Page 33 - On The Move - Volume 17, Issue 1

Honda Embraces Spotlight as Rivals Back Away from Auto Shows

Like a beacon of light, Honda’s new show stand offered a contrast with show, for example, as a product specialist walked around the new CR-V Hybrid
the darker displays of some of its peers during November’s expo in Los Ange- with a camera, on a big screen, visitors saw the vehicle augmented with digital
les. overlays describing its various aspects.
That’s on purpose. Honda wants to create a vibrant, enthusiastic atmo- The new show booth also emphasizes brand immersion. The combination
sphere for visitors to its stand. Not so much for the auto writers who blow in of Honda’s racing heritage, safety commitment, fuel-efficiency leadership and
for a couple days, but for the real audience: future car buyers who attend the new products could help shape consumer attitudes. Future buyers who were
dozens of shows across the country and use them to add vehicles and brands perhaps not including the brand on their shortlist may add it based on the
to their shopping lists, or to scratch them off. experience.
Honda and its luxury marque, Acura, are not pulling back from auto “If you’re not here,” Marie said, “you might not get added.”
shows like some brands that are experimenting with alternative events that Source: Automotive News
can generate a bigger media bang for their buck. American Honda wants the
press coverage, like everybody else, but its real purpose with the convention
halls is creating a flagship showroom to sell cars.
“From a consumer standpoint, auto shows are stable and growing in
importance,” said Sage Marie, assistant vice president for public relations at
American Honda. “From a media standpoint, the dynamic is definitely chang-
ing. The way automakers leverage auto shows to deploy news is changing.”
GMC Finds New Customers Honda’s custom-built stand is designed to be user-friendly, with lots of
light and multiple visitor stations with interactive features. There’s a safety
area with a crashed Civic and product specialists to talk about crumple zones
and next-generation airbags. Other stations focus on the company’s racing her-
itage, its eco-friendly models, accessories for its crossovers and its sponsorship
of esports, with on-site video games and visits from top players.
The stand also features a parklike atmosphere with trees similar to
the ones in the lobby of Honda’s North American headquarters in Southern
California and a “living wall” of plants similar to one at global headquarters in
Japan.
“Generally, the concept was to be very bright and optimistic,” Marie told
Automotive News from the stand during its debut in Los Angeles. “You look
around the rest of the hall, and it’s kind of dark and brooding. So, we literally
wanted to be like a bright, shining beacon. The main focus of this is to give
people an environment to shop for cars.”
While media fragmentation has complicated the marketing equation
at major auto shows in Los Angeles, Chicago and other markets, the expos
remain attractive venues for millions of would-be shoppers, including younger
customers who want to touch and feel the autos they have mostly only inter-
acted with online while doing research. The shows are a no-pressure alterna-
tive to traditional dealerships.
“It’s fishing where the fish are,” said Marie.
According to Honda’s research, about 70 percent of show attendees
across the country are within 12 months of buying a car. And around 6 million
people attend auto shows during the course of a year. Visitors come to shop
and be entertained, so Honda has presentations at its main stage using aug-
mented reality to show how certain features of its vehicles work — at the L.A.

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