Honda continues its sponsorship of the National Hockey League(NHL®) with a new spot featuring Anaheim Ducks' Corey Perry and Detroit Red Wings' Nicklas Lidström, which pays homage to a few of the league's oldest fan traditions. Developed by Honda's longstanding agency of record, RPA, the new 30-second spot, "Passionate Fans," first aired during the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic.
"This new spot gives Honda the opportunity to showcase its commitment to the sport. 'Passionate Fans' celebrates favorite customs and the passion of the league's devotees," said Tom Peyton, Honda brand manager, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
The spot features Perry, the current league MVP, and 12-time All-Star Lidström walking from an arena after a late-night NHL game. As the pair prepares to depart in their Honda Pilot, a hat falls on the windshield, mirroring hard-core hockey fans' habit of tossing their hats toward the ice when an NHL player pulls off a hat trick, scoring three goals in a single game. As the stars exchange confused glances, wondering if the other had scored a hat trick recently, hats rain from the sky. As an octopus plops on the dashboard-a bow to Detroit Red Wings' fans habit of tossing these critters on the ice-a narrator says, "They've got passionate fans. We've got passionate fans."
"You don't typically find casual hockey fans-they are diehards by nature. Honda fans are also an enthusiastic bunch, so the two are a natural fit. This campaign ties the passion and tradition of the NHL directly to Honda," said Pat Mendelson, group creative director at RPA.
"Passionate Fans" will run on NBC and Versus and during sports programming. Print will appear in "USA Today" and online units will run online on NHL.com and NHL team sites.
Credits:
Spot: "Passionate Fans" (first air: 1/1/2012)
Agency: RPA
ECD: Joe Baratelli
GCD: Pat Mendelson
GCD: Jason Sperling
AD: Can Kadioglu
Jr. CW: Charles Patterson
Agency Executive Producer: Gary Paticoff
Agency Producer: Joshua Herbstman
Production Co: Alive&Well
Director: Alex Feil
DP: Christopher Sargent
Executive Producer: Phillip Detchmendy
Line Producer: Lawrence Lewis
Editorial Company: Spot Welders
Editor: Lucas Spaulding
Assistant Editor: Sophie Kornberg
Executive Producer: David Glean
Post Producer: Patrick McElroy
Telecine Company: CO3
Telecine Artist: Stefan Sonnenfeld
Telecine Executive Producer: Denise Brown
Visual Effects Company: Public
Lead Flame Artist: Max Harris
Visual Effects Producer: Stacy Aungst
Visual Effects Executive Producer: Kim Nagel
Title Design: Royale
Executive Producer: Danielle Hazan
Audio Post Company: Juice West
Audio Post Mixer: Bob Gremore
Sound Design Company: SOUTH
Executive Producer: Dan Pritkin
Celebrity Talent: Nicklas Lidström of the Detroit Red Wings, Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks