, over the Prius. Creative Plan Thinkers actively seek out information in their decision-making processes, so we will primarily execute a cognitive-based creative plan. Car consumers rely heavily on data concerning factors like fuel-economy, dependability, and physical dimensions when purchasing a car, and our cognitive- based creative plan will deliver this data to our target markets. The creative plan also will translate easily between our two target markets, since because both markets’ purchasing behaviors ultimately depend on the pertinent information available. We will use both broadcast and print advertisements in our creative plan. Broadcast advertisements should create general awareness of the Civic Hybrid, whereas print advertisements should educate our target markets of the vehicle’s competitive advantages. Broadcast advertisements will reinforce the Honda brand, promoting brand loyalty, whereas print advertisements will provide the information Thinkers need to make a high-involvement purchase. Both broadcast and print advertisements shouldappealtoourentry-levelcarconsumer demographic. We will do this not only by educating our target markets of the Civic Hybrid’s competitive advantages but also by invoking emotions such as responsibility, knowledge, and accomplishment within our target consumers. These emotions ideally will inspire car consumers to seek out more information about the Civic Hybrid and its competitive advantages. With this information, our target market eventually will purchase the Civic Hybrid. Media Plan Following the two distinct methods of implementing our “Building Bridges” campaign outlined in the Campaign Objectives section, Pure Communications will use a pulsing media strategy. The “Building Bridges” campaign will run from January 2008 through December 2008, but we will kick-off the campaign in April with a heavy pulse of broadcast and print advertisements. The campaign will continue at this heavy pulse throughout October. Car consumers tend to purchase new cars from late summer through fall, when automakers introduce the next year’s new models. While advertising of the Civic Hybrid will not stop completely in the winter months, we will 25purecommunications campaignstrategy “ ” Pure Communications determined a shared mindset between Honda Civic and hybrid vehicle consumers, and we identified this receptive target market as the “Thinkers.”
  • 26. drastically decrease media placement of both broadcast and print advertisements in these months. Because we want to simultaneously create awareness of the Civic Hybrid and educate our target markets of the vehicle’s competitive advantages, Pure Communications will run both print and broadcast advertisements at similar GRPs throughout the entire campaign. Broadcast advertisements will appear mainly on conglomerate television and radio networks such as ABC, NBC, and CBS. We will place television advertisements during prime-time shows in order to reach large audiences,becausetelevisionadvertisements will be used to create awareness of the Civic Hybrid. Radio advertisements will be placed during peak travel times such as weekdays from 6 – 8 a.m. and from 5 – 7 p.m., when commuters are most likely to be in their cars. Print advertisements will primarily appear in nationally circulated consumer magazines such as Time and People magazines, and in magazines that boast high circulations among Thinkers, such as The New Yorker and The Economist. While our creative messages will largely appear in national medias, Pure Communications identified geographical locations that are most receptive to the Civic Hybrid. According to our research in the Situation Analysis, hybrids are most used in the West and in urban and suburban mid- sized to large-sized cities, where many people commute from work or home. Pure Communications will similarly target mid-size to large-size cities based on the following criteria: High traffic levels• High commuting levels• Accommodate many young• professionals Considered green cities• Examples include the following cities and their immediate suburbs: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Denver, New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, and Minneapolis. Public Relations Campaign Our public relations campaign will complement the creative messages and media placements, particularly by educating the primary and secondary target markets about the Civic Hybrid’s competitive advantages. Our promotional tactics will more aggressively educate these car consumers, especially by emphasizing hands-on, interactive experiences with the Civic Hybrid. As described in the Situation Analysis, Honda previously sponsored Honda Civic Hybrid Music Tours, and we will consider hosting a similar nationwide event allowing consumers to interact with the Civic Hybrid. This “Building Bridges” test-drive tour will be publicized with press conferences and press kits, sponsored by local green companies or environmental organizations, and honor environmentally forward-thinking local citizens. The test-drive tour will visit cities where its residents are more receptive to the Civic Hybrid than the average car consumer, such as the cities outlined above. Through these promotional tactics and creativemessages,PureCommunicationswill also drive traffic to the Honda Civic Hybrid 26 purecommunications:buildingbridges “ ” Consumer Reports ranked the Civic Hybrid as a top small car in October 2007.
