Branded entertainment has always had roots in film; this campaign focused on saving the theaters that show those films. Drive-in theaters are an American tradition and a historic part of car culture. But after years of steady decline, the industry was at a major crossroads. By the end of 2013, Hollywood would stop distribution of movies on film, forcing drive-ins to switch to digital projection. The high cost of conversion ($80,000 USD) threatened to put a majority of the fewer than 400 remaining U.S. drive-ins, mostly in small towns, out of business. American Honda recognized this problem, and since one of Honda’s founding values is being a company society wants to exist, saw an opportunity to help preserve this important part of car culture. So with the help of drive-in owners and supporters nationwide, Honda launched Project Drive-In: a movement to save as many drive-ins as possible. Honda donated five digital projectors to the cause, asking America to vote to decide which drive-ins would be saved. The resulting effort was a choreographed use of branded content, digital and social media, and PR to bring national attention to this problem.

At the center of the movement was a contest, where people could decide which drive-ins would get one of five Honda-donated projectors. On August 12, 2013, www.projectdrivein.com was launched with a national press release, helping raise awareness and engagement. The site showcased a mini-documentary explaining the problem, plus opportunities for people to vote, pledge to visit a drive-in and contribute to the “Save the Drive-In” Fund. Drive-in owners received a unique voting URL and toolkit to campaign for votes.

The contest ran for 30 days, picking up momentum in the local and national press. After voting ended, a press release announced the five winners and the reopening of voting for an additional four projectors. The final wrapup press release on September 23, 2013, announced additional winners and impact of the effort. These press releases allowed Honda to create a story arc and engage the press throughout a 6-week program.

Project Drive-In succeeded in gaining mass awareness, earning over 867 million impressions. The videos were viewed over 1.7M times, and there were 3.6M site visitors, 2.6M votes cast, and over 379,600 social shares. A number of influential celebrities (Wes Craven, Kristen Bell), media outlets (NBC Nightly News, USA Today), and even other brands (Cheerios, AutoTrader) joined the cause. Over $55,000 was raised through a “Save the Drive-In” crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. Most important, between Honda-donated projectors, community fundraising and corporate donations, 27 drive-ins have been saved so far. The fundraising effort continues, with reports of more converting in 2014.