Honda Accord 2003 Hispanic Effort.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. debuted this week national Hispanic advertising for the 2003 Accord, featuring an original :30 TV spot, :60 radio spot and print ads created by Honda’s Hispanic agency-of-record La Agencia de Orci’ & Asociados.

In the new campaign, Honda positions the 2003 Accord, its flagship model, as a luxurious experience in driving. In the ads, the Accord is presented as a “driver-focused” car, with many luxury and performance features, while continuing to deliver the comfort, safety, engineering and quality expected in a mid-size family sedan. Based on research conducted in Hispanic focus groups in New York, Miami and Los Angeles, the ads target Latino males in their early 30’s with families.

The 2003 Honda Accord is the latest redesign of the Accord model since 1998. Highlights of the redesign include improved performance (240 horsepower) and numerous near-luxury features, including an optional navigation system with voice activation, heated leather seats, steering wheel mounted audio controls, a tilt and telescopic steering column, dual-zone automatic climate control system, progressive self-illuminating gauges, front and side air bags, and side-curtain airbags.

The Spanish-language spots will air nationally on Spanish-language TV and radio networks the week of Sept. 16, and will run simultaneous to the general market campaign. The TV spot also will air on English-language cable networks with high Hispanic viewership, including VH-1, Discovery, and MTV. The print ads will break in October.

“With the launch of the redesigned 2003 Accord, Honda has every intention of holding on to our 11-year Hispanic sales leadership position in the mid-size sedan segment,” said Barbara Ponce, Manager Emerging Markets, National Advertising, American Honda Motor Co. Inc. “The new Hispanic Accord ads promote the fact that the 2003 Accord offers upscale features, previously only available in luxury sedans. The 2003 Honda Accord advertising will formally re-introduce the Latino consumer to next generation of the car they already know and love.”

“With the 2003 Accord model, we took a slightly different creative approach to make the Latino Accord purchase more of an emotional decision,” said Robert Santiago, Account Director at La Agencia de Orcí & Asociados. “The goal of the Hispanic Accord campaign is to communicate how Honda has built upon its reputation of quality and dependability by demonstrating the new Accord features and styling that deliver an unexpected pleasure everyone will approve of.”

Description of the TV spot
In the TV spot for the Honda Accord “Sounds Good,” a man admires and is surprised by the upscale look and sounds of his all-new 2003 Accord. Sounds include the solid closing of the door; the comfortable leather seats; the high-tech navigation system; the adjustable steering wheel, armrests and seats; the sunroof and the powerful engine. In the end, the sounds of the Accord mix to create a crescendo of upbeat, modern sounds highlighting the 2003 Accord’s new luxurious features. The spot closes with the super asking, “When was the last time a car sounded this good?”