There are many examples where brands faced huge outrage and loss due to some silly mistakes. We actually have a dedicated article that shows how big typo mistakes can be. Well, this time it is different because the way Honda has played with the minds of viewers, their New Year ad deserves so much respect and is giving us so many lessons about marketing.

We are talking about the print ad that was shown on the front page of all the leading newspapers of the country. The ad reads ‘Happy 2009‘ and this made people believe that there is some mistake. But when you look at the ad closely, one can see how they are mocking competitors.
After congratulating Happy 2009, the ad has text that reads “To the industry catching up this year, for we introduced the combi brake back then”. Here’s the ad we are writing about:

In the end, there is a message for New Year, that is Have a joyous 2019 which proves how creatively this ad has been made.

Also Read: Look How CARS 24 Got Caught In Their Latest Ad With A Wrong Communication

The objective behind all this was that the company wanted to show that they have been using the combi-brake system from 2009 and it is not a new technology. We believe, they have achieved the objective as people shared it with others thinking it as a marketing blunder. But in reality, it was a clever marketing stunt.

Great start to the year with a creative and fresh strategy, we appreciate the marketing team of Honda as such initiatives help others to learn a lot about marketing.