‘A car designed for all the things life throws at us’ is the proposition for a new ad from Honda Jazz, UK. As a proposition it may not sound path-breakingly new but what W+K have done with the execution is definitely so. The ad (fantastic CG, great sequel to ‘Grrr‘) ends with a link to an iPhone app. Once the iPhone app is downloaded, you can use it to ‘interact’ with the ads. As the PR blurb says:
Use your iPhone to catch and play with characters as they fly out of the Honda Jazz film.
Whether you’re watching it on your TV, computer, or on another iPhone, just reach out and grab the characters as they appear on the screen. Try to collect them all, and keep an eye out for some unpredictable extras. Make sure to keep the sound loud and clear wherever you play. The flashing icon on the home screen’s top-left corner shows that your iPhone is listening to the film.This new technique, known as “screen hoping”, uses advanced audio recognition to sync with the film’s soundtrack, allowing you to interact with what’s happening in the film in real time.
I downloaded the app and was soon swinging my phone across the laptop screen as the ad played (managed to catch one character at the time of writing).
With several screens being switched on at the same time (laptop, mobile and maybe even the TV), chances of interaction with the ad are pretty high. Interesting use of media and a great example of the approach to new advertising.