• by Tanya Gazdik , October 1, 2020

Hyundai Motor America is launching a national campaign for its 2021 Elantra that includes streaming partnerships and virtual car shopping technology. 

The BTS song “Dynamite” makes its advertising debut in one of the two national TV spots from Innocean that includes the tagline “Unlock Better.”

The 30-second spot “Date” demonstrates how voice recognition can help drivers in unexpected ways. “Buried,” another 30-second spot, finds Elantra owners in real need of the vehicle’s digital key. 

The ads will run in national broadcast, including during NBC’s "Sunday Night Football. "

The automaker is targeting a segment it defines as “young and young-at-heart creative connectors who are looking for a sleek design and feature-packed but still competitively priced sedan,” says Angela Zepeda, CMO, Hyundai Motor America.

“They’re less focused on long-term goals and more focused on individual happiness, so they look to products and experiences that feel tailored to their needs and desires,” Zepeda tells Marketing Daily. “The most important takeaway for the target is that this is a group that has their mobile phone at the center of everything they do -- and the Elantra leverages and extends that relationship through intuitive technologies like digital key, seamless interface, 10.25” infotainment screen and dynamic voice recognition.”

The effort includes experiences in live music and gaming.

Hyundai and LiveXLive are creating a streaming concert series showcasing rising talent. Four concerts in Los Angeles will feature video content shot in the Elantra to lead into the show. 

In a first for an automotive brand, Hyundai will also use the gaming livestream platform Mobcrush to deliver Elantra messaging through live sponsored breaks and gamer live reads.

“Live streaming concerts and online video gaming were certainly popular before the pandemic, but have grown significantly with this target spending more time at home and on their digital devices,” Zepeda says. “They were both natural fits for the vehicle and what we want to communicate about its design and technology.”

Hyundai is also focusing on elevating the digital shopping experience, Zepeda says. 

With Elantra Insider, available on HyundaiUSA.com, interested buyers can access Showroom Live walkarounds with designers and technology experts; options to pre-configure their desired Elantra; and vehicle availability tracking alerts. A mobile device Augmented Reality visualizer can also virtually bring Elantra to life in a customer’s own driveway. 

“These custom experiences allow customers to move onto the next step in the process, which for Hyundai could include a remote test drive and a complete online purchase,” Zepeda says.

In other Hyundai marketing news, the automaker has appointed Kate Fabian as director of marketing communications, responsible for brand and multicultural marketing, media strategy, and national and regional dealer advertising. She starts Oct. 5 and reports to Zepeda.

The position was previously held by Paul Imhoff, who recently took a new position on the customer experience team.

Fabian was the senior group manager of marketing at Hyunda's luxury division, Genesis Motor America, where she was involved in the brand’s launch. That position will be filled, and whoever takes it will report to Jeri Yoshizu, executive director, marketing and communications, according to the automaker.