Acura engineers have a unique philosophy on automotive safety. They don’t simply design vehicles to meet government standards; they build them to be safe enough for their own families. It is this belief that shapes Acura’s approach to vehicle development and leads it to consistently deliver vehicles that exceed the industry’s safety benchmarks.
Safety, however, is a well-worn promise of luxury automakers. Many of Acura’s key competitors—such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi—had been promoting their vehicles’ safety for decades before Acura was founded. These brands have so effectively communicated safety that many consumers have come to associate tier-one luxury with safer vehicles. So despite Acura being recognized as the first and only luxury brand to win top safety ratings across its entire model line, its mid-tier price has led to mid-tier safety perceptions among consumers.
To illustrate Acura’s unique safety record and philosophy, we re-imagined a well-trodden convention of safety communications: the crash test. In “The Test,” we showcased how Acura engineers approach safety testing differently—with empathy and humanity, not just scientific rigor. Rather than demonstrate our vehicles’ capabilities, the spot shows the perspective of an Acura engineer who sees his crash test dummies as representative of his own family as he prepares a test.
Our safety communications needed to communicate Acura’s safety record as well as elevate the brand. To do this, we leveraged a common cliché to change the conversation around safety, depose competitive communications, and shift consumers’ perceptions of Acura.