How Honda is marketing Prologue, its first mainstream EV

American Honda is channeling its history of technological breakthroughs to begin teasing its first mass-marketed electric vehicle, the Prologue, which hits dealers early next year.

The vehicle made its first mainstream ad appearance in Honda’s latest “Power of Dreams” campaign that debuted on TV this weekend during NFL games. 

The ad, from Honda agency of record RPA and voiced by brand spokesman John Cena, begins by showing the 1975 Honda Civic, which the automaker credits as the first car to use an engine that met strict emissions standards set by the U.S. Clean Air Act without a catalytic converter. The spot goes on to highlight the 2000 Honda Insight, the first mass-marketed gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle sold in the U.S.; and the 2008 Honda Clarity, a zero-emissions, hydrogen-powered vehicle.

It also highlights modern-day breakthroughs, including some still in development, such as the Honda eVTOL, an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. 

The Prologue only makes a brief appearance in the spot (around the 12-second mark, right before Honda plugs its hybrid Formula 1 racecar) — but the inclusion of the new EV marks the beginning of a marketing push that will pick up speed in the first quarter of 2024 when it goes on sale.

Honda has experimented with EVs before, including a battery-electric Honda Fit in 2013 and 2014, but the Prologue crossover represents its first EV that will seek mass sales. The automaker is a bit late to the EV game, with most major automakers already selling an EV of some kind — with many of them marketed on big advertising stages such as the Super Bowl. 

But Jessika Laudermilk, assistant vice president for American Honda marketing, said the Prologue launch is “actually great timing for us.” 

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She suggested that consumers are starting to overcome barriers to buying EVs, including so-called range anxiety (the fear of not getting as far as you want to go on a single charge) as charging networks begin to mature. Honda is among a group of major automakers that have recently announced it will adopt Tesla charging technology that will allow drivers to take advantage of Tesla’s charging network.

In a survey published in June, Cox Automotive found that 32 percent of people interested in buying EVs cited the lack of charging stations as a barrier, down from 40 percent a year earlier.

Cox forecasts that 1 million new EVs will be sold in the U.S. in 2023, twice the volume sold in 2021 — but EVs will still only account for less than 8 percent of total new-vehicle sales in 2023, even though 33 new EV models launched in 2023. Price remains a major concern, according to Cox, with 43 percent of its survey respondents saying EVs are too expensive.

The Prologue will be priced in the high $40,000 range, with Honda hoping to sell 30,000 to 45,000 of them by the end of the year with a long-term annual goal of 70,000, Jonathon Rivers, product planning manager for American Honda, told Automotive News. “It is going to be a very aggressive target,” Rivers said.

Which means marketing will play a key role. With the “Power of Dreams” spot, Honda is leaning into its history of innovations as a way to separate itself from the increasingly crowded EV pack, Laudermilk said. It began leaning into the longtime corporate tagline in 2021, setting the stage for its entry into mass-marketed EVs. Honda’s goal is to convert 100% of its sales from gasoline engines to zero emissions by 2040, according to Automotive News.

With the new ad, called “Keep Dreaming,” Honda is “showcasing all the amazing things that this company does. And ‘The Power of Dreams’is such a strong company tagline,” Loudermilk told Ad Age. The ad will help differentiate Honda “versus some of the other brands out there that have EVs” by referencing “our long history of electrification and trying to lower emissions.”

The ad buy is heavy on sports programming. The NFL buy will include Amazon Prime’s “Thursday Night Football” starting next week, following the ad’s debut with this Sunday’s games. The automaker is also planning buys in NBA and NHL programming, as well as college football. Honda will also bring the Prologue to TwitchCon in Las Vegas from Oct. 20-22, where it is planning streamer meet-and-greets and merchandise giveaways.

The automaker will also erect a “Wall of Dreams” mural in locations including Times Square in New York and downtown Los Angeles, at the Hollywood and Highland intersection. The wall, which Honda says will include “unique artwork and epic visual story of Honda innovation past, present and future,” includes a digital component — viewers can scan a QR code for an augmented reality experience.

The campaign will run through December and will be followed by the official launch campaign set to begin at the end of January, Laudermilk said. It won’t include a Super Bowl spot, she said, but will get a “heavy emphasis,” including targeted marketing in states where EV sales have momentum, including California.