How do you follow "Cog"? Well, you don't. Honda UK's sequel to the Gold Lion-winning spot purposely steers a different course.

The first post-"Cog" project "was never going to be easy," concedes Tony Davidson, creative director at Wieden + Kennedy, London, "but we were determined not to fall into the trap of 'Cog 2'."

He says the new commercial, "Sense" - which shows various electric-powered utilities intelligently turning themselves on and off - is actually a follow-on from an April 2002 ad, "OK Factory", which told viewers that "OK" simply wasn't good enough for Honda.

Like "OK Factory", and unlike "Cog", "Sense" sells Honda's brand and technology rather than a specific product. Honda wanted to showcase the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system featured in its new Civics - but didn't want it to look like a car commercial.

Tough gig: no car, plus "we had to come up with an idea that would intrigue the public and not bore them to death with the technology," Davidson says.

The creatives at W+K decided to use metaphors to get the point across. They concocted a series of simple, mood-lit vignettes demonstrating everyday utilities acting smartly. A railway station's lights and computer systems spring to life as the passengers spill out of the first train of the day; a fan starts whirring as a woman walks past; a tap turns itself off; a TV goes dead as its owner falls asleep.

"If things knew when they weren't being used," the VO muses, "wouldn't we save a whole load of energy?"

W+K picked Peter Thwaites at London's Gorgeous to direct because "he showed the most understanding of the idea". In addition, Thwaites's background as an ex-lighting cameraman stood him in good stead with the creative team, which was seeking a "filmic" effect.

Thwaites used the equivalent of a lighting mixing desk so that he could do almost all of the light effects in-camera during the six-day shoot in Budapest - a location chosen because it was cheap and they got permission to shut down the railway station.

In post, Mark Davies at London's The Mill added the opening wide shot of the street lamps and made sure each power source reacted precisely in sync with the actors.

Davidson says the toughest part was "to make the film seem real, and find a balance between the power sources and the people".

"Sense" - which heralds an August campaign incorporating print and outdoor advertising (budget undisclosed) - is currently airing in :60 and :30 formats throughout the UK, and on satellite and specialty networks such as Biography and Discovery.

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