Honda taps ‘Ferris Bueller’ to win Best Viral Campaign
The carmaker paid homage to the iconic film with an extended commercial, as well as an unbranded mini-peek that threw its campaign into overdrive.
Repeat after me: “Bueller… Bueller… Bueller…?”
Early in 2012, American Honda tapped in to the established buzz about the 25th anniversary of the iconic movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” to promote its CR-V model to young drivers. Who better, after all, to convey a sense of freedom and fun than Mr. Do Everything in One Fantastic Day, Ferris Bueller himself—or, more accurately, his portrayer, Matthew Broderick.
The concept and its multilayered execution earned American Honda and RPA top honors in the Best Viral Campaign category in PR Daily’s Digital PR & Social Media Awards.
PR Daily’s 2012 Digital PR and Social Media Awards were presented by Synaptic Digital. Learn more about Synaptic Digital here (pdf).
The “Matthew’s Day Off” promotion turned back the proverbial odometer and had Broderick cruising in the newly redesigned CR-V, replete with music from and other homages to the original movie.
The campaign included a Super Bowl commercial, which was heralded by a YouTube teaser with a twist: The 10-second spot was unbranded. It generated a torrent of speculation that Honda was behind it.
Honda stayed mum.
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