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24/09/2004 - Can hate be good?

A new Honda TV ad has Garrison Keillor singing... and explains why hate can sometimes be a positive emotion!

‘Hate something, change something’ is the theme for a TV advertisement about Honda’s first ever diesel engine, which breaks this week. Entitled "Grrr", the 90 second commercial takes the viewer on a journey through an optimistic animated world of ‘positive hate’.

Cute bunnies, pretty flowers and rainbows - things typically associated with positive imagery - show their dislike of dirty, noisy, smelly diesel engines by destroying them in exchange for something better. They joyfully celebrate the arrival of Honda’s new diesel. And throughout the film Garrison Keillor sings a specially written folk song in which he asks the question ‘Can hate be good?’

The film tells the story behind the creation of Honda’s first diesel in a unique way. Kenichi Nagahiro, the company’s chief engine designer and inventor of the celebrated VTEC engine, hated diesel engines, hated how noisy, smelly and dirty they were. And so when he was asked to design Honda’s first diesel he flatly refused - unless he was allowed to start completely from scratch. The result of his efforts is one of the cleanest, most refined diesel engines on the market today, the 2.2 i-CTDi.

"Nagahiro’s passionate dislike for all that is bad about diesel engines was the motivation he needed to develop a new kind of Honda diesel. And the story behind this engine is a perfect example of the ‘Power of Dreams’ says Honda’s Matt Coombe.

Wieden & Kennedy, who produced the advertisement, were captivated by the idea of talking about Hate as something positive, a passionate force that could actually be turned to good use, and the slogan ‘Hate Something Change Something’ was born.

"One of the biggest challenges was how to talk about hate in a really positive way that felt right for Honda" says Kim Papworth at Wieden + Kennedy, London. "Writing a song and creating an animated world of positive hate was the natural next step."

The commercial breaks as a 90" in cinemas from 24th September and launches on TV from 1st October as a 90" and 60". The campaign will be supported by press, radio, and interactive TV, as well as extensive content on Honda.co.uk.