Hyundai back in the game, will air ads during Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the single biggest advertising day of the year. Somewhere in the mix of all the great ads, a football game gets played, but the next day all we can talk about are the commercials. Back in October, Hyundai went all in purchasing two :30 spots during the big game. Earlier this week, however, the Korean automaker said it was backing out of the Super Bowl because of a weakening U.S. economy coupled with the exorbitant price of the spots. If you're disappointed that the Italic H isn't going to be represented at the game, don't be, because Hyundai has changed its tune. After only a few days on the sidelines, Hyundai is getting back in the game and the ads will go on as scheduled. It's not known whether Hyundai is merely trying to get free pub in advance of the expensive spots, but we do know that since Hyundai has caused all the stir, the ads had better be good.[Source: Auto News, subs. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
FSM 8:17AM (1/18/2008)
I think advertisers should start boycotting the Superbowl and its high commercial cost. It would be interesting to see what happens if nobody comes to play.
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Mike 9:31AM (1/18/2008)
Tickets last year were...i think 500$ a piece, and this year they're 700$ a piece.
I know the game will be big, whoever it is, but....umm....
who in the hell can afford them in today's economy besides the upper class?
John R 9:24AM (1/18/2008)
I wonder if we're going to see the refreshed Sonata and new Genesis in these spots.
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Larry 10:13AM (1/18/2008)
Creating a Superbowl ad is my dream. However, I do think for foreign companies that it may not necessarily be the best investment of their Marketing budget. Viral ads and event sponsorship would positively impact the bottom-line more in the long-term.
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Chaz 6:17PM (1/18/2008)
How do you figure?
Superbowl ad, whether or not it represents a good value, is no doubt a great medium for increasing awareness/ improving image with an extremely large audience, and the SB is unique in that the ads represent enough spectacle to keep people largely off their DVRs. This is the sort of large scale conveyance that is ideally suited for a resurgent Hyundai with high-end aspirations (I too expect these spots to be Genesis focused).
Event sponsorship has its place, no doubt, and Kia is using it as effectively as it can be used, I think (i.e. Australian open/NBA involvement) but I can't think of something appropriate for the older skewing ideal demo for the new Hyundai. Not geriatric/elitist enough for golf, maybe Tennis, I don't know. IMHO, though, it would not send across the right message to have a Hyundai Halftime Spectacular. Pontiac seems fond of such efforts but, well, that's Pontiac.
As for viral marketing, it's a bit of a blanket term. I won't say it's misused as a term, if only because it is somewhat hard to define beyond bringing up the importance of WOM for effective advertising. This ain't Scion though, subversive-cynical is a street/youth culture directive, not ideal for a Hyundai making a rear drive sports coupe (kudos) and a decidedly derivative, but otherwise very nice looking luxury sedan.
High profile TV is appropriate for such a 1) high involvement good, and 2) dramatic shift in perceptions.
Let's hope the ad's quality is there.
Bling Bling Boy 11:07AM (1/18/2008)
I would like to see a teaser ad featuring the Genesis and it's coupe.
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Alex 1:14PM (1/18/2008)
sounds to me like they can't get their money back because they backed out too late so they just cut their losses and decided to keep the advertisements. at this point the comercials have been cut and are ready to air anyway.
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Seoultrain 2:39PM (1/18/2008)
My thoughts exactly. Maybe the commercials weren't so good, which is why they tried to back out.
msm 4:34PM (1/18/2008)
I would love to see the MVP's face when they roll out his new Snotta instead of a Cadillac
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Patrick 3:34PM (1/19/2008)
Whatever they do, I hope the ads are better than the recent US Hyundai ads. From car-mounted shots with absolutely awful amounts of camera shake and bounce (hint: they DO make mounts to deal with this, but Hyundai doesn't use them) to the just insipid writing of the Duh campaign, to using what's his name Hermann as the voice over. Just bad.
Hermann's other claim to fame is voicing the terrible Dodge ads from a few years ago, when Dodge started looking with envy at the interiors used in recycled coffee cups. In other words, his voice is tied to crap cars going nowhere.
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