  • 27. Web site. We will list the Web site’s URL in print advertisements and on promotional literature, such as press releases, pamphlets, and press kits. Car consumers will also use the Web site to register for the test-drive tour mentioned above. Conclusion In the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid “Building Bridges” Campaign, Pure Communications will fulfill its short-term objectives of promoting the Civic Hybrid as a fuel- efficient hybrid vehicle and of promoting the Civic Hybrid as a more reliable and more conventional car than the Prius. Through a fully integrated advertising and public relations campaign, Pure Communications will create awareness of the Civic Hybrid and will educate car consumers of the vehicle’s competitive advantages. We will direct this campaign at Thinkers, our primary target market, and at mid-size to large-size companies, our secondary target market. Through quantitative and qualitative research, we identified these two groups as most receptive to the Civic Hybrid, and we determined these target markets’ most receptive contact points through extensive media analysis. By reaching our target consumers and by satisfying this campaign’s short-term objectives, the Honda Civic Hybrid eventually will increase in salience within the hybrid auto market and ultimately replace theToyota Prius as the hybrid vehicle- of-choice. 27purecommunications campaignstrategy
  • 28. creative “ ” These Thinkers are receptive to the Civic Hybrid because they are constantly searching for ways to create balance in their lives.
  • 29. purecommunications Problems Facing the Honda Civic Hybrid Hybrid vehicles are relatively new in the• auto market The Toyota Prius dominates the hybrid• auto market segment The Toyota Prius is seen as the hybrid• brand leader and hybrid vehicle of choice Consumers tend to associate hybrid• vehicles with the Toyota Prius Our Solution Promote the Honda Civic Hybrid’s• competitive advantage as a fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle Promote the Honda Civic Hybrid’s• competitive advantages as a more reliable and a more conventional car than the current hybrid brand leader, the Toyota Prius The “Building Bridges” Campaign The Honda Civic Hybrid is unlike any other vehicle in the auto market. Acting as both a fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle and a reliable, conventional compact car, the Civic Hybrid tightens the gap between innovative, green auto technology and traditional, standard automobiles. The Honda Civic Hybrid builds a bridge between these two seemingly clashing aspects of the automobile industry. This bridge represents the perfect balance between advancing technology and the respected status quo. This bridge represents the perfect balance between a promising future and a rich history. This bridge is the Honda Civic Hybrid. Target Audience The Thinkers, our primary target market, are looking for this bridge. They are intelligent, sophisticated, and conscientious of the world that they live in. They are still young, but they demonstrate up-and-coming go-getter attitudes. They are interested in bettering themselves and the society surrounding them. These Thinkers are receptive to the Civic Hybrid because they are constantly searching for ways to create balance in their lives. They want to save the world, but they will do so in a practical, rational, and mature manner. Brand Personality, Emotions Conveyed, and Desired Actions Pure Communications’ creative executions for the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid “Building Bridges” Campaign will cater to these values. In our advertisements, we will invoke emotions such as responsibility, knowledge, and humble accomplishment, since these types of ideals motivate our Thinkers to act. Because our primary target market generally are 18 to 34-year-old entry-level car consumers, our creative executions also will be humorous to appeal to this younger demographic. As our Thinkers seek out information in the decision-making process, particularly for high-involvement products such as a car, Pure Communications will communicate to our target market about the Civic Hybrid’s competitive advantages. Pure Communications will both broadly inform Thinkers of the fuel-efficient Civic Hybrid and educate these consumers of the Civic Hybrid’s reliability and conventional car features, as detailed in the Campaign Strategy. Although we will use television, radio, and outdoor advertising to create general awareness of the Civic Hybrid, our 29purecommunications creative
  • 30. heavily cognitive print advertisement will present the Thinkers with comprehensive data supporting the fact that the Civic Hybrid is the right vehicle for them. In television, radio, and outdoor advertisements, Pure Communications will employ a soft-sell approach familiarizing Thinkers with the Civic Hybrid. Our hard- sell approach in magazine and newspaper advertisements will ideally prompt these car consumers to purchase the Civic Hybrid. Continuity Elements This campaign will establish the Civic Hybrid not only as both a hybrid vehicle and a car, but also as a vehicle that our Thinkers can trust. We will create this trust through creative continuity elements, such as positioning the Honda logo and “Building Bridges” slogan in every advertisement and by using clean, black uniform type. Each advertisement also will pit the Civic Hybrid against a parody of competing hybrids, and of less fuel-efficient cars and SUVs. By placing the Civic Hybrid in between these two extreme types of vehicles, the Civic Hybrid both physically and metaphorically becomes the bridge. Creative Executions Television EachTV spot will be 30 seconds long. We will emphasizesoft-selloverhard-sellbecausethe campaign’s television advertisements should emphasize reach in creating awareness of the Civic Hybrid. Because the “Building Bridges” campaign is cognitive-based and our Thinkers consistently crave information, each commercial will still include minimal information about the Civic Hybrid’s fuel- efficiency, reliability and conventional car features. “Stuck” This 30-second commercial features a young woman commuting to work in her Civic Hybrid. She is stuck in traffic. She is surrounded by ridiculous spaceship-looking, egg-like, bubbly “hybrids” on one side and by gas-guzzling, boxy enormous “SUVs” on the other side. As she looks from right to left in her Civic Hybrid, she clicks on her radio, playing “We’re From Barcelona” by I’m From Barcelona, an up-beat song. The lyrics aren’t played, just the music. The young woman enjoys sitting in her car, happy with her decision to build the bridge between car and hybrid. A voice-over says: “The all-new 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid – looks like a car, drives like a car. In a fuel-efficient hybrid.” The screen fades to the Honda “Building Bridges” logo and “Honda. Building Bridges.” “Lock It” This30-secondcommercialpairswith“Stuck,” featuring the same young, sophisticated woman. She arrives at work and pulls into her parking spot. Other co-workers are there with their ridiculous-looking “hybrids” and “SUVs.” As she gets out of the car, she effortlessly locks her Civic Hybrid with the push of a button (her keyless entry fob) and continues walking towards the work building with ease. She smiles and says hello to her co-workers, who are having a rough time trying to lock their vehicles. The “hybrids” are hovering, making it impossible to reach the lock. The co-workers with “SUVs” are having a hard time simply getting out of their vehicles without a ladder. The Civic Hybrid driver walks by with a bounce in her step as “We’re From Barcelona” begins playing. A voice-over says: “The all-new 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid – looks like a car, drives like a car. In a fuel-efficient hybrid.” The screen fades to the Honda “Building Bridges” logo and “Honda. Building Bridges.” 30 purecommunications:buildingbridges
  • 31. 31purecommunications Song: “We’re From Barcelona” by I’m From Barcelona She clicks on her radio. VO: The all-new 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid – looks like a car, drives like a car. In a fuel-efficient hybrid. Song: fade VO: Honda. Building Bridges. Thinker is stuck in traffic on her way to work. She looks to both sides, seeing an over- exaggerated “hybrid” bubble car on one side. Sbe sees an over-exaggerated “SUV” to her other side. creative “Stuck”
  • 32. 32 purecommunications:buildingbridges Song: fade VO: Honda. Building Bridges. Song: “We’re From Barcelona” by I’m From Bar- celona Thinker locks her car. VO: The all-new 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid – looks like a car, drives like a car. In a fuel-efficient hybrid. Woman looks at co-workers having difficulty locking their vehicles. Thinker arrives at work, parks. Thinker, happy about her Civic Hybrid purchase, walks into work. “Lock it”
  • 33. Radio The radio spot will be a 30-second support ad for the television commericals. It will include more cognitive information to cater to the Thinkers’ desire for information about high- involvement products. It will feature the same song as in theTV ads, “We’re From Barcelona.” A sample script is below. SFX: “We’re From Barcelona” by I’m From Barcelona VOICEOVER: The all-new 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid builds bridges. WOMAN: Do you want a fuel-efficient hybrid without looking like a spaceship about to take off every time you accelerate? WOMAN: Or how about a durable, reliable car that saves you money while you sit in traffic? VOICEOVER: With 40 miles per gallon in the city and 45 highway miles, the Civic Hybrid is the perfect choice. VOICEOVER: Starting at just $22,600. VOICEOVER: Visit www.honda.com. VOICEOVER: The Honda Civic Hybrid. Building Bridges. SFX: fade out Print Print ads will run primarily in magazines, with some support ads both outdoor and in newspapers. The ads will have simple, clean designs. The Civic Hybrid will be featured in the center of the ad to draw attention to its sleek design and conventionality. The copy will be black, with important phrases bolded. Each ad will feature the Building Bridges logo. They will play off of the television ads, with more emphasis on fuel-efficiency and the comparison between a conventional car and an over-exaggerated “hybrid” as in the TV ads. They will feature more cognitive information like the radio ads to increase awareness about gas mileage and price. Four samples follow. 33purecommunications creative
  • 34. 34 purecommunications:buildingbridges The all-new 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid Fuel-efficient, reliable, durable. Not a bubble. Starting at $22,600. 40 miles per gallon in the city, 45 highway miles. Visit www.honda.com for more information. Honda. Building Bridges.
