Hyundai Aims To Dominate 2012 Super Bowl Auto Advertising

Just the Facts:

• Hyundai said it will debut five 2012 Super Bowl game-day advertisements, including one for the 2012 Hyundai Veloster Turbo, in an aggressive push to dominate auto advertising during the high-profile sporting event.
• Hyundai did not reveal what it is spending for the Super Bowl, but the average cost for a 30-second spot is $3.5 million.
• Hyundai's "Faster Acting" Super Bowl ad features the 2012 Genesis R-Spec sedan and takes aim at the Porsche Panamera Turbo S.

COSTA MESA, California — Hyundai said it will debut five 2012 Super Bowl game-day advertisements, including one for the 2012 Hyundai Veloster Turbo, in an aggressive push to dominate auto advertising during the high-profile sporting event.

Hyundai did not reveal what it is spending for the Super Bowl, but the average cost for a 30-second spot is $3.5 million. Perhaps the most striking component of the Hyundai Super Bowl commercials is their adoption of patriotic American icons — from a military march that is the centerpiece of most Fourth of July celebrations to the movie hero Rocky.

The Hyundai Super Bowl commercials are all over the map creatively, featuring everything from Hyundai employees performing "Gonna Fly Now" from Rocky to a young man performing chest compressions on his unconscious boss via a Genesis Coupe R-Spec.

One commercial called "Victory Lap" makes liberal use of John Philip Sousa's "Star and Stripes Forever" march — a patriotic American anthem — and celebrates the Hyundai Elantra's win of the 2012 North American Car of the Year over domestic competitors like the Ford Focus.

In a statement on Monday, the Korean automaker said it is highlighting "performance" in the Super Bowl ads. Hyundai's "Faster Acting" Super Bowl ad features the 2012 Genesis R-Spec sedan and takes aim at the Porsche Panamera Turbo S.

"Cheetah," a 30-second spot for the 2012 Hyundai Veloster Turbo, is slated for the first quarter of the game. It shows the Veloster Turbo outpacing a cheetah in a race — with disastrous consequences for the animal's handler.

Hyundai said it bought the "coveted pre-kick time slot," and will show a 60-second ad called "All for One."

"Hyundai's founding chairman, Chung Ju-Yung, inspired this ad with his regular response when told challenges were too great to overcome," said Hyundai Motor America in a statement. "He simply asked: 'Have you tried?'"

This ad features the Rocky theme and almost 200 "actual" Hyundai team members who were trained by a vocal coach, said the automaker.

Auto advertising promises to be a major part of the game, with Toyota returning for the first time in three years and automakers from General Motors to Volkswagen set to participate.

Inside Line says: You'll see an Americanized Hyundai at 2012 Super Bowl as the Korean automaker promises to be a big part of the festivities.