On the evolution of the TV ad….
Without doubt TV advertising is more sophisticated these days. Most ads now centre on the brand and tie in lifestyle notes, rather than being focussed on the hard sell. New TV formats are the underlying pressure for making advertising more entertaining and compelling. Now the success of an advert is also measured through social and YouTube, which is sometimes even more important than being successful on prime time TV.
Success now is not just about it going viral but also the level and quality of engagement, viewers, and creating unique experiences. It's now just as much about making the entire advertising experience unique and imaginative as it is ensuring a compelling message.
On the role TV advertising has played for Honda…
I'm lucky to be a part of a brand which has set the precedent in TV advertising - from Cog through to the Impossible Dream, we have produced some groundbreaking ads in recent years.
No matter what our focus is, we need to remain compelling, imaginative and thought provoking
TV has always been important for Honda, but other platforms are equally important now. Our approach is to make sure we have a mix of brand and product TV advertising - they work hand in hand and address both short and long term strategies. As a company which covers a wide range of products – from cars to lawnmowers – no matter what our focus is, we need to remain compelling, imaginative and thought provoking. This has helped us introduce customers to the Honda through numerous touch points. We like to play upon our rich history as part of our continuous brand story.
On what TV will look like in the future - 10, 20 and 60 years....
TV, or should I say AV advertising, won't go away. There is always room for good advertising, and if executed well, people enjoy advertising. The large amounts of ads being viewed and shared on YouTube and on other social media is clear evidence of this.
It’s already become very fragmented as people have multiple sources and devices for their viewing. While it is hard to predict 60 years from now, we can see that the personalisation of TV is a major element. Niche programming will evolve and as a brand we need to also be as personal as possible with our approach.
In less than 10 years we will be able to tailor our ads based on what we know about the customers, their lifestyles, choices of programming. So for every ad, we have 10 or 20 different executions.
But without doubt, TV advertising needs to be more flexible and accommodating to the consumer, otherwise they will just switch off.