  • 35. 35purecommunications creative The all-new fuel-efficient 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid See any resemblance? Neither do we. Starting at $22,600. 40 miles per gallon in the city, 45 highway miles. Visit www.honda.com for more information. Honda. Building Bridges.
  • 36. 36 purecommunications:buildingbridges The all-new 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid Fuel-efficient, reliable, durable. Not a bubble. Starting at $22,600. 40 miles per gallon in the city, 45 highway miles. Visit www.honda.com for more information. Honda. Building Bridges.
  • 38. media “ ” Pure Communications has allocated 95 percent or $76,243,952 of the campaign’s 80 million dollar budget for media purchasing and a pulsing media strategy.
  • 39. purecommunications Media Planning The prevalence of hybrid vehicles in todayís auto market is limited. To ultimately increase salience of the Honda Civic Hybrid within the hybrid auto market, we first will promote the Civic Hybrid as a fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle, and as a more reliable and conventional car the current hybrid brand leader, the Toyota Prius. Through a diverse mix of media, Pure Communications will create awareness of the Civic Hybrid and educate our target markets of the Civic Hybrid’s competitive advantages. This integrated media strategy will reach a broad number of car consumers, effectively cutting through the clutter populating mass culture. Media Objectives To cut through this clutter, Pure Communications identified the campaign’s primary target market as Thinkers. Educated, mature, and conscientious, these Thinkers want to improve their surrounding environment. Through a cognitive-based campaign, we will targetThinkers in the 18 to 34-year-old demographic. Civic users tend to belong to this age group, and this age group is more likely than the average consumer to care about environmental impacts such as lowering gas emissions. We also will direct media efforts at a secondary target market: mid-size to large- size companies. This secondary target market will be approached less aggressively, so the bulk of our media efforts will focus on communicating with the Thinkers. We will use the following media to communicate with our target markets: Television• Radio• Magazine• Newspaper• Outdoor• Internet• Media Strategy In September 2007, the Prius outsold the Civic Hybrid by 15,809 units. Pure Communicationswilllaunchthe2008Honda Civic Hybrid ìBuilding Bridgesî Campaign in April 2008 in attempt to ultimately increase sales. We will employ a pulsing strategy, with the highest pulses of advertisements occurring from April through October, because consumers tend to purchase cars from late summer through fall. Inthesesixmonths,wewillstrategicallyplace both broadcast and print advertisements to create awareness of the Civic Hybrid and to educate car consumers of the vehicle’s competitive advantages. Television and radio advertisements will create awareness of the product and appeal more emotionally to the consumers. Magazine and newspaper advertisements will educate consumers of the product’s competitive advantages, serving as informational supplements to the broadcast advertisements. While advertising of the Civic Hybrid will not stop completely in the winter months, we will drastically decrease the media placement pulse for both broadcast and print advertisements in the building phase of the media plan, from November through March. People are less likely to purchase vehicles in these months, but we do not want to eliminate advertising all together, since our target market tends to research their purchase decisions in advance. Thinkers tend to seek out knowledge, so we will place Civic Hybrid advertisements in mediums geared towards 39purecommunications media
  • 40. this target market. Pure Communications has allocated 95 percent, or $76,243,952, of the campaignís $80 million budget for media purchasing, saving five percent for contingencies or unexpected costs. Broadcast Broadcast media such as television and radio will be used to create awareness of the Civic Hybrid, and of Hondaís reliable and dependable brand image. Television Themediaplaninvolvesnationaltelevisionas well as spot television advertising. Television is the most pervasive form of media and often apparent in every household. According to Simmons data, Honda users tend to watch national channels such as ABC, NBC, and CBS. As the Media Flow Chart shows, we will assign 26 percent, or $21,069,391, of our media allocation to national television in both primetime and late night advertising. Honda Civic users are also more likely than the average consumer to watch cable channels such as CNN, BET, Comedy Central, Food