Ok, ok. Who saw the stunning debut of the all-new TV ad for Honda’s new Accord?
You know; the one with the skydivers. Terrific, wasn’t it. Well here’s a bit of background for you.
Filmed in the Mojave Dessert, California the ad features a large team of skydivers who formed shapes in the sky that hint at new technologies on the Honda Accord. These shapes include a suspension spring, a camera, a steering wheel; and ultimately the word ‘Accord’.
The live ad, shown on Channel 4 on Thursday 29th May at 8.10pm and filmed 'Live from Spain', takes its lead from this creative – with a team of 19 skydivers forming the letters ‘H’ ‘O’ ‘N’ ‘D’ ‘A’ within the live three minute time limit. Both ads are based on the wisdom of Honda’s founder, Soichiro Honda, who once said ‘Difficult is worth doing’.
“The campaign has been difficult, but it was definitely worth doing!” Harry Cooklin, Marketing Communications Manager of Honda (UK), said. “We are always looking to move the boundaries when it comes to our advertising, and so being involved in the UK’s first truly live TV advert is perfect for us. It provides the ideal platform to take us into the final phase of the Accord campaign.”
And here’s some interesting facts about the ‘Jump’ advertisement:
• 45 skydivers appear in the film
• Each jump required around five cameras in the air at any one time, with a maximum of one minute of footage captured on each jump
• The 35mm cameras used weigh 35lbs, and were worn on the helmets of cameramen – requiring considerable training to avoid snapping the neck of the wearer when they release their parachute
• The ad required the skills of famed aerial stunt coordinator BJ Worth – who has countless film credits including several Bond films over a 30-year period to his name
• BJ orchestrated six jumps per day for a total of 10 days
• Part of the shoot involved filming high speed divers reaching up to 300mph – meaning the cameraman had to curl up in a ball in order to fall faster than the skydiver
• The oldest skydiver who took part in the ad was 65.
