The Vintagent Ads: Honda Elite – Lou Reed

The Vintagent Ads: The campaigns that sold us.

HONDA ELITE – LOU REED (1985)

Run Time: 1:00
Producer: Weiden & Kennedy for Honda
Director: Jim Riswold
Editor: Lawrence Bridges
Key Cast: Lou Reed

FILM MAKERS

Renowned, Independent owned advertising agency Wieden & Kennedy (W+K) was founded in 1982 by Dan Wieden and David Kennedy in Portland, Oregon. Famous for its creative work for clients like Nike and Old Spice and known for a “creatively driven” philosophy, it is today one of the largest independent agencies globally. But, back in 1984 it was a scrappy start up and when they heard Honda was looking for an agency to create a campaign for their scooters, W+K Jumped on it, assigning a newly hired Jim Riswold (who went on to be a legendary creative director and copywriter who revolutionized sports advertising) to pitch them. Riswold walked into the meeting with nothing but a tape cassette player. He set it down on the conference table and hit play. ‘Walk on the Wild Side‘ became the successful non-pitch to hire Lou Reed as a celebrity endorser, with the ironic tagline “Don’t settle for walking”.

SUMMARY

Shot in the LES of Manhattan, the shoot did not go well at all. A mess of under exposed footage led to the hiring of pioneer filmmaker Lawrence Bridges (of music video fame) who saved the day. His use of the rough, dirty footage, cut with creative new techniques made the spot which launched in 1985 a massive success and went on to heavily influence ads, music videos, Tv and film. The ad was followed by spots featuring Grace Jones, Adam Ant, and more. Stay tuned for those coming soon!

Watch: The Story of Lou Reed, Honda Scooters and Lawrence Bridges

Did Lou Reed and the Honda Elite Lead to the Downfall of Western Civilization?