Network, ESPN, MTV and Oxygen, so we allocated 13 percent, or $10,767,120, to national cable television primetime advertising. We will purchase spot television in order to reach specific regional audiences, such as Los Angeles, Southern California and the other geographical target market listed in the Campaign Strategy. Sixteen percent of this spot advertising will be national television at both primetime and late night times, costing $13,242,624, while nearly five percent, or $3,820,440 is allocated for spot advertising on cable primetime television. As evident on the Media Flow Chart, 61 percent, or $48,899,575, of our media budget will be spent on television advertising. Radio Four percent of the media budget or $3,099,420, is allocated for radio advertising, as documented in the Media Flow Chart. Radio is an inexpensive form of media, lends itself to all sorts of different situations and contexts, and supports other forms of media used in the campaign such as outdoor. We will use national and spot radio ads during 40 purecommunications:buildingbridges % Media Allocation 61% 18% 9% 2% 4% 1% Television Magainzes Newspapers Outdoor Radio Internet
  • 41. purecommunications body text 41 peak drive times such as weekday mornings from 6-8 a.m. and evenings from 5-7 p.m., although more GRPs are dedicated to national radio. Similar to television, national radio is a viable medium for selling automobiles because it reaches broad audiences, and we will place our advertisements on large network radio affiliates such as CBS, ABC, and Clear Channel to reach these audiences. Our radio spot ads will appear in large cities such as Los Angeles and other cities listed in the Campaign Strategy. We will also place advertisements during more educational programs or talk shows in order to appeal to our Thinkers. Print The “Building Bridges” campaign’s broadcast advertisements should reach mass audiences in order to create awareness of the Civic Hybrid. In contrast, our heavily cognitive printadvertisementswilleducateourThinkers about the Civic Hybridís fuel-efficiency, and reliable and conventional car features, as compared to the Prius, while using rich imagery and design to differentiate the Civic Hybrid from the Prius. Magazine Cognitive consumers like ourThinkers tend to spend ample time looking at magazines and are more likely than the average consumer to retain information seen in advertisements. According to Simmons data, female Civic owners tend to read magazines such as Cosmopolitan,People,andGlamour. Because of this information, Pure Communications allocated about six percent, or $5,097,600, of our media budget to national womenís- interest magazines. Male Civic owners read GQ and Sports Illustrated, so we allocated roughly seven percent, or $5,866,690, of the media budget to national menís- interest magazines. Roughly 4 percent, or $3,625,048, of the budget is allocated for general interest and trade magazines such as Time, The Economist, and Newsweek. Trade magazines will be used particularly to target media GRP'S per month 152 152 152 426 425 425 425 426 425 426 152 152 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 January February March April May June July August September October NovemberDecember GRP'S per month “ ” By reinforcing Honda’s dependable image, the Honda Civic Hybrid will attach itself to a reliable label, causing further distinction between Honda and the competitors of Toyota.
  • 42. our secondary target market: mid-size to large-size companies. Circulations for the magazines mentioned above are as follows: Cosmopolitan• : 2,916,000 People• : 28.9 million Glamour• : 2,262,242 GQ:• 931,694 Sports Illustrated:• 3,250,912 Time,• 3,250,00 The Economist:• 1,260,457 Newsweek,• 3.1 million Newspaper We will use national and local newspapers both for their market selectivity and to target specific geographic locations. Newspaper readership increases with age and education, andreaching68percentofadults,newspapers also allow a narrow and more specific reach of educated people like our Thinkers. Nine percent of the media budget is allocated toward newspaper advertising. As the Media Flow Chart suggests, this percentage is split between national newspapers and local newspaperscirculatednationally.Fivepercent of our budget, or $3,664,528, is allocated for national newspaper advertisements, and these ads will run as half page, black and white displays. The other four percent, or $3,491,091, of the newspaper allocation is for local newspapers circulated nationally, such as The Chicago Tribune. With a circulation number of 3.3 million per week, newspapers like The Chicago Tribune allow us to reach specific regions and multiple cities simultaneously. Outdoor Outdoorbillboardadvertisingwillsupplement radio advertisements, heightening awareness of the Civic Hybrid among commuters. Billboardsallowforhigh-impactlargevisuals, and serve primarily as brand reminders reinforcing the creative concept of the campaign. We allocated two percent of the media budget, or $1,330,000, for outdoor. Billboards will be placed in areas with high traffic count such as the L.A. Freeway in order to ensure maximum visibility in the geographical regions specified in the Campaign Strategy. 