Hondafilter!

July 10, 2003 1:25 PM

The latest Honda television commercial, "Sense" being shown in the UK, is the follow up to the widely discussed "Cog." It's quite not as cool as its predecessor, but still, an elegant, interesting concept. Apologies for the somewhat low quality of the java video stream.
posted by jonson (23 comments total)

Another cool, interesting Honda ad...

But am I supposed to feel depressed after watching it? Between the music and the darkness, it felt like the theme was "Honda: The car for a bleark, dreary existence"....
posted by crookdimwit at 1:45 PM on July 10, 2003

crookdimwit: the only mefite who could say "bleark" and SELL it.
posted by oog at 1:50 PM on July 10, 2003

My Pepsi Blue automatically pours itself down the drain.
posted by machaus at 2:13 PM on July 10, 2003

While the Honda ad is sparking lots of cheap wannabes, the one on this site impressed me with its special effects and production values. (It's a flash site so I can't link directly - you have to click thru to enter, and then play the top clip on the right - sound alert!)
posted by madamjujujive at 2:20 PM on July 10, 2003

I just crashed Mozilla into a Honda. I'm glad I paid up on my collision insurance.
posted by elwoodwiles at 2:33 PM on July 10, 2003

fuck adverts!
posted by mokey at 2:38 PM on July 10, 2003

madamjujujive, the 118118 flash video is actually a spoof on the original 1987 film by Peter Fischli and David Weiss called 'Der Lauf Der Dinge' (The Way Things Go). There have been lawyers involved.

BTW, here is a mwv version of 118118.
posted by tomplus2 at 3:15 PM on July 10, 2003

An article on this advert.
posted by woil at 3:23 PM on July 10, 2003

Slightly better format.
posted by woil at 3:26 PM on July 10, 2003

I'm still outraged that the cog ad creators have yet to even acknowledge that they were influenced by The Way Things Go. It's just so fucking blatant.
posted by machaus at 3:43 PM on July 10, 2003

Thanks woil, it's a very cool commercial. Why does Europe get all the cool comercials anyway?
posted by elwoodwiles at 3:57 PM on July 10, 2003

Hold me!
posted by signal at 3:57 PM on July 10, 2003

Speaking of Hondas, I've been driving one for 7 years but it needs to be taken out back and shot.. so i'm trying to figure out what I should replace it with.. i'm thinking another Honda. just not sure what..

Oh, and as a side note- anyone remember Mouse Trap? ;)
posted by shadow45 at 4:22 PM on July 10, 2003

Get one of them hybrid cars. The ones that turn into robots.
posted by jonson at 4:24 PM on July 10, 2003

machaus, I'd say this quote from tomplus2's article seems like an acknowledgement to me:

"W&K's creative director Tony Davidson has told Creative Review that Fischli and Weiss's film 'Der Lauf Der Dinge' was only one of the inspirations for the ad and argued: "Advertising references culture and always has done."
posted by Uncle Ira at 4:32 PM on July 10, 2003

Whoah, it's a world full of attentive user interfaces! Finally, something I can relate to!
posted by krunk at 4:34 PM on July 10, 2003

so i'm trying to figure out what I should replace it with

I recently switched from a land rover discovery to a VW Jetta turbo-diesel. I'm actually getting ~49mpg in normal driving. And after the initial break-in period, you only have to change the oil every 10k miles (according to the manual). VW also publishes environmental info for all of its car factories too.
posted by jsonic at 7:16 PM on July 10, 2003

Finally a movie delivery format that is not spyware-compliant (e.g. RealPlayer)!

Not requiring a sotware install is an added bonus, of course.

The quality needs a little bit of work, tho'.
posted by spazzm at 7:32 PM on July 10, 2003

"Advertising references culture and always has done."

I'm sure it's a Britishism, but damn, that "done" looks weird hanging from the end of that sentence.
posted by kindall at 11:31 PM on July 10, 2003

i do like the new Honda adverts, but I wish they'd actually advertise a product rather than the brand.
posted by twine42 at 6:21 AM on July 11, 2003

I just watched the new ad, "sense". HOLY COW, I love it! What a great film short, I mean "ad".
posted by tomplus2 at 7:14 AM on July 11, 2003

anybody know what the specific technology is that they are trying to promote here? I guess hondas now "sense" something or other and do something or other accordingly?
posted by rorycberger at 11:22 AM on July 11, 2003

As the ad itself indicates, the technology being promoted is IMA (Integrated Motor Assist), which lets the engine turn off when it's not being used. This page claims that Honda is attempting to make IMA a brand that consumers recognize in its own right, like Dolby, so they can find it on other vehicles besides the Civic Hybrid.
posted by kindall at 1:45 PM on July 11, 2003