Stephen Fry is the voice of DraftFCB’s new Honda ads

Tim Burrowes

October 22, 2010 9:17

Draft FCB Melbourne has created a series of animated commercials for Honda narrated by Stephen Fry.

The campaign – the first work for Honda by Draft FCB’s new creative director Mat Garbutt – builds on Honda’s long running international strap line “The Power of Dreams” with two questions: “What if?” and “What’s next?”

Garbutt said: “Too much advertising today seems to be afraid to say something. Honda has so many wonderful stories to tell, and we wanted to tell those stories in a clever, joyful way that reflects the truth of Honda.”

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Tim Burrowes

Tim Burrowes is the publisher of Mumbrella and Unmade. He co-founded Mumbrella in 2008 and sister title Unmade in 2021. He's worked in the UK, Middle East, Asia & Australia and has specialised in writing about the communications world for the last 25 years. He wrote the book Media Unmade, published in 2021, and became the presenter of MediaLand on ABC Radio National in 2025.

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8 COMMENTS

T Nov 22 Oct 10

I think more brands need to say “joy”.

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Ron Jeremy 22 Oct 10

Like these as they…
a. actually have something to say
b think they will really cut through in the car category

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nikitaG 22 Oct 10

Outstanding work by Iloura again!!

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greg 22 Oct 10

I thought Ogilvy had Honda’s account?

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OtherAndrew 22 Oct 10

Just watched the first one and am left thinking ‘What is the benefit of that?’ I’m a bit of a car buff, but have to make a few leaps to assume that it’s about more power and/or increased fuel efficiency? The ad may be entertaining and help with the brand positioning, but it does nothing to educate me about what it is they’re actually offering me.

@T Nov,

I’m going to assume you were being sarcastic re the recent BMW use of ‘joy’ across all their campaigns?

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tbone 22 Oct 10

pretty good – although reminds me of the opening of little big planet (also with stephen fry)

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Jack McCracken 22 Oct 10

“Here’s the deal, folks. You do a commercial – you’re off the artistic roll call, forever. End of story. Okay? You’re another whore at the capitalist gang bang and if you do a commercial, there’s a price on your head. Everything you say is suspect and every word that comes out of your mouth is now like a turd falling into my drink.” – Bill Hicks

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mumbrella 24 Oct 10

Or as Stephen Fry puts it in his new memoir ($39.95, an excellent read):

“I know that I am supposed to be ashamed of advertising work and feel that it is either beneath me or some kind of sell-out, but I cannot bring myself to apologize or regret. Orson Welles always said with high-handed disdain, ‘If it was good enough for Toulouse-Lautrec and John Everett Millais, then it is good enough for me,’ but I don’t really feel the need to adduce the names of great figures from the past, I just find it fun.”