44 GRPs are allocated for outdoor over the course of 12 months. 42 purecommunications:buildingbridges 48 48 48 272 272 272 272 272 272 272 48 48 26 26 26 53 53 53 53 53 53 53 26 26 17 16 16 16 17 16 17 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 2 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 1 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 January February March April May June July August September October Novemeber December Television Magazines Newspaper Outdoor Radio Internet GRP'S/MONTH/MEDIUM
  • 43. Internet We do not want to sell Honda Civic Hybrids online but rather want to utilize the Internet as an information hub. Through the Internet, Pure Communications can track consumersí online behaviors and adapt our advertising messages accordingly. We will conduct this tracking by purchasing key words, which will account for a little over one percent of the media budget, or $1,170,000. This form of search advertisement places online ads on results pages of search engines. Our Thinkers are information-oriented, and these key words will allow us to target them specifically as they are researching the Civic Hybrid online. We will purchase key words on major search engines such as Google, MSN, and Yahoo. Campaign Timeline As mentioned above, Pure Communications will launch our campaign in April of 2008. We will use heavy GRPs steadily from April through October, as most car consumers purchase automobiles during these months. GRP allocation will remain generally consistent at around 11-12 percent throughout these seven months, with slightly more GRPs allocated during October, when the next yearís car models are unveiled. By heavily saturating consumers with broadcast and print advertisements the months leading into the fall and winter, we intend to drastically increase awareness of the Civic Hybrid, while allowing our Thinkers plenty of time to research the vehicle themselves. When our pulsing drastically decreases around November 2008, we will eliminate national television, focusing instead on print advertising. These advertisement will be placed in more specialized magazines like The Economist, so that Civic Hybrid information still is available for the Thinkers seeking it. *Note: Percentages are rounded to nearest whole. See Media Flow Chart for specific numbers.body textbody textbody text 43purecommunications media “ ” By heavily saturating consumers with media for the months leading into the fall and winter, we will drastically increase awareness of the Honda Civic Hybrid’s benefits to the environment, fuel-efficiency, as well as the reliability and conventionality of Honda vehicles.
  • 44. 44 purecommunications:buildingbridges JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberCPP/MediaVehicle%MediaAllocation$MediaAllocationTotalGRPs MediaCategories Television NationalTVPrimetime55555555555555$33,10315.93%$12,744,655385 NationalTVLatenight48484848484848$24,77610.41%$8,324,736336 SpotTVPrimetime131313252525252525251313$36,02210.81%$8,645,280240 SpotTVLatenight151515343434343434341515$14,6885.75%$4,597,344313 NationalCableTVPrimetime80808080808080$19,22713%$10,767,120560 SpotCableTVPrimetime202020303030303030302020$12,3244.78%$3,820,440310 TelevisionSummary61%$48,899,575 Magazines National-Men's131313202020202020201313$28,6187.33%$5,866,690205 National-Women's131313252525252525251313$21,2406.37%$5,097,600240 National-General8888888$64,7334.53%$3,625,04856 MagazineSummary18%$14,589,338 Newspapers NationalNewspapers16161616161616$32,7195%$3,664,528112 LocalNewspapersNationally111$1,163,697/month4%$3,491,0913 NewspaperSummary9%$7,155,619 Outdoor Billboards222444444422$35,000/month/spot2%$1,330,00038 OutdoorSummary2%$1,330,000 Radio National-Primedrivetimes454545454545454545454545$2,9131.97%$1,573,020540 Spot-Primedrivetimes303030303030303030303030$4,2401.91%$1,526,400360 RadioSummary4%$3,099,420 Internet Keywords111555555511$29,250/month1%$1,170,00040 InternetSummary1%$1,170,000 TOTAL%and$Used95%$76,243,952 TotalBudget$80,000,000 TotalGRPs1521521524264254254254264254261521523738
  • 45. public relations “ ” This full-day event will give potential Honda Civic Hybrid purchasers the opportunity to test-drive a Civic hybrid with a trained Honda technician.
