Honda and Sid Lee Convert Fans' Garages into Dealerships

Oct. 26, 2017

Together, Honda and Sid Lee Paris have reinvented the car sales experience. In France, the global car manufacturer lacks dealerships so Honda had to find a unique way to promote and give consumers access to the new models of its landmark CR-V and HR-V SUVs. Cue Sid Lee Paris, who helped them create #HondaNextDoor, an operation that facilitated and strengthened the whole process for potential clients.
The operation began with the selection of brand ambassadors among owners of the current models - those who know everything there is to know about what it’s like owning and driving a CR-V or an HR-V, and those best equipped to act as a spokesperson. Ten brand ambassadors became designated dealers, and had their home garages converted into pop-up dealerships, right at the heart of French suburbia.

To kick off the 3-week long #HondaNextDoor operation, the brand and Sid Lee Paris launched a press, web, social media and television campaign to invite customers to sign up online for test drives directly at the pop-up dealerships. A film, featuring the brand’s number one fan, Jean-Baptiste, hit air waves in late September and promotion continued on Honda’s social media networks throughout the operation with new content gathered from experiences at each of the suburban dealerships. The campaign reached over 1 million people, generating thousands of leads, and over 3 weekends, over 1,000 people signed up to visit dealerships to learn more about what it means to be a Honda owner. The concept of #HondaNextDoor was so successful that it will continue in other European countries, starting soon in Belgium.