- Hyundai will preview its 2011 Super Bowl advertising this Sunday during the AFC Championship game, focusing on the 2011 Hyundai Elantra and 2011 Hyundai Sonata.
- Sheep figure prominently in this year's ad campaign, a notable switch from the 2010 Super Bowl, when Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was the star.
- Hyundai says the Super Bowl ad campaign will also feature online short films that discuss the "conspiracy behind compact car hypnosis."
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, California — Hyundai said it will preview its 2011 Super Bowl advertising this Sunday during the AFC Championship game, focusing on the 2011 Hyundai Elantra, 2011 Hyundai Sonata, sheep and the "conspiracy" theories behind boring small cars.
The Korean automaker is jumping on the trend of dragging out Super Bowl advertising in a two-week-long run-up to the big game, thus getting more mileage out of its ad dollars. In the past, Super Bowl advertising was a one-day event.
"Over the years the Super Bowl has provided a great avenue for us to reach a significant audience, and this year we are expanding that reach by jump-starting the campaign two weeks early during the AFC Championship game," said John Krafcik, Hyundai Motor America president and CEO in a statement on Thursday.
Hyundai has shifted gears from its approach for the 2010 Super Bowl, which featured Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre as "Father Time."
In the new Elantra ad, a sheep is behind the wheel of a small car as other drivers gasp in astonishment. The ad theme is dubbed "Snap Out of It" and assures buyers that small cars don't have to be dull. A companion ad showing children driving toy cars and outgrowing things like tiny twin beds makes the point that small cars don't have to be cramped.
Hyundai says the Super Bowl ad campaign will also feature online short films that discuss the "conspiracy behind compact car hypnosis."
The Korean automaker isn't the only one to feature driving animals in its Super Bowl ads. Subaru has debuted an anti-Super Bowl ad campaign that features a dog driving a Subaru Forester.
Inside Line says: Brett Favre retired as Father Time? Sure. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
ralphhightower says:
10:19 AM, 01/23/2011
That commercial reminds me of the Apple Lemmings commercial that aired during the 1985 Super Bowl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYP1Tjgt1Ao. But Hyundai lacks the originality of Apple.
tbone85 says:
06:05 AM, 01/22/2011
I don't see these as particularly effective. Message commercials rarely move me as I typically buy based on content and value where Hyundai really does have a story to tell. I think at a certain point the ad firms become obsessed with showing their packages during the Super Bowl season and you get commercials like these. They're not as good or funny as the Sienna commercials, so we likely won't see them long. People who like boring cars actually know they like boring cars. I can't imagine anyone is going to be shamed into buying a Hyundai, so they might be better off focusing on the many good reasons why someone might want to pick up their product.
I'm a glass is half full guy, so even subtle negative ads don't go far with me.
kandeemann2001 says:
09:47 PM, 01/21/2011
I like it :)
With all due respect to everyone's opinion, I don't think anyone will be offended. Seems like people have a more flexible sense of humor nowadays, and most will probably think it's more silly than offensive. A lot of feathers were ruffled when they first introduced the "Angry Bosses" skit, but it ended up being very well received and made for a good laugh. Hyundai has done quite well for itself over the last few years, so I think they've earned the right to have some fun. And you have to admit...the new Elantra is SWEET :)
liquidsilver1 says:
06:34 PM, 01/21/2011
"It's the type of thing that would stop me from even considering a Hyundai product when I actually kinda like the Sonata" So you decide your car purchasing decision based on originality of their ads?
liquidsilver1 says:
06:30 PM, 01/21/2011
ocramidajzj.....it's not the koreans that created nor approved this commercial. Thats like saying Koreans manufactured the new Sonata...no its made in USA by Americans. The commercial was also made by obviously an American ad agency. Get over it....and enjoy the show.
dg0472 says:
03:08 PM, 01/21/2011
Mazda rip-off? Please. Now every commercial with kids in it is a rip-off? This commercial is about legroom. Geez. Get a life.
pathos says:
01:57 PM, 01/21/2011
Many people will perceive this as offensive and off putting. Americans don't like being dissed in any way, shape or form. They could have easily made it more humorous. I happened to not have the volume on during the sheep commercial and the first half of it was pretty damn funny.
ocramidajzj says:
01:24 PM, 01/21/2011
Hey hyundai how about a little originality!
ocramidajzj says:
01:23 PM, 01/21/2011
That kids commercial is such a rip-off of Mazda zoom-zoom it's embarassing. You know I always try to keep an open mind and not believe the Koreans are just trying to build blatant knock offs of current designs but this commercial just proves that they may very well be doing just that. It's the type of thing that would stop me from even considering a Hyundai product when I actually kinda like the Sonata.
hako says:
12:27 PM, 01/21/2011
I don't think most people see themselves in the "sheep"....they will see other people, people that buy boring cars. Most car owners don't consider their cars "boring"....or they wouldn't have purchased them. The take-away message is "ask more of car makers, or all you will get is what you have had."