Helpful® Honda

AGENCY: SECRET WEAPON “Rick sittig’s agency”

ROLES: ACD, ART DIRECTOR, WRITER, ILLUSTRATOR, PHOTOGRAPHER, ANIMATOR, PRESENTATION DESIGNER, STORYBOARDER, experiential design, JACK OF ALL TRADES

The SoCal Honda Dealers aren’t jerks,
they’re Helpful®.

They roam in blue polos delivering Random Acts of Helpfulness. And even though Honda was outspent 3:1 by its closest competitor, it didn’t stop us from building a juggernaut of a campaign.

We climbed seven share points, generated millions in earned media (3.3M in ’23 alone), and became one of the most liked dealer campaigns of all time. 97% likeability.

Get the full scoop in the video on the right, then scroll down. This was a true 360 campaign, and with an idea like “Helpful,” we covered a lot.

AWARDS:
2018 Shorty AWARD Social Good Award
2020 New York Auto Show Best DAA Advertising

199 news stories worth $3.3 million in 2023

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Helpful videos viewed to completion 2.2x versus all other auto videos on YouTube

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Car shoppers who saw campaign are 2.3x as likely to visit a Honda Dealer VS shoppers who did not see campaign

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#1 preferred dealer group beating toyota who outspends 3:1

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LIKABILITY: 97% positive score after viewing campaign

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199 news stories worth $3.3 million in 2023 〰️ Helpful videos viewed to completion 2.2x versus all other auto videos on YouTube 〰️ Car shoppers who saw campaign are 2.3x as likely to visit a Honda Dealer VS shoppers who did not see campaign 〰️ #1 preferred dealer group beating toyota who outspends 3:1 〰️ LIKABILITY: 97% positive score after viewing campaign 〰️

REAL/
DOCU-STYLE

Who knew car dealership ads could pull at the heart strings? The Honda people are actors but the people we helped were real and the stories were 100% genuine.

CANDID/
HIDDEN CAMERA

Hidden behind fake bushes, security camera PTZs and false porty potties across the street. It always a blast to surprise real people with Helpfulness, it was such an experiment in human nature.

REALLY RANDOM
HELPFULNESS

Helpful was fun to lean into, but so was Random. We could show up anywhere, anytime, and we were always helpful, so we could crash just about anything.

360 All Over

This campaign went way beyond TV. We brought the idea to internet banners, ice cream trucks, print, concerts, state fairs, auto shows, and youth sports centers—pretty much anywhere with people that could be helped.

Budgets changed, styles shifted over the years. We mixed photography with illustration, scrappy with polished.

SPONSORSHIPS & PARTNERSHIPS

Dodgers, Angels, Rams, UCLA, USC, Ducks, Kings, Padres, Texas Rangers. The LA and San Diego Zoos. The Aquarium of the Pacific. We were everywhere.

But it wasn’t about slapping logos on things. It was about making each placement feel purposeful. The more Helpful it was, the more it made sense for us to be there.

Illustrations by me. When there was an opportunity to plus it up, I jumped in.

Photo Shoots!

Secret Weapon was a small agency, which meant making the most of every budget, big or small. Sometimes that meant stepping in to shoot stills for banners, asset libraries, or whatever the project needed.

A few favorites from nine years of making it work.