Back in 2014 Honda UK decided that rather than advertise a car, it would push the fact that it was an engineering company by showcasing its history and diverse range of products.
The company's previous "Power of Dreams" campaign, which included iconic ads like "Cog" and "The Impossible Dream," had become well-known for their compelling and fascinating content and execution.
But there was a growing sense that Honda had faded from public consciousness, which made it crucial to reestablish the company's presence and creativity.
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The result was a new TV commercial that depicted the hands of an engineer (hence the name...) who transforms various Honda products into one another, seamlessly combining Honda's engineering history with future technology, featuring a range of products from leaf blowers and lawnmowers to the original Honda Civic and the Honda Jet.
Choosing which Honda products to include in the commercial was apparently a challenging task and the selection process involved assessing each product's "unique Honda story" and potential interest to viewers. For example, the commercial briefly references the late Formula One champion Ayrton Senna's involvement in designing the NSX, leaving curious viewers to discover more on their own.
To create the ad the agency apparently modelled CAD data for each product before creating small CG versions of them. A hand model then interacted with miniature wooden models, following a complex storyboard.
During filming, the hand model had to memorise hand movements and positions since the camera setup obstructed their view. Finally, the animation was stitched together, with additional layers of detail added for an impressive final result.
