Honda had a big debut on the Viral Video chart -- its first since its 2012 Super Bowl outing -- as it tried to remind consumers about its history of innovation.
The two-minute "Hands," created by Wieden + Kennedy London, drew 2.5 million views last week, according to Visible Measures. "Hands" highlights the automaker's history in segments from motorcycles and cars to planes and boats, and is an attempt to refresh a brand that's become boring in both advertising and design.
The ad comes as Honda is losing ground to American and European competitors. While Honda sales are up 7% for the first six months of 2013 compared to the same period in 2012, according to the Automotive News Data Center, Cadillac was up 33% in the same time period, followed by Dodge (up 22%) and Ford (up 14%).
Honda announced an agency review in December for its $700 million creative and media account, run by RPA for the previous 27 years. The company ultimately retained RPA for its Honda account, but chose Boston-based Mullen for its Acura segment and Publicis Groupe's MediaVest as its new media agency in March.
Samsung owned the top two spots on the chart with its Jay-Z and Usher collaborations for the third week in a row. The Jay-Z spot, "Magna Carta Holy Grail," fell 30% but came in first on the chart with 14 million views, while the Usher-branded "Looking 4 Myself" racked up 11.4 million views for second place.
