While Thompson helped elevate the Honda brand to an aspirational purchase, the all-action Dodds has already put his own, results-oriented stamp on the Japanese marque.
A wrestler, power-boat racer and quad-bike instructor in his spare time - the 32-year-old Dodds won a silver medal representing Great Britain in the European wrestling championships in 1998 - it is his dedication to getting the best results that has characterised his first six months as head of marketing.
Inferno managing director Fraser Gibney, who worked with Dodds in his previous capacity as head of marketing for Honda's power equipment arm, says he is 'not about ego or profile; his working perspective is incredibly commercial. If he's interested in awards, it's for commercial effectiveness, not creativity.' Gibney adds that Dodds is empowering. 'If you gain his trust, you'll gain a lot, but he's also a harsh judge who has very high expectations.'
Dodds' take on the subject of garnering awards for advertising reveals much about his pragmatism. He concedes that gongs can be good for motivating dealers, but that is the extent of his tolerance for adland back-slapping. 'We have a commercial job to do and if we don't succeed, the only purpose of an award is something to pad my backside with when someone is kicking it,' he says.
If he does not get a rush from industry recognition for the company's marketing, he certainly does from working for a firm that is associated with speed in all its forms. Honda is currently riding high on Jenson Button's recent first Formula One win for the team. 'If you work here, racing is in your blood; it's difficult not be immersed in it,' he says. 'A lot of our employees have motorcycle licences and we have our own powerboat team.'
It's all a far cry from an earlier role, working for Dixons Stores Group, where he was a store manager for The Link. Dodds soon realised it wasn't a career path he wanted to follow and moved into the auto industry, which he believed would be better suited to his interests. 'Toasters and coffee machines don't quite cut it,' he says.
Despite his love of speed, Dodds admits that he has actually left behind a faster-moving sector. 'Retail moves a lot faster (than automotive),' he says. 'Here, about 30% of the job is looking at today, the rest is spent looking at the long term.'
It is this long-term marketing horizon that Dodds is currently scrutinising. The company has produced some of the most creative automotive advertising in recent years, with Cannes gold-winning ads such as 'Cog' and 'Grrr'. However, the effectiveness of the strategy in driving sales is now being questioned.
There has been industry speculation that Honda's policy of concentrating on brand over product was under threat. As if to reinforce this opinion, Dodds has dropped media strategists Naked, which had worked with the firm since 2002.
Dodds is adamant that the brand focus will continue, but 'with an eye on the bottom line'. The shift in emphasis has led to an increase in the volume of Honda's online presence, which had, he believes, been neglected in favour of TV advertising. The company's next campaign will be entirely digital.
This online focus is intended to reflect a change in the way people buy cars. In the past, customers would visit a number of dealers to see what was on offer before parting with their cash. 'Now they tend to research on the web to the point that they know as much as the salesmen, and when they're ready to buy, they visit one or two dealerships,' explains Dodds.
The coming year will see Honda break into the premium-car market with the launch of executive model the Legend. Dodds' wrestling skills could well prove handy as the marque seeks to grab share from the big boys at BMW and Audi.
CAREER HISTORY
1991-1992: Store manager, Vodafone
1992-1995: Store manager, The Link, Dixons Stores Group
1995-1998: Group finance manager, Nissan-Peugeot dealers
1998-2002: Company sales manager, Volvo
2002-2006: Head of marketing for power equipment, Honda
2006-present: Head of marketing, Honda
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