American Honda Motor Co., Inc. has teamed up with House of Blues Entertainment, Inc. (HOB), to promote its Fit model through an auction, sweepstakes and in-club events.
As part of the Fit In The House promotion, the automaker and House of Blues are encouraging music, art and car enthusiasts to bid on a custom-painted Fit from June 20-30. The Art Car, as it’s been dubbed, is painted by folk artist Jack Poppitz, who has created paintings and murals for HOB locations around the country. Consumers can visit Fitinthehouse.com to participate in the auction.
The full proceeds from the auction will benefit International House of Blues Foundation (IHOBF), a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to bringing the arts to schools and communities.
“Honda is looking for a hip, urban attitude for the new Honda Fit, and House of Blues represents a perfect complement to our marketing plan,” said Tom Peyton, senior manager of Honda National Advertising in a statement. “Helping a worthy charity like the IHOBF makes our partnership even more compelling.”
Throughout this month the Art Car, which depicts the history of blues music, will be on display at HOB Anaheim in Downtown Disney in California.
Honda and HOB will also host promotional events at nine HOB clubs that include Honda Fit car displays, nightly giveaways of branded T-shirts and hats, and on-site branding. Patrons can also win passes to HOB’s exclusive lounges by correctly answering trivia questions about the Fit.
E-mail blasts to Honda and HOB customers, HOB prints ads in local markets, and Web site banners on HouseofBlues.com support.
St. Louis-based Maritz, Inc. handles the events.
Meanwhile, consumers can enter to win a grand prize Honda Fit Sport in the Fit in the House Sweepstakes. Consumers have until July 15 to enter the sweeps at Fitinthehouse.com. One first-prize winner will receive a three-day/two-night trip for four to Las Vegas to attend a House of Blues concert. Consumers can also win free music downloads in an instant-win game that’s part of the sweeps. Pleasant Ridge, MI-based ePrize LLC, handles the sweeps.
Before the Honda Fit launched in April, a Society of Fit micro site created buzz for the vehicle and whetted consumers’ appetites by offering Fit wallpapers, screensavers and stickers that can be printed directly from computers.
Earlier in the spring, the automaker distributed a Super Cargo Shrinker mailer to consumers to highlight how compact the vehicle is. The mailers included Shrinky Dinks (an arts and craft plastic sheet cut into shapes that shrinks when heated) of dogs, surfboards, bicycles and other items.
The “pieces shrink to approximately one-third their original size. Kind of how your stuff feels when you load it into the all-new Honda Fit!” the mailers tout.
Last year, automakers spent $17.13 billion to advertise their vehicles, the largest among brand categories, according to TNS Media Intelligence.
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