Raging Artists » Web Marketing Case Studies

Honda Odyssey 2012 Experiment

RA — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 01:41:34 +0000

Minivans aren’t sexy and they are not a hot topic on the Web, so we had our work cut out for us with this experiment. Within 24 hours of launching our video, however, it made the first page of Google for “Honda Odyssey,” “minivan campaign,” and more. It garnered positive reviews from automotive blogs like Edmunds Inside Line, Autoweek, TopGear, and Autoblog, as well as mommy blogs, and advertising blogs like Great-Ads, which referred to the work as a “brilliant new ad campaign.” Honda itself tweeted about the spot on day two. As of January 4, 2012, it held the top position on the first page of Google for “Honda Odyssey 2012″.

Non-commissioned projects afford us the freedom to experiment. All branded content – commissioned or not – should tap into the product’s target demographic, and MinivanCampaign.com does just that, attracting men 35-45 as its key audience.

“A Family Man is Still a Man.” This notion came to mind as we were studying minivans for another project. Of course, where research can arm an agency with data, life often provides the actual inspiration to tell a story honestly and with conviction.

RA’s three partners have eight kids and four minivans among them – two of which are Hondas. So we know the family man territory well, and we’ve each carved out our own place within it. One thing we agreed upon as we studied various minivan commercial campaigns is that we were under-represented. Amidst white-dad rappers and forlorn dudes longing for their glory days as garage band heroes, where were the hunters and gatherers, the modern day cavemen whose passions for their families and their friends shared common headspace?

We chose the Honda Odyssey for numerous reasons:

We saw an opportunity to appeal to another segment of the minivan buyer demographic
We spend a lot of time immersed in car culture and family life
We wanted to develop creative that might otherwise not be realized

As our production partner, we chose Tim Damon (Square Planet), a name synonymous with automotive advertising. Along with years of experience behind the camera for every conceivable car brand, Tim brings to the party a great sense of humor, deep humanity, and incomparable energy. Likewise, composer David Della Santa (Volume Music + Sound) was the perfect person to bring our lyrics to life, turning “Day of the Hunter” into more than just a track…it became our anthem on this journey.

“We knew in taking this on we weren’t overtly utilizing comedy or sex, the two surefire selling points on the Web,” notes RA CCO Hesh Rephun. “We were leading with fun. It was important in terms of conveying the message we set out to send.”

In crafting the video, we shied away from “selling” the car itself. Rather, we wanted to convey the spirit of the minivan driver. We also chose to celebrate the sturdiness and usability of the Odyssey as opposed to the sexiness. The Odyssey isn’t sexy, and in our view, it needn’t be. The tricked out Swagger Wagon from Toyota got tons of attention, but in reality the Sienna is not sexy. And honestly, if Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes minivans aren’t sexy, why should Honda crave that distinction?

Perhaps as one reaches “minivan age” sexy becomes relative. Perhaps men grow to relish their role as hunters – and the fact that they get the job done is what’s sexy. The fact that they can choose the right minivan for their family is sexy. And if, in the course of a day off they can drop off the wife and kids, work in a trip to the driving range, make new friends, engage in a paintball fight with a dude in a tutu, and make a trip to the car wash, why not? Spontaneity never goes out of style, and neither should family-manhood.

Project Credits:

Title: “A Family Man is Still a Man”
Client: Honda Odyssey (spec)
Launch Date (www.MinivanCampaign.com): September 20, 2011

Agency: Raging Artists/LA
Creative Directors: Justo Diaz, Hesh Rephun, Ernie Noh
Associate Creative Director: Justin Young

Production Company: Square Planet/LA
Director/Cameraman: Tim Damon
Producer: Kendra Wester

Song: “Day of the Hunter”
Music Company: Volume Music + Sound/SF
Composer: David Della Santa
Lyrics: Raging Artists
Vocal: Pismo

Audio Post Company: M Squared Productions
Mixer: Mark Pitchford

Editorial Company: Raging Artists
Editor: Brendon DeVore

Digital Color Correction: New Hat/Santa Monica
Digital Colorist: Bob Festa

Project Statistics (click to expand):

Bandito Brothers: BMW M3 Film

RA — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:36:19 +0000

The SEO campaign we did for the Bandito Brothers spec film “Living in the Lights” shows how creative marketing can launch a video – and a production company – into the public consciousness.

As a result of our campaign, the film has appeared on every BMW fan blog, racked up 1,600,000+ views for one video alone on YouTube, has increased traffic on the Bandito site more than 2000%, and is covered from a filmmaking perspective on countless online mags. Anyone at BMW and their agencies who has NOT seen it is living in the dark (in fact, Bandito has since worked with Ford, Toyota, BMW, among other automotive brands). But it was marketed to the PEOPLE first.The views, Web traffic, and the coverage, have helped to deliver the most powerful evidence of the campaign’s success: new business. Since the launch of “Living in the Lights,” Bandito Brothers has been enlisted by BMW and Ford to bring their business model to projects for those automakers.

The film has also proved to be a sustainable piece of content in the hot topic of digital production, specifically the Canon 5D. Press continues to stream in, with the latest an in-depth 2-part interview with Matthew Jeppson of FreshDV.

A roll call of other press coverage can be viewed HERE.

BMW M3 Film from BanditoBrothers on Vimeo.

Sportie LA Media

RA — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 14:37:22 +0000

Raging Artists’ work for Sportie LA and its footwear marketing division Sportie LA Media (SLAM) has helped shape a highly visible brand image.

That image – spanning Web, print, and TV – is underscored by extraordinary traffic for retail site SportieLA.com, the company’s second-largest retail outlet, outsold only by its flagship location on Hollywood’s Melrose Avenue. Since retaining Raging Artists in 2007, Sportie LA has become the most visible Los Angeles shoe retailer on the web and has been covered in sneaker and fashion magazines the world over, consistently made Top 10 and Power lists of most influential indie retailers, plays host to celebrity shoppers like Justin Bieber and Kim Kardashian, and occupies prime, organic real estate on the 1st page of Google for the terms like “LA Sneakers,” “Sneaker Videos,” and “Los Angeles Puma” just to name a few.

Raging Artists is currently collaborating with Sportie LA/SLAM on a number of high-profile initiatives. In addition to marketing Sportie LA/SLAM events — like the 2011NBA All Star Block Party, which attracted the likes of Rick Fox and Amber Rose — Raging Artists is working directly with SLAM on the launch of a new footwear line from a major global apparel brand. The project includes creating a web magazine as well as photo and video assets.

SLAM, overseen by Sportie LA co-owner Isack Fadlon, enlisted Raging Artists to create BEARPAWStyle, the online presence of boot brand BEARPAW, to successfully increase awareness through assets like photos, web videos, and articles produced under the creative direction of RA. BEARPAW and its brand equity have been expanding ever since. Today, the brand counts as its celebrity partners Karina Smirnoff of “Dancing With the Stars,” and professional snowboarder Caroline Gleich, relationships promoted by Raging Artists through its PR expertise.

Additional collaborations include celebratory campaigns surrounding the 25th anniversary of the Reebok Freestyle, the launch of the FILA Melrose, and the re-launch of iconic shoe brand LA Gear.

Check out the footage from Sportie LA’s FILA Melrose launch party:

Click here to view the embedded video.