  • 46. Public Opinion Fourteen different models of hybrids exist in the auto market, with 75 models expected by 2011. Sales of hybrids shot from next to nothing in 1999 to 84,000 in 2004, and numbers continue to rise. Eighty percent of car consumers stated that they were concerned about gas prices last year. Due to these prices, 57 percent of car consumers said they would consider a hybrid vehicle as their next car purchase, and 49 percent said they would consider a vehicle that used alternative sources of fuel. The Surveys. Pure Communications conducted a series of surveys in October 2007. According to our research, the 18 to 34-year-old demographic primarily valued a vehicle’s fuel-efficiency. The Focus Group. We discovered that the majority of respondents thought that the similar of design between the Civic Hybrid and Civic was a major disadvantage to purchasing the Civic Hybrid. However, these respondents also viewed the Honda brand as a dependable, cost-effective solution to growing environmental concerns. The Blogosphere. The most common grievance on blogs relevant to the Civic Hybrid was the Civic Hybrid’s lower-than- promised gas mileage. “We’re just normal Southern California drivers, we don’t speed, and the best gas mileage we have gotten so far, (was when) we made a trip in the car to Vegas, coming back we used the cruise control. We got 34.6 miles to the gallon,” said musician John True, a Honda Civic Hybrid owner who is suing Honda over incorrect gas mileage estimates, on www.AutoblogGreen.com. “Honda Civic 2004 highway 60%, 40% town driving 42mpg. Purchased Mar. 4, 2004. Already got 35,000 miles on it and I love it.  Planning on buying another this next year 2006.” Posted by N.K., a proud Honda Civic Hybrid owner, on www.soultek.com. Differences in individual driving can also affect the obtained gas mileage. Knowledgeable Honda dealers can help eliminate these gas mileage discrepancies by preemptively educating drivers on how to drive their hybrid more efficiently. Stakeholders Multiple organizations are concerned about the environment and the positive legacy that Honda continues with its latest hybrid addition, the Honda Civic Hybrid. Keeping the organizations below in mind while developing the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid “Building Bridges” Campaign will contribute to having as many advocates as possible helping to promote the Civic Hybrid. These stakeholders are discusses more thoroughly in the Situation Analysis. Union of Concerned Scientists• Employees• The Government• Honda Motor Co. and American Honda• Motor Co. Shareholders• Environmental groups such as the EPA• The Toyota Prius• As discovered in the primary research exhibited in the Situation Analysis, many consumers find the design of the Prius to be futuristic and ugly. Ultimately increasing the salience of the Civic Hybrid by promoting the Civic Hybrid’s fuel-efficiency, reliability, and conventional car features, as compared to the Prius, car consumers will be offered 46 purecommunications:buildingbridges
  • 47. the best of both worlds: an environmentally friendly hybrid vehicle that drives like a standard compact car. Public Relations Strategy Public Relations will play a key role in satisfying Pure Communication’s three short- term objectives as outlined in the Campaign Strategy. Through public relations tactics, Pure Communications will strategically craft aggressive, hands-on events and sponsorships that advance the “Building Bridges” campaign and directly reach out to our Thinker target market. To target the Thinkers most effectively, all public relations events and sponsorships will focus on educating this group of entry-level car consumers about on the Civic Hybrid’s high fuel-efficiency, and reliability and conventionality, as compared to the Prius. These events and sponsorships will ideally increase awareness of the Civic Hybrid, leading to higher sales, while elevating the Civic Hybrid to the hybrid vehicle-of- choice. Media Relations Strategy and Target Vehicle Selection The 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid “Building Bridges” Campaign begins in January 2008 with a low pulsing strategy. Heavy pulses of media saturation will first occur April 2008 with the campaign’s official kick-off date, since car consumers typically begin purchasing cars at this time. Heavy media pulses will continue through October, when consumer vehicle purchases typically decline. Our public relations tactics will act as supplements to our creative messages and will focus primarily on educating theThinkers about the Civic Hybrid’s competitive advantages, particularly reinforcing our print media’s hard-sell approach of the Civic Hybrid. We will encourage media to cover all public relations events by issuing press releases and kits, as well as by creating ties with local journalists specific to the geographic markets outlined in the Campaign Strategy and their national affiliates. Throughoutthe“BuildingBridges”campaign, Pure Communication will monitor public opinion towards the Civic Hybrid, Honda, and the environment by reading blog entries pertaining to these topics, conducting consumer polls, and hosting focus groups and surveys. We will also monitor media and current event coverage relevant to Honda Motor Co. and its competition, specifically the Prius, and will anticipate potential setbacks by devising a preemptive crisis management plan. Tactics: Primary Target Market The “Building Bridges” Tour The “Building Bridges” Tour will offer 47purecommunications publicrelations “ ” Public Relations will strategically craft aggressive, hands-on events and sponsorships that advance the campaign and give practical application to the campaign strategies.
