For the global launch of the Honda corporate tagline “The power of dreams” we created the first-ever commercial for the IMAX screen. Through an international crowd-sourcing initiative, the spot not only brought to life the tagline, but also the dream car drawings of a dozen children from as many countries. Each dream car was Honda-powered, and after production toured with the film to museums and IMAX theaters world-wide.

Today the dream cars reside on the fourth floor of the Peterson Automotive Museum in a permanent exhibit for kids.

These spots address two of the biggest issues people seem to have with hybrids. Looks and batteries. 

Geoff Kern’s surreal photographs capture the juxtaposition that is Mandalay Bay’s unique take on luxury. We called it "Untamed Luxury."

The Hyundai Tournament of Champions is an annual golfing event that has meant a series of annual golfing event sponsorship commercials. 

Inspired by the words of the founding chairman, Chung Ju-Yung, who often answered naysayers with a simple “Have you tried?” this spot created for Super Bowl XLVI started a national brand campaign and internal social campaign within Hyundai that literally had the employees singing on the factory floor. Along with the :60 spot, which got millions of YouTube hits before and after the game, two additional long format films “Behind the Scenes” and “Have You Tried?” added content on theme to the Hyundai YouTube channel during a time when the brand had three Super Bowl spots in play and millions of visitors coming to the channel every day. A supporting digital promotion using a “Try-O-Gram” app, allowed viewers to send their own Try messages in for the company “Try Choir” to perform online.

To distinguish ourselves further from the highly competitive energy bar market, our campaign suggested SOYJOY's whole soy bars weren't just packed with flavor and nutrition.  Each SOYJOY bar was "Fortified with optimism", which we found resonated with this health conscious, upbeat, mostly female audience. All the work in the series featured "optimistic art", which we showcased in a series of events and art openings. As part of the Optimism campaign, we sponsored events such as Yoga in the middle of Times Square for 1,000 people, and an all-soy fiber fashion show in LA, complete with a live mural painting by one of our optimistic artists. The events were broadcast live online and content was posted and then shared, furthering the optimistic word. By the end of the year, trial was up 67% awareness 70%, and sales up 93%.

This was a project for the iconic hotel Peninsula Beverly Hills, honoring their 20th anniversary. The idea was to get two decades of memories, moments, style and luxury packed into every communication.

The Wende Museum is a cold war era-focused institution based here in Culver City, that is dedicated to examining the art, music, design, politics and culture of the period.

This poster series drove residents to the website and both introduced them to the oddly captivating cold war world of the Wende and announced a series of parties and events celebrating their new Culver City location. Translation of the posters: "It's a party you'll never forget." 

The introduction of the Acura TSX combined the Tech Luxury positioning with a new more youthful target market for the first time. This “first luxury car” buyer was as interested in finding an open road as he was a crowded dance floor, and this technology could help him do both. 

The strategy here was "Distinguish yourself". The group photographs were done by the great Neal Slavin. http://www.nealslavin.com

Sometimes it's not what you have to say about a product, but how you say it. This series introduced the new Odyssey minivan with the help of William Wegman and a few of his friends. 

The campaign we created for The Getty was playful and inviting, and may have contributed to the record-breaking attendance records they've enjoyed for many years. Art. Architecture. And a billion dollar view. 

I've designed everything from logos to websites to rickshaws. It's all branding.

Breaking into a new market is difficult for any product, but especially a new health care provider. Add on top of that the fact that the target for this particular program was justifiably suspicious seniors, and you have some idea what we were up against. We introduced our new health care provider as an old friend - emphasis on old. A senior health plan that's been around longer than you have. The product was so well received in California, Aetna took Senior Choice nation wide.

It's not often that you go to market with a $4.5 million product, and the strategy is "value", but that was the situation here. In a segment where private jets can easily top $100 million, Honda was entering a category that it could leverage the brand's image of smart, efficient and comfortable, but on a much higher level.  "The extravagance of intelligence."

Reward the mouth.

Like Mountain Dew’s “Do the dew” we needed a new theme line that literally means “DRINK SPRITE” but is also a mantra for this twisted extreme target.  

By taking a slightly odd look at what starts and stirs up youth culture 99% of the time Sprite will own the vary orifice that it’s target consumes with: The mouth.

What it says. What it sings. What it raps. We could own all things cool and vocal.  Everything Sprite does will be in celebration of the mouth, and all that it achieves.

We could find YouTube artists/contributors and reward their vocal genius.  Sprite.com will have a section where you upload and view other “mouths worth rewarding”, and tie-ins with the talent shows (American Idol, The Voice, etc) would be obvious. Concert tour and Comedy show sponsorships would be a natural part of this. It’s a line that says we reward or should reward those who make a difference. So make a difference. Speak up. Sing out. John Stewart could have a “Mouth of the day” worth noting. (Someone who’s speaking up on something worth speaking up about.) Brought to you by Sprite.

It could also go in a more interpretive direction. Give the subject to various directors – both up and coming and big established names.  Make it funny. Sexy. Political. Musical. … Michele Gondry. Spike Jones. Wes Anderson. Let’s reward some mouths and participate in all things worth talking about.

The California Thoroughbred Racing Association had a problem. Young guys had stopped coming to the track. They were going to Vegas instead. This was part of a multi-media attack on what was suddenly the enemy. 

A couple from my early Honda days. Part of the Simplify campaign, directed by the Coen brothers. Post-Fargo. Pre-No Country For Old Men.

They're always the step children, when it comes to automotive content, but I like to think running footage spots are great opportunities to let the product shine, and the mind wander. Here are just a few recent favorites.