Honda’s Accord launch takes an unexpected detour
Honda, like most companies, is still learning the social media game. Though easily one of the most active and successful automotive companies on Twitter through their @alicia_at_honda profile, they’ve just missed the mark with the launch of the new Accord Crosstour.
The Crosstour’s launch was supposed to happen through a Facebook fan site, where the first two press images of the vehicle would be shown to the general public, rather than relying on the traditional dissemination of such information through blogs and traditional media. The Facebook page targeted current Honda owners and Honda enthusiasts–in other words, the brand’s biggest fans. What could possibly go wrong?
When the final product was shown, instead of reacting positively, the company, in the words of Detroit Free Press reporter Justin Hyde, ended up drinking some “Haterade.”
So What Did Honda Do Wrong?
Speculation originally was that Honda was going to bring an Outback-style version of the European Accord wagon to the US market, with all-wheel drive (AWD) and a jacked-up stance similar to the popular Subaru. This brought positive reaction on the blogs and forums that cover the segment. But when photos of near-production mules showed up, the reaction turned decidedly negative on sites like Autoblog and The Car Lounge. If Honda had kept up with the talk beforehand, it would have been aware that the launch of the Crosstour had the potential for a negative reaction on the social web.
So Now What?
It’s clear that Honda is not where they want to be with the launch activities for the Crosstour on the social web. So how can this situation be fixed?
1) Move the needle now: Honda’s PR people are currently attempting to argue on the Facebook fan page that the car looks better in real life than photos let on. While this is most certainly the case, it’s an impossible argument to win without any actual evidence to the contrary. Worse, the actual attempt at argument without evidence only goes to further hurt Honda’s cause, and is becoming damaging to the brand as a whole. Some attractive on-the-road shots of the vehicle emphasizing its versatility and utility would go a long way to sweetening that Haterade into something more palatable. Honda probably already has those shots ready, so there’s no reason not to release at least of a few those now rather than waiting until the press embargo on the launch is lifted.
2) Listen, learn, react: Honda still has some time before the vehicle’s launch to make changes. Is there anything that can be easily improved in terms of styling, such as changes to the front and rear bumper skins? General Motors, Ford and Hyundai have all made positive impressions in the last few years by listening and immediately reacting to consumer feedback; there’s nothing stopping Honda couldn’t do the same.
Additionally, many people on the Facebook page are asking specifically for a product that already exists–the Accord Tourer from Europe. Considering Honda already sells the sedan version of that vehicle as the upmarket Acura TSX, perhaps it’s time Honda responds to consumer’s demands by (to paraphrase another automaker’s tagline), “giving the people what they want.” Is there any reason Honda wouldn’t be able to successfully sell the Accord Tourer as a TSX wagon while still also selling the new Accord Crossover? Probably not, but if there is, this is the time to explain the reasoning.
3) Plan for the next time: Rather than trying to manage public opinion after the product has been launched, why not crowd-source beforehand? Honda could use Facebook as a way to gauge reaction to near-production concepts, and set up a private network for key consumers and influencers to give feedback ahead of a product’s launch. Hyundai is currently using the same idea to fine-tune its forthcoming product; there’s no reason Honda–or any manufacturer in any consumer segment–couldn’t do the same.
Ultimately, the Accord Crosstour itself will probably meet Honda’s sales expectations, and will find success in the market. But if Honda wants better chances to that success from the moment the first crossovers hit dealers’ lots, it would be wise to take steps now to improve those odds, rather than simply being on the defensive.
I wrote my take on this last night after watching the “Hateraid” gain momentum yesterday afternoon. My take is here: http://automarketingblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/honda-receives-rainbow-of-passionate.html
I do like your statement: “If Honda had kept up with the talk beforehand, it would have been aware that the launch of the Crosstour had the potential for a negative reaction on the social web.”
It is funny they went and revealed a rather ugly product using social web which would obviously lead to so much criticism. BMW kept revealing the X1 through the social web too but their videos on Facebook actually helped the negative comments prior on automotive sites about its odd look, the videos actually helped showcase the interior and exterior in very positive ways. Seems to me the brand knew they had to address the look of the car and did so using some very nice video showcasing the product.
From a product strategy, the digital team doing the Crosstour reveal probably can’t influence the choices Honda (or Acura) makes on what vehicles to bring to the US. So the team executing the Crosstour simply had what they had and tried to create excitement for it by having a countdown clock on the Honda.com site and had ads running in Facebook promoting the excitement of something new coming. Basically they were just trying to manufacture buzz through their media. Doing that is admirable since the product probably wouldn’t gain any interest otherwise. Unfortunately, the team didn’t consider the ramifications of a rude, negative reaction.
It will be interesting to see how they react now. My guess is the furry is over and they will say they are listening. Plus they’ll have to add some more content soon to show the vehicle in a better light (maybe take a cue from BMW’s X1 videos.)
Anyway, it was an interesting experiment just with the wrong vehicle.
Chris
September 2, 2009 at 8:22 pm
I don’t really think the Crosstour is that ugly (it’s not that pretty, either), but it’s pretty clear Honda wasn’t planning for a negative reaction to the vehicle. As it is, I think those first two pictures are pretty bad from an aesthetic level, and go a long way to making the car seem uglier than it will turn out to be.
Honda is probably thinking, “Everyone just wait–when you see the rolling shots in a few weeks, you’ll really like it!” The problem with waiting is two-fold: first, it’s damaging to the brand in the short-term, because it makes consumers think that the company isn’t listening to them *now*. Second, as you pointed out, “anyone seriously interested about learning more ended up on a Facebook site with some lunatic exclaiming, ‘Congrats Honda! You made the Ugliest Honda EVER!’” The problem is that those end consumers who aren’t auto enthusiasts are simply not going to come back to the Facebook page at all when the rest of the photos are released in a few weeks; they’ll simply drop off between now and then. If Honda wants to keep the general consumers’ interest, they need to move the launch activities up now, rather than waiting weeks to dribble out more information.
bgluckman
September 2, 2009 at 8:37 pm