Honda wishes rivals "Happy 2009"

Yesterday's Times of India carried a large ad by Honda, in which the two wheeler brand wished its rivals a “Happy 2009” in big, bold white-on-yellow font, all in a bid to show its mechanical and technological superiority (read: combi brake system).

Take a look at the ad.

Designed to look like an error, the ad has managed to spark off a lot of conversations on social media. Just look up 'honda combi brake' on Twitter to see the traction.

As a sales exec. from United Breweries (Naren Shetty) writes on LinkedIn: “Amidst the messages we receive for the New Year, ads need a way to break the clutter & grab the attention of it's readers. This is probably one such example, where readers were forced to go through the complete ad. A lot of them have taken to social media asking the editor to proofread. I guess, Honda has succeeded in what they were trying to achieve! hashtag#socialmedia hashtag#honda hashtag#advertising”

We wonder whether Honda could have managed to get away with naming a rival brand or two in this ad.