Neil Patrick Harris, Rainn Wilson lend voices to Honda Odyssey campaign

(August 29, 2013) TORRANCE, Calif. — Starting Sept. 3 Honda will launch an integrated advertising and marketing campaign supporting the redesigned 2014 Honda Odyssey

The campaign will kick-off with three TV spots featuring "spokescrumbs" voiced by actors Neil Patrick Harris ("How I Met Your Mother") and Rainn Wilson ("The Office"). The overall campaign includes television, print, mobile and digital executions highlighting the Odyssey's new solutions to improving family life, including the world's first available in-vehicle vacuum cleaner HondaVAC.


The television creative ("Owner's Manual," "It's Here," and "Stampede") focuses on the floor of the Odyssey, where snacks and small toys dropped by young passengers end up eventually. Recognizable debris, such as lint balls (voiced by Harris) and gummy bears (voiced by Wilson) are enjoying the ride beneath the seats until the HondaVAC arrives on the scene and eliminates the CG-animated debris, giving the family back their clean car.

"No one knows the family buyer better than Honda, which led to the innovations in the redesigned Odyssey. The Odyssey is the class leader in the areas that are most important to the family buyer: fuel economy, safety and feature content," said Mike Accavitti, senior vice president of auto operations at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "The Odyssey campaign highlights these attributes in a fun and amusing way that will be relatable to both parents and their kids."

In order to reach the target buyer — busy parents and families — the Odyssey campaign will be spread across a variety of platforms including network and cable television, online video, high-impact homepage takeovers, gaming, mobile, location-based targeting and print. High-impact, rich media kick-off the digital campaign via homepage takeovers scheduled on Amazon, AOL and Huffington Post.

In an effort to organically integrate into family programming, Honda has aligned with Fox and the hit television talent show "The X Factor." The Odyssey, along with other popular Honda models, will be showcased on the program and used by contestants throughout the competition. Honda vehicles will be featured on the show starting with the season premiere on Sept. 9.