Hyundai will return to Super Bowl LIII, its fourth year in a row advertising in the NFL’s championship game and the brand’s 11th appearance in the past 12 years.
Innocean, Hyundai’s agency of record, is in the process of developing the campaign which includes a 60-second spot in the first quarter, a 30-second pregame ad and experiential activations in the host city of Atlanta.
“After more than a decade of Super Bowl experience and well-regarded creative executions, we are excited to return to the Big Game with fresh, new content that uses the successful formula we’ve refined over the years,” Dean Evans, CMO of Hyundai Motor America said in a statement. “The Super Bowl is America’s largest stage that allows us to entertain a massive audience while sharing our latest brand and product messages.”
In the past three Super Bowls, Hyundai has made its marks with compelling, ambitious creativity and effectiveness.
Last year, the brand featured its non-profit Hyundai Hope on Wheels (which benefits pediatric cancer) in an ad that surprised its customers. Using metal detectors as “hope detectors” at Hyundai’s NFL Super Bowl Experience, those who passed through not only saw a version of the ad but also met some of the pediatric cancer survivors and family members their Hyundai purchase have helped.
With close to 27 million views across a range of platforms, the ad finished as the second highest ranked automotive ad on USA Today’s Ad Meter.
In 2017, Innocean and Hyundai—working with the U.S. Department of Defense—filmed a spot during the game at both NRG Stadium in Houston and a military base in Poland. “A Better Super Bowl” aired at the end of the game (won by the New England Patriots in overtime) and ranked as the “most effective” in emotional and practical metrics by ad-tech platform Unruly.
For Super Bowl 50 in 2016, Hyundai, an official NFL sponsor, enlisted three all-star directors and two mega-stars for a suite of four ads designed to tap into “universal truth.” Peter Berg, director of films like Friday Night Lights and Lone Survivor, helmed spots featuring Kevin Hart and Ryan Reynolds. “First Date,” starring Hart, won top honors in USA Today’s Ad Meter while “Ryanville,” featuring Reynolds, finished fifth. Another ad, “The Chase,” landed in sixth, making Hyundai the only advertiser with three ads in the top 10.
For all the latest Super Bowl advertising news—who’s in, who’s out, teasers, full ads and more—check out Adweek’s Super Bowl LIII Ad Tracker. And join us on the evening of Feb. 3 for the best in-game coverage of the Super Bowl commercials anywhere.
