Honda launches new brand campaign Down Under

Honda Australia has launched a new ad campaign Down Under, in a bid to reinvent itself amid slowing sales since its controversial move to a fixed-price agency model in recent years.

Featuring current F1 champion Max Verstappen as well as the late Ayrton Senna, among others, Honda says its new ‘Unstoppable Dreams’ campaign brings to life its long-standing philosophy and slogan, The Power of Dreams, while also highlighting ‘a celebration of the idea that true success is often built on the lessons learned from failure’.

It comes just days after the Japanese brand cut ties with Nissan, announcing in a statement a strategic merger between the two Japanese car brands would no longer be going ahead.

It also comes as the brand’s sales have slowed in recent years – including a 19 per cent year-on-year drop in sales in 2022 – despite producing more positive results in the last 12 months to December 2024, where it sold a total of 14,092 vehicles in Australia (up 2.6 per cent compared to 2023).

Now the brand is attempting to reinvent itself, kicking off with a 60-second clip that’ll appear across several channels, including broadcast television, social media, and online.

The clip features its new Prelude concept hitting the track, along with athletes competing across a range of motorsport disciplines. At first the ad appears to be a disheartening story of failure, until the accompanying poem is read again backwards, quickly turning a negative story into one of hope and positivity.

Directed by Rupert Sanders, Honda says the new ad showcases how personal setbacks can serve as the greatest teacher and catalyst to achieve big dreams.

“We want to inspire our customers and fans by celebrating those who follow their dreams, including the almost mythic status of the late Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna and the three-time reigning FIA Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen,” said Eva Barrett, General Manager Brand, Marketing and CX at Honda Australia.

“This new Honda campaign delivers a reassuring message of how determination and self-belief can lead to resounding triumph.”

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