Honda has revealed its Super Bowl advertisements for the 2017 model of its Ridgeline truck, almost two weeks before it will be played to an audience that is expected to be made up of over 100 million people across the country.
The car maker tapped Bryan Buckley, an Oscar-nominated director that has been dubbed as the "King of the Super Bowl" due to the over 40 Super Bowl commercials under his belt, to helm the advertisement, which features Honda's new Ridgeline and a flock of sheep singing to a Queen song.
Yes, you read that right.
The 60-second advertisement opens with a rancher hauling several sheep into his Ridgeline, with the help of his sheepdog. While doing so, Queen's "Somebody to Love" is playing through the in-bed speakers of the truck, and when the rancher leaves, the flock continue singing from where the song left off.
The advertisement not only signals the return of Honda to the Super Bowl, but also the return of the Ridgeline to the truck market. The pickup packs several innovative features such as the in-bed audio system featured in the advertisements, along with a storage trunk in the truck's bed and a dual-action tailgate.
"Great Super Bowl spots are entertaining for the fans while communicating an essential value of the product, and we believe our Honda Ridgeline commercial accomplishes both objectives in dramatic fashion," said Honda Automobile Division senior VP and general manager Jeff Conrad.
Conrad added that due to the shared interests of potential truck buyers with the game of football, the upcoming Super Bowl is seen as the perfect event to unveil the 2017 model of the Ridgeline.
The 60-second advertisement for the 2017 Honda Ridgeline will launch a wider campaign spanning several platforms to re-introduce the pickup to the market, including initiatives in online locations and different screens.
Included in its digital campaign is a move by Honda to take over the home pages of MSN and ESPN on Feb. 7 and Feb. 8, along with short videos to be uploaded on the social channels of Honda before the big game and after it to highlight the new features of the Ridgeline.
The last Super Bowl advertisement of Honda was in 2014, when it had a spot that featured actor Bruce Willis and comedian Fred Armisen. The company did not have an advertisement for last year's Super Bowl.
