• February 25, 2009

Two automakers that advertised during the Academy Awards broadcast on NBC might want to give themselves Oscars for the attention generated by their ads. Both Hyundai and Audi have seen a boost in Web traffic on auto shopping and research site Edmunds.com.

The company says that since the broadcast, Hyundai pages have received 27% more visitors compared with the comparable period during the previous week, while Audi pages have received 26% more visitors. Hyundai used its media buy during the awards show to promote its Assurance program, which lets consumers return new vehicles if they lose their job or have health-related crises; Audi touted its new Q5 crossover.

"This is proof that when you have a powerful message, television advertising still works," observed Edmunds.com CEO Jeremy Anwyl, in a release.

Hyundai's humorous spot shows the Hyundai Genesis Coupe as well as automotive executives at German and Japanese luxury brands raging about the audacity of Hyundai to bring out such a car. Edmunds says traffic to the Genesis pages have increased 86% since the ad aired.--Karl Greenberg