Honda Strikes Millennial Gold With One Direction

One Direction driving the 2016 Honda Civic Sedan (Credit: Honda)

It seems that as the Great Recession grows ever distant in the rearview mirror, more automakers are reporting success with millennials. Instead of saying that kids these days don’t want cars, Honda is reporting that it has essentially struck gold with the generation, doing what so many competitors wish they could.

Honda says that during the last five years, it has been the auto industry leader when it comes to purchases by buyers under the age of 35 in three key segments: SUV, car and minivan. Even better, according to the company the Accord and Civic are the top models for people under 35 across all market segments.

One might wonder what’s attracting the younglings to the Honda brand so readily, and many speculations are being thrown around. The company thinks it has the answer, and a good portion of the success apparently has to do with music.

While the Honda Civic Tour has been around a long time – 14 years to be exact – it has only helped pave the way toward working more with musical performers. The latest big push is Honda Stage, which is a program that leverages digital programs like YouTube, iHeartMedia and Vevo to bring top-notch music to the masses.

Apparently that translates into promoting One Direction like crazy right now, because Honda has been teaming up with the boy band to do a commercial and the Honda Civic Tour, plus broadcast music from their new album all over the Internets. Such a move might not sit well with some old curmudgeons, but if the kids love it and that means they keep snatching up CR-Vs like candy, that’s what really matters.

The whole Honda Stage thing also means hosting live performances, running musical promos during national sporting events and even interviewing hot musicians so fans can find out more about what they like to eat for breakfast.

Among the other artists Honda Stage has featured lately are Ariana Grande, Silversun, Jeremih and Sleepy Man. If other automaker’s aren’t getting why this works with millennials, they probably need some younger blood in their marketing teams.