Unreliable Guardian Angels out of Work Due to Hyundai Sonata

New national advertising campaign puts an unlikely anti-hero at the centre of an automotive safety message

MARKHAM, ON -- June 26, 2014: The 2015 Hyundai Sonata has put under-performing guardian angels on notice as the advanced safety systems in the all-new intermediate sedan could make their jobs obsolete. In a comprehensive, national advertising campaign - covering print, TV, and online - Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. is putting automotive safety messaging at the forefront as it launches its newest vehicle through the use of a well-recognized icon.

"With advanced technologies such as front collision warning, lane departure warning, and blind-spot information systems, the new Sonata really can take the place of the 'guardian angel' by watching-out for dangers on the road," said Jennifer Dobbs, Director of Marketing at Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. "We decided to communicate those benefits by bringing a somewhat unreliable anti-hero into our advertising and asking what they might do if a new car suddenly puts them out of work. It's a fun way to showcase a consumer benefit that will really break-through the chatter in the marketplace."

Central to the campaign is a 30-second television commercial where the car's safety systems activate to warn a driver of a potential collision. The driver stops the car safely, only to see the family's guardian angel appear between the driver's two children in the back seat moments too late. Also appearing on television are a series of 10-second billboards during the Canadian network broadcasts of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, of which Hyundai Motor Company is an Official Partner.

The television spots are supported through a print campaign with the same guardian angel protesting the loss of his job due to the Sonata's safety systems. The same messaging will be carried-over into online advertising, the company's website, as well as its tactical activation of social media. For example, the out-of-work guardian angel will be set-up with his own Twitter account.

"Rather than communicate safety in a boring, highly technical way, we challenged ourselves to develop something creative and engaging and still deliver the same message," added Dobbs. "This was an exceptionally rewarding campaign to work on and it really demonstrates how Hyundai approaches its marketing and communications in an innovative way across all channels."

The campaign launches at the end of June and will run for approximately four months.