Hyundai wants Consumers to 'Think About It' when buying cars

In this case, Hyundai Motor America is doing the crafting and the target is the U.S. consumer.

In the Korean automaker's latest advertising blitz, The central theme is, "Think About It" and the first part of a two-part advertising campaign. According to Joel Ewanick, vice president of marketing for Hyundai Motors America, the ads will be unconventional, thought provoking, and will challenge perceptions about what consumers thought they knew about Hyundai.

The first phase of the campaign starts September 10 and runs to September 28 with Phase two starts on September 29. Full details can be found in the press release below.

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., 09/07/2007 Hyundai Motor America (HMA) announces the launch of a two-part advertising campaign aimed at reframing the brand for U.S. consumers under the theme "Think About It." This new advertising campaign is the first major creative work by Hyundai's national marketing and advertising agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners which was hired this past spring.

"Our new 'Think About It' advertising campaign is designed to be thought provoking," said Joel Ewanick, Vice President of Marketing, HMA. "Goodby, Silverstein & Partners has developed an unconventional, integrated campaign that challenges perceptions about our brand and the auto industry, resulting in a creative execution that feels authentically Hyundai."

By adopting a tone of disarming honesty, Hyundai is breaking down the barriers that consumers have built to shield themselves from marketing claims. The intent was to pull consumers into a new understanding of the automotive world -- to challenge consumers' thoughts about what is, and should be, 'standard' in the automotive industry.

"The Hyundai brand has an opportunity to define itself in the eyes of the consumer," said Jeff Goodby, co-chairman of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. "We feel that the campaign will close the huge gap between the reality of Hyundai vehicles and the perceptions that consumers have about the brand."

Phase one features three weeks of unbranded advertising from September 10 - 28, 2007. The intention is to increase the receptivity of a consumer audience that is increasingly skeptical of marketing messages, by offering startling proof points deployed across the media landscape (print, broadcast, outdoor and online). During phase one of the campaign, the advertising challenges conventional thinking about the auto industry.

Examples include:

Shouldn't a car have more airbags than cupholders'
The logo is there to tell you what the car is, not who you are.
When a car company charges for roadside assistance aren't they really just helping themselves'

Phase two begins September 29th, identifying the brand as Hyundai and presents ideas and thought bombs that challenge conventional thinking. They actively ask the consumer to "think about" unique truths regarding the Hyundai brand. Thoughts like:

• New technologies confirm: the best way to avoid an accident is to avoid an accident
• We built over 2000 Sonatas and then crushed them in the name of quality
• 932 Engineers Agree: Bling Saves Lives

Press release via Hyundai