Honda touts 'Get used to being first' line for Malaysia

Lowe & Partners teamed up with Interpublic stablemate Draft for the advertising and below-the-line launch. The campaign uses the tagline 'Get used to being first', based on the premise that the new Honda Civic can boast a number of firsts in its class. The features include its two-litre engine, a five-speed automatic transmission and keyless entry. The TV-led campaign also includes extensive outdoor, print, radio, and POS, said Khairudin Rahim, managing director of Lowe Malaysia, adding that the objective was to "lead to test drives and consequent purchase consideration for the new and more powerful Honda Civic". Targeting family men in their early 30s, them to campaign aims encourage the upgrade them to upgrade from national brands like the Malaysian-owned Proton to the Honda Civic. Lowe created the campaign after landing the business in mid-April, when it beat Chuo Senko and Hakuhodo for the account. Draft coordinated the launch event for the new model. "To communicate the message of a more powerful Civic to motoring journalists and dealers, we literally made the ballroom resonate with raw power during the launch event," said Sean Sim, managing director of Draft Malaysia. Honda's key competitors in the market are Toyota Altis and the Nissan Sentra as well as emerging Korean brands Kia and Hyundai. Honda's 2003 adspend hit US$3 million, and its year-to-date spend is fast approaching $1 million. According to the Malaysian Automotive Association, sales of Honda passenger and commercial vehicles rose to 36,047 units in May this year, up 14 per cent over 2003. The new Civic is locally assembled and therefore subject to lower import duties, which allow for units to be priced at a competitive RM124,000 (US$33,000).