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Problem: To create a 2 page newspaper spread that promoted the Honda brand by tying it to Honda cars racing in the Molson Indy in Vancouver.

Solution: Honda has a line-up of vehicles that have very clear attributes which are matched with audience desires for each model. For instance, the Odyssey is known for safety, the Accord for style, the CRV for storage and good urban mileage and ease of parking, the Pilot for power, the Insight for hybrid fuel alternative. I was required to study Honda research extensively to be sure anything I wrote was strategically "inside the box". Because Honda, through the Indy and other races, pushes its cars to the limits, this extreme is the benchmark for the engineering it then uses throughout its lineup. I wrote the headline Now it's your turn. Drive Home the Lessons They learned. The purpose was to encourage the readers to take action (drive on home from the lot) and convince them that each Honda carries within it the DNA of the racing car. I worked on the layout with Steve Robinson of Harfield Associates Marketing to create the two newspaper spread.

Result: At the time Honda sales continued to lead the field locally & nationally and the elevation of the brand to align with the Indy racing assisted the promotion of value over price, a Honda long term positioning.