Honda UK is linking its registrations increase of 8.9% between 2005 and last year with raised brand awareness thanks to its tie-in with marketing specialist Aprimo.

Rob Moss, Honda UK dealer marketing manager, says: “With Aprimo we have seen much improved brand recall translated into higher sales.

“In 2005 we achieved our aim of matching VW brand awareness, and want to build on that. But there are always new challenges, and now we have Korean makes with marketing programmes that would not have been thought likely 10 years ago.”

Aprimo’s enterprise marketing management (EMM) technology has improved the speed and efficiency of Honda’s marketing programmes. It also guarantees the brand message is conveyed consistently to dealers, says Moss.

This month, Moss and Andrew Yates, Aprimo’s managing director for Europe, co-hosted a seminar at the Technology in Marketing exhibition at Olympia.

Moss says Aprimo’s EMM has enabled Honda to slash the time taken for the transfer of national marketing materials from more than three months to two days.

“Dealers used to have to wait 24 hours for local newspaper ads to be approved, but now they’re signed off in three minutes.”

Moss says Honda’s marketing is based on Honda’s heritage. “As a manufacturer, we have a lot to say. We want to encourage people seeing our TV commercials to want to know more about Honda. Our dealers have an important role to play in this.”

Honda’s UK-only TV ad featuring Asimo (advanced step in innovative mobility), a humanoid robot, followed the “hate something, love something” diesel engine campaign. Both tried to convey Honda’s work in “approachable and warm technology”.

In March, Asimo is replaced by an ad centred on the launch of the Civic Type-R.