Super Bowl XXXIII Fits Into Honda Odyssey Game Plan

20 January 1999
Super Bowl XXXIII Fits Into Honda Odyssey Game Plan
    TORRANCE, Calif., Jan. 20 -- Honda will advertise its all-new
Odyssey minivan during the 1999 Super Bowl and has put together a complete
game plan to support it.
    The elements of the multi-media Super Bowl package were developed by
Honda's advertising agency, Rubin Postaer and Associates.  It includes a
television commercial, print ads, a dealer merchandising package and an
Internet sweepstakes -- all targeted to appeal to current and perspective
minivan owners
    "With one Super Bowl commercial you can reach more than 43 million
households and the key word is households," said Paul Sellers, national
advertising manager at American Honda Motor Co., Inc.  "Watching the Super
Bowl has become an event for the entire family and that's exactly who we're
targeting with our Odyssey campaign, the whole family."
    The Odyssey television ad, which is scheduled to air during the fourth
commercial break of the game's second quarter, features a courtroom situation
built around a family's negotiations to select the perfect minivan.  The
advertisement highlights each family member's requirements as presented by a
different attorney -- versatile seating options for the twins, cargo space for
mom, a surplus of cupholders for junior and a fold-down magic third seat for
the family dog.
    Backing the television ad is an Odyssey print ad to be featured in USA
Today's Super Bowl special section on Friday, Jan. 29.  The campaign also
includes the Odyssey Family Getaway Internet sweepstakes.  Through Internet
advertising banners on Web sites that match the audience demographics of
potential Odyssey buyers, consumers are asked to answer a question about the
Odyssey, qualifying them to win an all-expense paid trip for four to see the
Broadway production of the Lion King in New York.  To double their chance to
win, participants can return to the site during and after the game to answer a
question about the Honda commercial seen on the Super Bowl.
    "To take full advantage of a commercial on the Super Bowl and get maximum
return on investment, you need to put together a complete promotional
package," Sellers noted.  "It's not just an ad during the second quarter of
the game, it's a whole month of promotions."
    Consumers can enter the sweepstakes now through Feb. 6 at
http://www.honda1999.com/odysseypromo, disney.com/ads/sponsors/honda/index.html or
through the floating advertising banner on one of six sites owned by Buena
Vista Internet Group Web Sites.  The sites include abc.com; abcnews.com;
oprah.com; disney.com; espn.com and infoseek.com.
    The Super Bowl promotion also includes a dealer merchandising package with
all Honda dealers receiving an oversized Odyssey football jersey, Super Bowl
program, hat and a commemorative pin.