The ad kicks off a national marketing campaign for the Sonata, although the 60-second Boston-centric commercial is unique to the Super Bowl. Hyundai will also amplify the TV ad on social media, including TikTok — the first automotive brand campaign on the short-video site, according to the automaker — and on Instagram.
Angela Zepeda, chief marketing officer for Hyundai Motor America, said the Korean automaker has long used the Super Bowl to raise its profile among American consumers, with Super Bowl LIV marking 11 straight years. In the last several years, Hyundai’s ads during the event have been among some of the most popular, surveys show.
“As a challenger brand — and that’s how we still see ourselves in a lot of ways — it’s a great platform. In fact, it’s America’s biggest platform, where everyone gathers that day not just to watch the big game but to watch the commercials,” Zepeda told Automotive News last week.
Barney Goldberg, executive creative director of Hyundai’s ad agency, Innocean USA, said the original idea for the spot was to highlight a technical feature on the redesigned Sonata that makes viewers think, “Why can’t my car do that?” Eventually, they decided on the parking assist, shortening the mouthful of a name to “Smart Park.”
