Dive Brief:
- Honda is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for a new Dream Generator experience that promotes its all-electric Prologue SUV, per details shared with Marketing Dive. The Prologue is Honda’s first zero-emissions SUV.
- The Dream Generator tasks consumers with answering a few questions before generating a custom, creative film featuring the Prologue SUV. The effort was developed exclusively for Honda in collaboration with Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab.
- The Dream Generator can be accessed via call-to-action banners on Amazon, and it will soon be available on more Amazon devices, including the Echo Show. The effort is tied to the launch campaign for the 2024 Prologue, which will roll out in its entirety throughout 2024.
Dive Insight:
Honda is touting endless possibilities for its new all-electric Prologue SUV with the launch of the Dream Generator. The experience, billed in release details as a first-of-its-kind campaign for Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab, is fueled by 1stAveMachine’s AI technology and is available across Amazon, which could help the automaker attract a wider audience.
“The launch of the all-new, all-electric Honda Prologue is a pivotal moment for the brand, and we wanted our customers to enjoy an innovative and engaging campaign befitting Honda’s first zero-emissions SUV,” said Phil Hruska, senior manager, Honda Marketing, in release details.
The Dream Generator guides Amazon customers to answer a few questions that serve to personalize their experience. After submitting their responses, a custom film is generated — made from a collection of story themes, imagery and sounds — spotlighting the Prologue SUV. The experience leverages AI-generated animation from 1stAveMachine using traditional hand-drawn animation cells, per release details, with characters first illustrated by hand before being transformed into the video’s 3D environments using generative AI.
Experiences made possible by Honda’s Dream Generator could include a leafy jungle terrain with dinosaurs, a magic cloud world, a microscopic garden jungle or even outer space, per release details. With over 190 story variations possible, the Dream Generator “exemplifies creative collaboration,” Kate McCagg, director of Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab, said in release details. The experience fuses the creative know-how of illustrators, animation artists, 3D artists, film directors and AI developers.
The Dream Generator experience is part of an integrated launch marketing campaign for the 2024 Prologue, which also includes a “Next Gen Dreamers” TV spot that is currently airing. The full campaign will roll out through 2024. The Dream Generator, launched with agency RPA, isn’t the first time Honda has leveraged AI for its creative marketing plays: In January, the automaker tied AI into its “Chasing Greatness” campaign to highlight its TrailSport truck models.
The Dream Generator creates stories on the Amazon users’ preferred device, including desktop, mobile phone or on Fire TV. In addition to being accessible through CTA banners on Amazon, the Dream Generator was promoted via an Amazon.com homepage takeover on March 15 timed to its launch. The experience will also expand to more Amazon devices down the line, including through a custom branded experience on Echo Show devices that leverages voice-activation with Amazon Alexa.
Honda is among a growing list of brands who have experimented with AI as the buzzy tech continues to drum up excitement in the marketing space and beyond. The automaker has also been no stranger to new creative opportunities geared toward reaching new audiences, having in the past set up shop in Fortnite via the Hondaverse and taken to TikTok to promote the Honda Civic.
