19.9.08

Honda Pilot Nudist Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tcqWk4je3U

First of all I just want to say that my favorite Honda Pilot commercial is the one with the Bison, but that one wasn't available online anymore so I had to settle for the Nudist commercial, which is funny, but not as funny as the Bison one.
The argument of this ad is buy a Honda Pilot.
I think the audience for this commercial is young to middle -aged parents. Although the ad has a goofy humor which is often indicative of ads aimed at younger target markets, the driver of the car is a parent, assuming the person in the passenger seat is his son. Also the ad highlights a specific feature of the Honda Pilot that adults would be interested in- a rear view camera - something that would prevent them from running over their child's bike, the neighbor's cat, or even save them from having to turn around and try to concentrate on the road with a bunch of nudists in the back seat (see the commercial).
This argument is made mostly through the use of pathos. There is some ethos involved, considering that the ad is put out by Honda, which is in and of itself a trusted and therefore credible source. But the humor of the ad - using the rear camera instead of turning around to back up because of all the nudists in the backseats - is an appeal to pathos. The emotion of the ad is not only inherent in the humor, but the feeling that such a feature would make driving safer - something that everyone wants. Although I think the appeal to logic plays a minimal role in the commercial, the viewer does have to logical conclude that having a rear view camera would keep them safer because they have a wider scope of vision/fewer blind spots, etc.
I think this ad is effective because although it targets adults, younger people can appreciate the humor as well and in a market where tweens and teens are playing an increasingly important role in decided what families purchase, the fact that it appeals to them with humor, and to their parents by providing information about the car is a winning combination.

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