Hyundai Hopes Super Bowl Ads Boost Brand Image
DETROIT — Hyundai Motor Co. is hoping that five television spots before and during the Feb. 5 Super Bowl game will help to bolster its rising brand recognition and continue big sales gains from the past few years.
North American CEO John Krafcik says the fast-growing brand is working on a 60-second spot that will run right before kickoff, plus two ads on the pregame show and two during the first and third quarters of the game, reported The Detroit News.
He wouldn't say how much the Korean automaker is spending on the ads, which will compete with the most creative spots American companies have to offer during one of television's highest-rated and most expensive sporting events. Last year Super Bowl ads cost companies about $3 million for 30 seconds.
Chrysler Group LLC's two-minute spot featuring rapper Eminem was among those that created the most Super Bowl buzz last year, and it helped kick off what has been a strong sales year for the recovering company. The cinematic third-quarter ad showed Eminem driving through Detroit and introduced a new car, the Chrysler 200 sedan, amid gritty scenes of the city. A voiceover talked about how the city has survived going through "hell and back."
Krafcik said Hyundai hopes to have standout spots as well, but it will focus more on a brand message rather than going for entertainment value.
"We're competing with Doritos and Pepsi and Anheuser-Busch," he said Friday at an auto show briefing for reporters at a technical center near Ann Arbor. "Those are tough competitors from an entertainment point of view."
Hyundai, he said, might have a little more fun with its ads this year and try to make them more memorable than in the past. But it's also trying to sway about a third of the auto market that has a neutral view of the brand, which sells the Elantra compact, Sonata midsize car and Tucson crossover SUV, among other models.
Hyundai has had huge sales growth in a lackluster U.S. auto market. Through October, the company has sold more than 545,000 vehicles, already passing last year's record sales of 538,000, according to Autodata Corp. Hyundai's U.S. market share has risen from 4.2 percent in 2009 to 5.2 percent so far this year, and analysts believe the company has taken sales mainly from Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp., both of which have experienced declines.
Hyundai's sales are so strong that it's having trouble supplying cars and crossovers to its dealers, Krafcik said. It has raised the annual output at its Montgomery, Ala., factory to around 330,000 this year, and will produce more cars in North America in 2012, he said. But he wouldn't comment when asked if the company plans to build a new factory in the U.S.
More Industry

Kia Closes Out Summer With a Bang
Its U.S. subsidiary broke multiple records in August, in part due to a surge of demand for hybrids models.
Read More →
Indiana Dealership Changes Hands
A 30-year-old Ford dealership in Indiana has a new owner and will soon be undergoing renovations to meet manufacturer requirements.
Read More →
Texas Dealership No Longer in the Family
The Ford store, a longtime cornerstone of the Houston market, is now part of one of the fastest-growing U.S. auto groups.
Read More →
Genesis Grows California Presence
The Cardinale Automotive Group opened its third Genesis rooftop in the Golden State, Genesis of San Bruno, a stand-alone dealership serving the San Francisco Bay Area.
Read More →
August Auto Sales a Mixed Bag
An early forecast shows strong business despite consumer hurdles, and hybrids are a big piece of their affordability coping strategy.
Read More →
EV Market Humming Along
July sales show steady growth as the segment stabilizes from last year’s artificial surge following pullback of federal support.
Read More →
Auto Loan Delinquency Rates Stabilize
Auto loans are a main driver of nonmortgage consumer debt, but delinquency rates stabilized in the second quarter across all credit risk tiers.
Read More →
EV Sales Recover in Q2
The EV sales roller coaster continues as numbers show improvement, but industry experts predict a year-over-year third-quarter decline and fourth-quarter jump.
Read More →
The Cheapest Hybrids to Fuel
The powertrain is increasing in popularity, in no small part due to its fuel economy. A new report lists the most efficient hybrids on the market.
Read More →
Hybrids and SUVs Gaining Ground
The most recent Kelley Blue Book Brand Watch found that only two nonluxury brands increased in shopper consideration, buoyed by their hybrid and SUV offerings.
Read More →