Mr. Opportunity
Encyclopedia
Mr. Opportunity is an animated character
used in marketing by Honda Motors
. Since 2004, he has appeared in Honda advertisements, as their mascot, during their annual “Honda Clearance" event. Mr. O. informs the viewers (or listeners if it’s on the radio) of the deals being offered by Honda during the model year-end clearance event. His typical tagline
is “I’m Mr. Opportunity, [knocks on “glass” or microphone] and I’m knockin'!”, although more recent commercials don't always use this tagline.
In 2010, for unknown reasons, Honda began their campaign referencing 'Opportunity is knocking', but the commercials aired without Mr. Opportunity being seen at all. Several weeks into the campaign Mr. Opportunity began making on-screen visits, however as noted above, his traditional trademark antics in 2010 have been modified.
Mr. Opportunity television commercials are animated by LAIKA/house in Portland, Oregon and the animation is directed by Aaron Sorenson entirely in the classic 2D animation style.
The ad campaign was put on hold for 2011 (due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which affected Honda's supply chain) and replaced by the "Good Reasons" campaign, with actor Patrick Warburton
making jabs at a cardboard Mr. Opportunity in the introductory ad about a "man (doing a) cartoon man's job".
man in his mid-thirties. He has dark-blond hair that is slightly up at the front in a kind of "cowlick
" fashion and has green eyes. He typically wears a light-blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, light brown slacks, and dark brown shoes. In older commercials, he wore a gray jacket over that outfit. In the 2010 commercial "Paparazzi
," Mr. Opportunity wore a dark blue suit and white collared shirt.
s, Mr. Opportunity is, at times, joined by another person who usually expresses a certain amount of excitement upon meeting him. An example of this is as follows:
In these radio ads, Mr. Opportunity makes frequent reference to the fact that he is animated
(i.e., not real, unlike the people around him). In one radio ad, he admits that coffee
"goes right through [him]" when Sally asks him if he wants to get a cup with her (this obviously pokes fun at Mr. Opportunity’s "intangibility").
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
used in marketing by Honda Motors
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
. Since 2004, he has appeared in Honda advertisements, as their mascot, during their annual “Honda Clearance" event. Mr. O. informs the viewers (or listeners if it’s on the radio) of the deals being offered by Honda during the model year-end clearance event. His typical tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
is “I’m Mr. Opportunity, [knocks on “glass” or microphone] and I’m knockin'!”, although more recent commercials don't always use this tagline.
In 2010, for unknown reasons, Honda began their campaign referencing 'Opportunity is knocking', but the commercials aired without Mr. Opportunity being seen at all. Several weeks into the campaign Mr. Opportunity began making on-screen visits, however as noted above, his traditional trademark antics in 2010 have been modified.
Mr. Opportunity television commercials are animated by LAIKA/house in Portland, Oregon and the animation is directed by Aaron Sorenson entirely in the classic 2D animation style.
The ad campaign was put on hold for 2011 (due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which affected Honda's supply chain) and replaced by the "Good Reasons" campaign, with actor Patrick Warburton
Patrick Warburton
Patrick John Warburton is an American actor of television, film, and voice. He is best known for his several TV roles, including the title role of The Tick, David Puddy on Seinfeld, the evil Johnny Johnson on NewsRadio, and anchorman Jeb Denton on Less Than Perfect...
making jabs at a cardboard Mr. Opportunity in the introductory ad about a "man (doing a) cartoon man's job".
Character design and look
Mr. Opportunity appears as a WhiteWhite people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
man in his mid-thirties. He has dark-blond hair that is slightly up at the front in a kind of "cowlick
Cowlick
A cowlick is a section of hair that stands straight up or lies at an angle at odds with the style in which the rest of an individual's hair is worn. Cowlicks appear when the growth direction of the hair forms a spiral pattern. The term "cowlick" originates from the domestic bovine's habit of...
" fashion and has green eyes. He typically wears a light-blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, light brown slacks, and dark brown shoes. In older commercials, he wore a gray jacket over that outfit. In the 2010 commercial "Paparazzi
Paparazzi
Paparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
," Mr. Opportunity wore a dark blue suit and white collared shirt.
Radio
In radio commercialRadio commercial
Commercial radio stations make most of their revenue selling “airtime” to advertisers. Of total media expenditures, radio accounts for 6.9%. Radio advertisements or “spots” are available when a business or service provides valuable consideration, usually cash, in exchange for the station airing...
s, Mr. Opportunity is, at times, joined by another person who usually expresses a certain amount of excitement upon meeting him. An example of this is as follows:
In these radio ads, Mr. Opportunity makes frequent reference to the fact that he is animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
(i.e., not real, unlike the people around him). In one radio ad, he admits that coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
"goes right through [him]" when Sally asks him if he wants to get a cup with her (this obviously pokes fun at Mr. Opportunity’s "intangibility").