• Ad Age and Adweek, Friday, September 19, 2008 10:45 AM

In a blow to cerebral advertising, Age reports, Hyundai Motor America is throwing its account in reverse and backing out of Goodby, Silverstein & Partner and its "Think About It" campaign. Age says dealers -- not known for thinking hard about anything except results -- didn't like it. Also, a source tells Age that Hyundai's new president-CEO, Jong Eun Kim, is not happy with Goodby's work for the $80 million launch of the Genesis sports sedan.

According to Adweek , Hyundai will move creative to World Marketing Group in Irvine, Calif., but not so fast. "Goodby will handle the marketing through the first quarter of 2009, and quite possibly throughout the rest of 2009," Joel Ewanick, Hyundai's vp, marketing, tells the magazine. He expresses no dismay over the intellectual content of Goodby's work, calling it "outstanding." He also denies that Hyundai is not happy with the Genesis launch, and "vociferously" denies that dealers are upset with Goodby's creative.

Why then, the shift? Ewanick says all global marketing will be unified under WMG, which is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Hyundai spent $455 million on ads in 2007, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

Read the whole story at Ad Age and Adweek »