  • 48. knowledgeable, hands-on information about the Civic Hybrid’s competitive advantages, including fuel-efficiency, reliability, and conventionality. This full-day event will give potential Civic Hybrid purchasers the opportunity to test- drive the vehicle with a trained Honda technician. Throughout the day, renowned speakers with automobile industry or environmental background will address issues concerning American drivers. Topics include: rising gas prices, global warming and automobile emissions, commuting, and oil and Middle East instability. This event will tour metro areas similar to the geographical target markets listed in the Campaign Strategy, as these regions boast the highest numbers of hybrid vehicle purchases. Other factors influencing hybrid purchases that we tok into account when determining regionalty include: commute times, amount of traffic, city greenness, and jobs available for young working professionals. These would include cities and their immediate suburbs such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, are more. The “Building Bridges” Tour Kick-off will be held at the Honda Center, which is located at 2695 East Katella Avenue in Anaheim, California. This location is an ideal starting point for the “Building Bridges” Tour due to Honda’s large corporate presence in Southern California. Additionally, Civic Hybrid consumers are more likely than the average car consumers to live in the West. The “Building Bridges” Tour Kick-off is scheduled for Saturday, April 19, 2008, with doors opening at 10 a.m. Registration for the nationwide event will be conducted online beginning Wednesday, January 2, 2008 through the all-new Honda Civic Hybrid Web site. This Web site is accessible from a link on the existing Honda Web page: www.honda.com. We will focus on educating and informing ourThinkers as part of the cognitive campaign outlined in the Campaign Strategy. The “Building Bridges” Tour Press Conference A national press conference will be held on Monday,April 7, 2008 at the Honda Center in order to generate awareness and excitement for the upcoming “Building Bridges” Tour. This press conference will unveil the scheduled cities that our tour plans to visit, talk about the benefits of the Civic Hybrid, particularly in relation to the Prius, detail the speakers and events planned for the April 19 kick-off, and demonstrate how to register for the tour on the all-new Honda Civic Hybrid Web site. The “Building Bridges” Tour Local Press Kits To supplement this national press conference, press kits will be sent out to the local media of each city that the tour will visit at least three weeks prior to the “Building Bridges” Tour’s visit. These kits will contain a press release about the “Building Bridges” Tour, an objectives sheet, a fact sheet, and photos. An example of this press kit and a sample media contact list is at the end of the Public Relations section. While these press kits will increase awareness 48 purecommunications:buildingbridges “ ” The “Building Bridges” award will be given to innovative, forward-thinking college students who are making a difference in the world of inventing, engineering, or the environment.
  • 49. of the Civic Hybrid, we hope that these press kits primarily generate hype for the “Building Bridges” Tour. The “Building Bridges” Award This prestigious award will be given to innovative, forward-thinking college students who make significant contributions in the fields of inventing, engineering, or the environment. Three national winners will be awarded for the 2008 ignagural year. Nominations for the award will be accepted on the Honda Civic Hybrid Web site beginning Wednesday, January 2 through Friday, March 21, 2008. These winners will be publicly honored at the “Building Bridges” Tour Kickoff at 2:00 p.m. on the Honda Center main stage. Each winner will personally address the audience before receiving their award. In addition, all winners will receive a new 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. This award reflects Honda Motor Co.’s desire to be an innovative, forward-thinking business, while also increasing general awareness Civic Hybrid. Environmental Partnership For the “Building Bridges” Tour Kickoff, the City of Los Angeles Environmental Affairs Department (www.lacity.org/ead) will partner with Honda in presenting clear, knowledgeable information about the local environment to event attendees. In each city that the “Building Bridges” Tour visits, a different environmental organization willpartnerwithHondaforthatfull-dayevent. This partnerships will be mutually beneficial, offering environmental organizations and agencies increased awareness, while also branding Honda as an environmentally conscious and forward-thinking business. These partnerships will still be funded solely by American Honda Motor Co. Honda Civic Hybrid Web site: www.HondaCivicHybrid.com This site will be functional by Wednesday, January 2, 2008. Although our campaign does not experience heavy pulses until April 2008, this site will need to be ready prior to that kick-off date because it is cited in Honda press releases and other informational literature. This Web site will also allow users to enter nominees for the “Building Bridges” Awards. To increase the Web site’s traffic, Honda will create a link for it on the left-hand column of its automobile front-page: www.honda.com. All press releases and Honda literature will document this Web site. Because our target market actively seeks information, mass publicity of the site is unnecessary. This site will bestow our Thinkers with multiple avenues to seek additional knowledgeable, including: the mechanics of the Honda Civic Hybrid, environmental or volunteer opportunities, a blog where prospective buyers can talk to other owners about their concerns or questions, and recent world news on anything related to hybrids, such as rising gas prices, the environment, Middle East instability, the car industry, etc. This Honda Civic Hybrid site will offer accurate information in a knowledgeable and professional manner, catering to the informational needs of our Thinkers. But, this Web site also will act as informal, conversation-like hub, thus differing from the current Civic Hybrid Web site that offers technical information. OurThinkers not only like to seek out information in the decision- making process but also like to seek out various opinions when considering a high- involvement purchase. 49purecommunications publicrelations