While we shouldn’t be shocked by anything coming out of Madison Avenue, part of me is incensed to hearHonda using Judas Priest to advertise its new Odyssey. That’s right, the opening riff of the greatest album from the gods of heavy metal deployed, not in the service of Satan, but to sell a minivan?
While the 18-year-old headbanger in me would like to stand up and rail against Honda (“If you think you’re going to make me think your stupid soccer mom taxi is cool, well, You’ve Got Another Thing Coming!”), the truth of the matter is that Honda’s ad agency nailed it. We’re not teenagers anymore. We’ve grown up and had families. I even own a minivan, and, indeed, there is at least one Judas Priest CD that lives in the center console. And after driving the new Odyssey for a week, I have serious van envy. Honda has crafted the ultimate, state-of-the-art people mover, even if it’s not much more than some flashy design and incremental improvements in areas like powertrain, fuel efficiency and equipment.
