Honda Super Civic Quest
Large-scale digital scavenger hunt with Facebook integration, featuring 30 clues across multiple websites for Honda's Civic launch.
Project Snapshot
Honda (via Hooky Interactive)
Automotive & Marketing
January 2011 - March 2011
Software Engineer
ActionScript 3, JavaScript, Facebook API, Social Media Integration, Cross-Platform Development
Social Gaming Development, Viral Campaign Programming, API Integration, Multi-Platform Coordination
3 developers, 1 designer
What It Was
The Honda Super Civic Quest was an innovative digital scavenger hunt campaign designed as the centerpiece of Honda's 2011 Civic launch. This ambitious project engaged participants across 30 different websites and social media platforms in a quest to help Cesar the luchador find his lost Civic in the 'interwebs.'
The campaign featured character-driven storytelling with five distinct personalities representing different Civic models, seven custom video pieces, augmented reality elements, and social competition through Facebook. Players could win Facebook Credits, Amazon MP3 downloads, and most notably, two Honda Civics (one for themselves and one for a Facebook friend). The quest was designed to appeal to a digitally savvy, younger demographic while showcasing the Civic's versatility and cool factor.
Campaign overview explaining the digital scavenger hunt concept
How the multi-platform quest system worked
Prize structure including two Honda Civics and digital rewards
Video Intro
What I Did
- Developed the ActionScript 3 application that powered the Facebook-based quest interface
- Integrated Facebook API functionality for social sharing, friend competitions, and progress tracking
- Built cross-platform coordination systems to manage clues spanning 30 different websites
- Implemented badge systems, progress tracking, and reward mechanisms
Interactive clue system with character-driven storytelling
Facebook integration for progress sharing and friend competitions
Clue completion interface with badge rewards
Quest completion and thank you messaging
Social features for inviting friends and sharing rewards
What Came Out of It
- Successfully launched to approximately 15,000 active participants
- Created one of the most ambitious digital quests of its time with seamless multi-platform integration
- Campaign was unfortunately cut short due to the March 11, 2011 earthquake in Japan, which disrupted Honda's supply chain and Civic availability
What I Learned
This project taught me the complexity of building viral social campaigns that span multiple platforms and external websites. Working with the Facebook API during its early days was challenging but valuable experience in social platform integration. The unexpected end due to the Japan earthquake also showed me how external events can impact even successful digital campaigns, reinforcing the importance of building flexible, adaptable systems. Plus, this was my first LA modeling gig (look for the easter egg in the video!).
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