HONDA BATTLE OF THE BANDS

Driving the Legacy with a Competition to Remember

Building excitement for the biggest HBCU band competition in the country

Honda's commitment to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) began more than thirty years ago with the creation of the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC), a program designed to celebrate the academic prowess of HBCU students. Concurrently, Honda also helped create a similar platform to showcase the electrifying musical talents of HBCU marching bands, which is exactly what the Honda Battle of the Bands has been doing for the past two decades.

Stemming from an RFP in 2023, VIVA began a partnership with HBOB to produce the event and create a campaign (both pre-event and main event) to showcase the most recognizable and celebrated examples of HBCU culture to the rest of the world. The goal was to spotlight the themes of home, band, culture, and unity that HBCU's represent and showcase them in a highly-energetic, fun, and elevated fashion.

The project included an eight-month pre-event campaign that featured a four-part docuseries, a voting push, and the creation of over 100 social media assets. This was all done with a focus on driving the legacy of HBCUs and has become a Honda initiative that continues to this day.

After the eight-month pre-event campaign, VIVA produced the live pre-show, stadium Battle of the Bands, and live broadcast. VIVA strategically approached the program to entertain both the live audience, as well as the virtual (45k total attendees/viewers), with dynamic program segments. These included several field performances, a Honda Royal Court Fleet procession of HBCU homecoming Kings and Queens, a halftime show featuring 2 Chainz, and celebrity hosts, Rickey Smiley and Loni Love. The evening concluded with a student-focused Unity-Dinner that featured a variety show by the Wild N' Out cast, a communal dinner, interactive games, photo ops, and a scavenger hunt.

VIVA's partnership with Honda continues to this day as we prepare the next HBOB, the first ever on the West Coast, to be held at SoFi Stadium.

Outcome

• Pre-event campaign – voting campaign had 100,000+ submitted votes, a dynamic microsite platform that served as ticketing/messaging hub, a four-part docuseries chronicling the unique elements of the HBCU community/culture, 100+ graphic, motion, and video assets for social platforms
• Committee Development – Band directors were united into a committee to ensure that the entire pre-event/event stayed culturally focused
• Working with Honda to ensure event sustainability through sponsorable vision support
• Event evolved from a seasonal showcase into an annual event
• Assisted with first time HBOB had been held directly on an HBCU campus in Alabama