• by Tanya Gazdik , August 29, 2020

As live events continue to pivot due to the pandemic, sponsors are getting creative in figuring out how to best engage an online-only audience.

Hyundai Motor America continues its support for the LGBTQ community as the Official Automotive Sponsor of the 2020 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival. 

The Outfest community is celebrating at a drive-in screening experience or virtually by streaming the films online. The festival takes place Aug. 21-30.

This is the automaker’s third year supporting the festival, says Erik Thomas, senior group manager, experiential marketing, Hyundai Motor America.

“At Hyundai, we value inclusion and diversity and the positive impact it has on our business,” Thomas says in a release. “The sponsorship is central to our ongoing support of the LGBTQ community.”

At the drive-in, Hyundai will provide a VIP experience where filmmakers, influencers, and other VIPs can use the Hyundai Tucson, Santa Fe, Palisade, or Elantra in which to view the movies. All vehicles will be cleaned and disinfected according to CDC guidelines. 

In addition, Hyundai will be represented by pre-show logo inclusion and 60-second spot screenings. The Outfest LA activations are managed by Advantage.

This follows Hyundai’s partnership with Outfest Fusion’s “One Minute Movie Contest” that awarded filmmaker Lauren Neal with the 2020 Hyundai Emerging Director Award. Hyundai also received a score of 100% in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index for the fourth consecutive year.

Last year, in connection to the film festival sponsorship, Hyundai debuted an original branded-content series that gives voice to some of the best up-and-coming LGBTQ talent: “OUT for Greatness presented by Hyundai.. Hyundai’s experiential agency Advantage developed the series.