The compact SUV segment is the most competitive and crowded space in the automotive market. Hyundai prepared to launch their all-new Tucson in Spring 2021. While preference has been shifting towards SUVs for the past several years, Hyundai has been primarily thought of for cars. If Hyundai was to achieve aggressive growth goals while building brand perception, we needed to make a big splash with Tucson.
Everything in the world that’s new and innovative all started as the same thing. A question. Because that’s how you challenge the status quo to make things better. And when it came to the new Tucson, Hyundai questioned everything. To make the SUV, and this process of innovation, memorable in the minds of consumers, we decided to have a little fun with this notion by leveraging humorous and head-scratching life questions as an entertaining creative hook.
Hyundai needed to make an impact with the launch of the all-new Tucson, which trailed leaders like Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V in every metric. We needed to punch above our weight to make an impact. Not only did we need to improve awareness of this model, but we needed to use this vehicle as a way to build the Hyundai brand overall. This was Hyundai’s moment to demand more attention.
While most competitors focus on adventure or technology in this segment, we wanted to connect with our audience differently. We discovered that our target buyers are going through big transitions in life and moving up in the world. They are creating change to move themselves forward. Just like Hyundai is moving forward with exciting new changes.
But where does that change come from? It comes from questioning every little detail and assumption. Which is exactly what Hyundai did with the all-new Tucson. Can it be more stylish? Can it have more, bigger, better technology? Can it get noticed everywhere it goes?
We created a campaign that asks the questions others might miss, while showing off the advanced technology, striking design and capability of the all-new Hyundai Tucson.
To execute the idea in a way that would truly grab attention, we enlisted the help of some of America’s favorite celebrities, including TV and movie personalities Jason Bateman and Mindy Kaling, NBA all-star Kawhi Leonard, celebrity designer Nate Berkus, Food Channel star Giada De Laurentiis and pop Latin sensation Becky G, all posing and pondering funny, head scratching questions. This leads us to the Hyundai Design Center in which we see three designers working together on the new Tucson who also pose a thought-provoking question which leads the team to create new innovations. This same format was also utilized in the sustaining spots which did not utilize celebrity talent.
A second phase of the campaign brought the Tucson and the “Question Everything” concept into the Disney and Marvel universe. Working closely together, Innocean and The Walt Disney Company managed to seamlessly insert the Tucson into a wide range of content, from ESPN’s SportsCenter to Marvel’s new LOKI series on Disney+, to The Bachelorette on ABC.
The broadcast effort was followed up with an all-out media blitz, posing vexing Tucson-centric questions in posters, out of home, social media, .com, and CRM.
The campaign drove exceptional success:
ACE ad-effectiveness above norm +32 pts
FB/IG engagement rate for Disney/Marvel executions are 18x higher than Hyundai avg
195 million social impressions, 36 million social engagements and 264 million video views
TW engagement rate was 21x higher than Hyundai avg
Search growth +41% comparing avg May-Sep (launch period) vs. Jan-Apr
Retail sales +33% May-June YoY vs. -2% Jul-Sep YoY (supply constrained)
Retail sales were up 23% in 2021... giving Hyundai its best year in retail sales ever
