Honda maintains that environmental innovation has always been a part of its lifeblood. So, to reestablish itself as a leader in the space, it’s using the launch of its 2010 Insight hybrid to cut a swath through greenwashing clutter with a campaign to keep our skies blue for the kiddies.

The ‘Blue Skies for Our Children’ effort launched on Earth Day with TV, print, online banner and POS ads, elevator wraps and digital brochures. It looks more to the bigger environmental picture, unlike the Insight’s U.S. launch, which predominantly focuses on the vehicle and its attributes minus the ‘Blue Skies’ messaging. The cornerstone of the campaign is Hondabluesky.ca, which is divided into three sections: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Each one offers a unique look at Honda’s ongoing legacy of pioneering environmental innovation, as seen through the eyes of children, Earth’s custodians in waiting.

‘We wanted to talk about these innovations through the lens of children because children are dreamers, children are optimists, and really, for us, embody this ‘power of dreams’ notion, which is Honda’s global tagline,’ explains Jon Finkelstein, partner, creative at Grip Limited, which developed the campaign. ‘They’re not jaded, they don’t have a sense of ennui and they do have the sense that anything’s possible if you put your mind to it.’

‘Today’ draws focus to the 2010 Insight – ‘the hybrid for everyone’ – as further proof of Honda’s green-geared leadership, as well as some of its other, more surprising green products, like a hybrid snow blower. ‘Tomorrow’ features interviews with kids, using their visions to symbolically illustrate the road that Honda strives to take. The web interviews ultimately provided the groundwork for the TV executions, so even the creative is green.

The creds:

advertiser: Arch Wilcox, Kate Lucek, Quyen Lam and Amanda Menezes, Honda Canada

agency: Grip Limited

CDs: Jon Finkelstein, Stephen Bennett

art direction: Stephen Bennett, Scott Dube, Haley Fiege, Heung Lee

design: Thom Antonio, Pia Nummi

copywriters: Jon Finkelstein, Randy Stein, Ian Mackenzie

producers: Amy Miranda, Jennifer Mete, Laurie Maxwell

production design: Patrick Robinson, Peter Aspros, Jody Wagner, David Faris

flash design and development: Heung Lee

prodco: Radke Films

sound design: Imprint Music

account services: Steve Rhind, Lindsay Staniloff, Jill Proudfoot