This week (the week before Justice plays the Metro -- a show I have yet to score tickets for, hint hint) marks the kickoff of Honda's groundbreaking ad campaign. You ask, what is this new ad campaign? Well, Honda knows their audience and they know their audience loves cutting-edge music. So, they will now be sponsoring online releases of songs and videos via a media player that will feature exclusive Honda branding, original 15-second pre-roll ads and interactive buttons that will direct viewers and listeners seeking more information about the brand to the Honda Web site. What cutting edge artists are they to sponsor? Well, such innovators as Avril Lavigne, Christina Aguilera, Dido, Alicia Keys, The Fray.**
Sony BMG will be distributing this kick-ass media player (say goodbye to Winamp***) to several bijillion similarly kick-ass websites. The content will also be downloadable to a host, nay a deluge of blogs (did someone say BrooklynVegan?).
The campaign marks the first time that Sony BMG has sold an ad package encompassing all of its new music video releases to a single sponsor via its year-old website, Sony BMG Music Box. The campaign also marks the fifteenth thousand time Sony has done something that I don't care about.****
Jenny Howell, manager of interactive marketing actually said this about the new campaign: "[It] helps create the impression that Honda is cutting edge and on the forefront with our youth target." What? So Honda just appears to be cutting edge? Avril Lavigne doesn't suck? I'm so confused.*****
Edmund Purcell, who oversees the Honda account at RPA, Santa Monica, CA (also of Chronicles of Narnia fame), said he wants the Music Box campaign to be an "experience," a really somniferous experience. He also came up with this great whopper in response to our generation's want of music: "They also understand that without sponsors this kind of content is harder to get." Yeah, I'm really cramping to find that X-Tina B-side. PSYCHE!
One sick thing is these ads/videos can be transportable, so you are able to paste them onto people's MySpace pages!******
After the groundbreaking move by Honda, Sony said they are going to most definitely (dewd) let others in to team up on sponsoring videos and kewl shit. AT&T has reportedly signed on for something.*******
* Probably a lie.
** Not a joke.
*** Attempted joke.
**** That is a lie. I actually just put my first down payment on a 2008 Civic Si complete with angsty necktie hanging from the rearview mirror and Bluetooth capabilities.
***** I forget why I put those asterisks there.
****** myspace.com/protestantthighs - leave me lots of photo comments.
******* Sorry this story was lame, I'll blame it on the recovery time needed for the Shitfaced Newsathon.
