Life is a Highway: Designing the Steele Honda 2026 Roadtrip Campaign

It’s Go Time! Everyone knows the best part of a road trip is the trip itself. Once the tank is full, the snacks are packed, the playlist is blaring, and the windows are down you can enjoy the open road with all it has to offer. 

The logistics of planning a road trip are necessary, but can be a lot to take on, so in one of our recent campaigns with Steele Honda we took the guesswork out of where to go and what to do! 

We designed an entire newsletter series, social media contest, and added a sweet monthly offer, all connected to road trips you can take on one tank of gas (and back)! These road trips maximize fun and fuel-efficiency at the same time. We knew which models we wanted to highlight (CR-V and Civic hybrids) and felt a road trip campaign would best spotlight the features of both these models. How did we do it?

First, Research! 

We had to pick out spots you could feasibly reach on one tank of gas, which meant using a combination of personal experience, maps, and some quick calculations.  Also, not every destination is created equal, so we had to make sure whichever spots we picked had something to offer our intrepid road trippers, from views and trails to shops and restaurants. 

Second, Selection! 

Once we selected our destinations, Salmonier Line, Southern Shore, Trinity, and the Baccalieu Trail, we needed to add a couple of stops along the way!

Verification is key when it comes to creating an itinerary for any form of travel. Every spot we mention is real, open for the summer, and ready for visitors to shop, eat, and explore. There’s nothing like being a tourist at home!

Once we had options about where to go and what to do there (or on the way there) we had to narrow it all down. Our goal was balance, with at least one activity and one place to eat for each trip so road trippers could factor opening/closing hours, pre-booked tours, and the like into their adventure. 

In addition to the newsletter and social media campaigns, we also created a full suite of digital ads, which reached people wherever they were online.

Third, the Contest!

How did we pull focus to our newsletter campaign? A contest. Actually, TWO contests!! Everyone wants to be a winner, after all. Every newsletter reader learned how their purchase of a new Honda would result in a gas card of up to $1,000 or enter them into a draw to win a $10,000 gas card, depending on the month. A card like that would definitely cover some excellent road trips. Fuel-efficiency and the cost of fuel are also top of mind topics right now, so this contest suits the moment as well as the customer. 

In addition to the gas card draw, we also reached out to all the spots we mentioned in our trip itineraries. They came through with some awesome prizes and merch, which we’re offering up through a photo sharing contest. We pick one winning photo from a lucky commenter’s road trip and award them the prize pack which also included some sweet Honda swag! 

Why does a photo contest work? We all have photos we can’t get enough of sharing! This is a prime opportunity to showcase your photog skills, get some road trip inspiration, and remind yourself how much fun it is to hit the road! 

Our road trip campaign runs until mid-July, after which we make room for end-of-summer content planning and back-to-school campaigns. Knowing when to end a campaign can make all the difference to its run. Leave your buyers curious enough to come into your place, whether it’s a showroom, a car lot, a brick and mortar store, or an online shop. 

Pull It Over!

Looking for a new campaign to go full-speed ahead? Put us in the driver’s seat and we’ll come up with a focused, well-researched, and fun campaign. If you’re ready to hit the gas with your brand and content, contact us and Go Rogue. It’s Go Time!