Hyundai Gets Social with the Tucson for Canada

For the 2016 Tucson, Hyundai has tied up with two social media icons to add a fresh advertising spin to the latest campaign for Canada.

Hyundai recently partnered with advertising agency, Innocean Worldwide, to redefine the Tucson by diving deeper into the product, its segment, and competition. The result is an unconventional shoot featuring brand ambassadors who exemplify the vehicle’s ‘Full of Life’ mantra.

Instead of putting together a traditional television, print, and online campaign to deliver the desired message, the carmaker engaged social media celebrities, Jay Alvarrez and Alexis Ren. Hyundai proposed that a two-person guerrilla video team film the daredevils for a week with a Tucson.

The 2016 Hyundai Tucson launched late last year into arguably the hottest segment in the Canadian automobile market—compact SUVs. Armed with European styling, advanced features, and a refined driving experience, the variant posted months of double-digit sales gains.

It also attracted a higher portion of men (from 41 to 57 percent), a better-educated audience (18 percent university or post-graduate), and more affluent clientele (19 percent median household income). The findings inspired a deliberately different approach—using equipment and techniques honed in social media.

Without storyboards, a small team with a smattering of resources spent a week in varying environments to capture a story that positioned the improved model in a fresh light. Creative, production, media buying, and placement was managed by Innocean Worldwide Canada.

The company is working on a 3:30 social media video, 60-second commercial, three 30-second spots, and five 15-second teasers. The first, a 30-second commercial, has debuted on television and online. The others will feed the company’s social channels and cinema screens over a six-month campaign.

“We ended up with material that hit the mark so beautifully this experience could very well forever change how we approach advertising production. We needed a compelling reason for customers to put our compact SUV on their shopping lists,” said Lawrence Hamilton, Director of Marketing at Hyundai Canada.

Hyundai is a two-time World Branding Awards winner under the Automotive (National) category, walking away with the coveted title during the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 installations respectively.