Communicating a Lifestyle Brand Across Mass and Niche Audiences
CLIENT
Honda Powersports
ROLE
Digital Creative Director
AGENCY
Dailey
SCOPE
North America, owned digital platforms and launch communications
Context.
Honda Powersports operates one of the most diverse consumer portfolios in the automotive space — spanning onroad and offroad motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, and utility vehicles — each serving distinct audiences with different needs, expectations, and emotional drivers.
Between 2007 and 2012, Honda was expanding how it communicated digitally as consumer behavior shifted toward richer, more interactive experiences across channels. Digital communication extended well beyond the website, encompassing display advertising, early social platforms, campaign microsites, and emerging mobile experiences — all working together to introduce products, shape aspiration, and guide audiences deeper into the brand.
This period also coincided with the global financial crisis, requiring Honda to continue selling aspirational products during a time of economic uncertainty. The challenge was not simply visibility, but relevance: orchestrating top-of-funnel digital advertising to spark interest and desire, then directing audiences to deeper, tailored storytelling environments that spoke to different rider identities — all while maintaining a consistent Honda brand presence across North America.
The Challenge.
- Unify brand expression across radically different audience segments
- Modernize a large, legacy digital platform without disrupting scale or access
- Support frequent product launches across multiple categories
- Ensure clarity and usability across more than 1,600 pages of content
- Establish a digital foundation that could evolve with changing user behavior and technology
- At the time, Honda’s North American website received approximately 110 million monthly page views and 12 million monthly visitors, making it a mission-critical communications platform.
My Role.
I served as Digital Creative Director, leading digital brand and experience strategy for Honda Powersports’ North American presence. I was responsible for guiding creative direction across the website redesign, product launch communications, and supporting digital initiatives.
My role focused on digital platform leadership, narrative consistency, and audience clarity, partnering with internal stakeholders and agency teams to ensure the site and supporting campaigns worked cohesively at scale.
Strategy & Narrative Approach
The core strategy was to treat Honda’s website not as a collection of product pages, but as a central brand and communications platform capable of serving multiple audiences without fragmenting the brand.
Key principles included:
- Establishing a flexible design and content system that could adapt to diverse user types
- Creating clear pathways for different audiences — from utility ATV buyers to first-time riders
- Supporting product launches without overwhelming the broader brand experience
- Prioritizing clarity, hierarchy, and usability over novelty
- Designing for longevity, governance, and scalability
Rather than forcing a single persona, the platform was designed to recognize audience diversity while maintaining a unified Honda identity.
Execution.
I led the creative direction for a $3M redesign of Honda Powersports’ North American website, encompassing more than 1,600 pages of content. The redesign served as the foundation for all subsequent digital communications.
In addition to the core platform, the work included:
- Digital advertising supporting national product launches
- Microsites and campaign experiences for specific product lines
- Early Facebook applications as social platforms emerged
- Video content and photography produced in studio, on location, and at tracks
- A mobile website launched following the desktop redesign as mobile usage accelerated
This phased approach allowed Honda to modernize its digital presence while continuing to support ongoing product and marketing needs.
Impact.
- Delivered a unified digital platform supporting 110M+ monthly page views
- Enabled consistent brand communication across highly diverse audiences
- Supported years of product launches and campaign activity
- Established a scalable foundation for future digital and mobile experiences
- Reinforced Honda’s position as a modern, accessible brand across categories
Executive Takeaway.
This work demonstrates how corporate digital platforms function as long-term communication infrastructure. By focusing on clarity, scalability, and audience understanding, Honda was able to support diverse products and customers through a single, unified digital presence — without sacrificing brand consistency.
It reflects my approach to corporate marketing and communications: building durable systems that align stakeholders, scale with complexity, and evolve as technology and user behavior change.
The Work.
Representative examples from a multi-year body of work supporting different rider segments and product categories.
