Instead of running a Super Bowl commercial this year, Hyundai is getting into a fictional version of the game with the help of an imaginary ad crew.
The automaker’s upcoming Ioniq 5 was featured in the ABC sitcom “black-ish” this month, with star Anthony Anderson, who plays an ad executive named Andre Johnson, working on a faux Super Bowl commercial for the electric vehicle.
As Johnson and his team brainstormed outlandish ideas — “a musical number! Ioniq 5, kind of like the Jackson 5” — Anderson’s character worked in references to Ioniq 5 features and made sure viewers knew it was an EV. While the team threw out suggestions about a dog plugging the vehicle in and lemurs that can talk, an image of the crossover was on a TV in the background.
In the end, Johnson pitches a concept in which the Ioniq 5 passes a horse-drawn buggy and an array of newer vehicles. The driver gets home and demonstrates the reverse-charging feature by using the vehicle to power string lights over his patio.
Viewers don’t get to see a visual of the idea, but Johnson’s vision isn’t far off the theme of a real Ioniq 5 ad that was set to air during the NFL’s conference championship games Sunday, Jan. 30.
