Honda has expanded its creative village by hiring Special Australia to work on its automotive division, B&T can reveal.
Previously, Howatson+Company was the sole agency handling creative and media across Honda’s portfolio of product lines, which includes cars, marine, motorcycles and power equipment.
Under the new arrangement, Howatson+Company will continue to focus on marine, motorcycles and power equipment, with a lawn and garden campaign imminent.
The addition of Honda provides Special with a prestigious automotive client, one of the few notable category gaps in the agency’s client book.
Honda’s GM of brand, marketing & customer experience, Eva Barrett, told B&T that Special has been appointed to focus on its automotive division after a “period of significant activity in market”.
“By expanding our creative village, we’re ensuring we have the brightest and most creative minds across the different Honda business units, providing a strong foundation from which we can tell the Honda story and more effectively launch exciting new vehicles such as the new Prelude, CR-V and Honda ZR-V,” Barrett said.
“Howatson+Co remain part of the village and are currently focussed on delivering a new lawn and garden campaign to launch this Spring/Summer.”
Special Australia was appointed to Honda’s roster without a review, B&T understands. Barrett previously worked with Special during her time at Kathmandu.
Special Melbourne partner and chief strategy officer Bec Stambanis described the Honda as a “creative powerhouse”.
“It is no secret that we have been huge fans of Honda and their Power of Dreams philosophy for decades,” she said.
“We are beyond excited to partner with Eva and the team as we carry the torch through this next chapter in Honda’s story and bring their impressive new auto lineup to Australia with love and care.”
Barrett joined Honda’s marketing team a year ago, which is led by head of marketing Terri Golder, launching Honda’s ‘Unstoppable Dreams’ campaign earlier this year (see above).
In May 2024, Honda overhauled its agency model by appointing Howatson+Company as its sole agency across creative and media, with Lution helping to establish an in-house studio. As part of that move, incumbents Zenith Media, Leo Burnett and Wavemaker declined to pitch, leaving Howatson+Company in pole position to win what was a landmark full-service remit for the independent agency.
Honda, whose half yearly Australian sales dropped by 7.3 per cent to 8,068 units, appears to have returned to a creative village model to jump start its marketing efforts in a challenged and highly competitive automotive market.
Reporting by Arvind Hickman and Tom Fogden.
