Media

Today, "The Super Civic Quest," the most ambitious digital quest ever created, with 30 unique clues and seven unique pieces of custom content launches on the Honda Civic Facebook page. Players are uniquely rewarded for their clue-solving with Facebook® Credits and Amazon MP3 music downloads.

While taking part in the quest, players will get a look at the five new Civic vehicles, unlock badges, compete against friends and be able to enter for a chance to win two Honda Civics—one for them and one for their best Facebook friend. Facebook Credits rewards will be fulfilled by Wildfire, a leading provider of social media marketing software.

"We challenged RPA to reach and engage with our ultra-connected target through a fresh approach in social media as part of our Civic launch," said Alicia Jones, social media strategist at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "The Civic quest is a colossal endeavor taking digital engagement to another level."

The quest leverages the five characters from the Civic campaign and centers around Cesar, the champion luchador. A video on the Honda Civic Facebook page and Honda YouTube channel tells how Cesar lost his Civic somewhere in the "interwebs" and needs help finding it. Players are then prompted to start the quest by accessing the app on the Honda Civic Facebook page.

This custom-built game, produced with the help of Hooky Interactive, exposes players to a variety of original content, including an augmented reality game, gigapixel photo, a QR code and a video mosaic puzzle.
Clues will also lead players to websites such as Amazon, FailBlog, Flickr, Foodily, Foursquare, I Can Has Cheezburger, MyFonts, NOTCOT, Pandora, Threadless, Twitter, Yelp and YouTube. A few clue examples:

• Using the Shazam smartphone app, players will "shazam" each of Cesar's videos on his Honda YouTube channel playlist to find the next clue. (Alternate non-smartphone dependent clues are also available.)
• On someecards, players will look through custom, Civic character-themed cards to locate the next clue.
• On a custom-built parody of a Russian Civic website, players will translate the copy to reveal the next clue.

To support the quest, there is targeted Facebook media, dedicated search campaign, YouTube promoted videos and Gen-Y, college-focused PR outreach. In addition, a partnership with SocialVibe will deliver in-game engagement ads to popular Zynga social games such as Café World and FarmVille.

"We knew that to break through this crowded space we needed to create a unique and engaging experience that resonated with our extremely digital-savvy target. There have been a lot of branded games, but none quite like this. We created seven Web films, content for 30 unique sites and apps, 30 badges and even our own augmented-reality app. We hope this blows people's minds—while giving them a deeper understanding of the cars and campaign," said Jason Sperling, SVP, GCD at RPA, Honda's long-standing agency of record.

The multiplatform campaign features Aiko, the ninja; Cesar, the luchador; Jack, the urban woodsman; Mitch, the zombie and Teeny, the monster and is composed of five TV spots ("Apartment," "Woodsman," "Zombie," "Ninja," "Monster"), print placements, out-of-home, home-page takeovers and display advertising.

About Honda Civic
Redesigned for the 2012 model year, the Civic lineup features six distinct models: the conventional gasoline-powered Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe, two high-performance Civic Si models, a gasoline-electric Civic Hybrid, a Civic Natural Gas and an all-new Civic HF high fuel economy model. For 2012, all existing Civic models achieve higher EPA fuel-economy ratings1 compared to the 2011 models, up by as much as 8 percent on the highway in Civic Sedans and Coupes equipped with automatic transmissions. The Civic Hybrid achieves an EPA-estimated fuel economy rating1 of 44 mpg city, 44 mpg highway and 44 mpg city/highway combined, making it the most fuel-efficient compact sedan currently available in the U.S. Additionally, the all-new Civic HF model debuts as a value-oriented, high fuel-economy sedan with an EPA-estimated highway fuel economy rating1 of 41 mpg, the highest highway rating for a conventional, gasoline-powered vehicle with an automatic transmission. The Civic went on-sale at Honda dealerships nationwide on April 20 with a suggested retail price2 (MSRP) starting at $15,605.

1 Based on 2012 EPA mileage estimates. Use for comparison purposes only. Do not compare to models before 2008. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.
2 MSRP excluding tax, license, registration, $750.00 destination charge and options. Dealer prices may vary.

About RPA
RPA, headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., is a leading independent advertising agency. RPA builds momentum for brands by offering its clients truly integrated campaigns that resonate throughout its disciplines, which include traditional advertising, interactive, and direct and event marketing. RPA's client list includes American Honda, both the Honda and Acura brands, California Department of Public Health, La-Z-Boy, Farmers Insurance Group and Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. For more information, visit http://www.rpa.com.

ll