What do Grace Jones, Adam Ant, Jim McMahon, Devo, Sandra Bernhardt and Miles Davis have in common?

Back in 1984, this eclectic group of icons decided to endorse the Honda scooter through these TV spots. It’s one of those instances of how and why, but nevertheless, utterly entertaining, hilarious and groundbreaking for its time. Their fans (not Honda’s) went berserk, calling them sell-outs, but 25 years on, it’s got to be reevaluated.

Mean has never been a proponent of blatant advertising, and even in our partnership with Microsoft on Mean’s Cinemash, we didn’t follow a corporate criteria or any pandering thereof.

So, what makes these so special? The idea behind the campaign was “Express Your Individuality”. They didn’t get Tina Yothers and Howard Jones to do that. They got Adam Ant and Miles Davis, amongst these others. Yes, this was a marketing ploy, a gimmick, but it waaaaaaz representing something bigger. Couple that with Miles Davis rolling in, in his predisposition, with a fuck you attitude and you have magic. Each of these icons never went in being anything other than themselves.

25 years later, Mean salutes them. Well, maybe not Jim McMahon, but how else were they going to sell scooters to the jocks? ; )

- Mean

PS – Try being a fly on the wall when the 80s era “Mad Men” came sniffing in with this idea. AMC should consider doing an 80s version of the show.

GRACE JONES FOR HONDA SCOOTERS

DEVO FOR HONDA SCOOTERS

GRACE JONES AND ADAM ANT FOR HONDA SCOOTERS

FORMER CHICAGO BEAR QUARTERBACK, JIM MCMAHON, FOR HONDA SCOOTERS

SANDRA BERNHARDT FOR HONDA SCOOTERS

MILES DAVIS FOR HONDA SCOOTERS