Marketer of the Year: Hyundai†

The Carmaker Won Handily in Our Reader Poll, Besting Walmart, McDonald's, Lego and Amazon

Advertising Age, November 9, 2009 — Consider the state of affairs when viewers tuned into the Super Bowl in February: Banks had failed, a stimulus package still hadn't been announced, and unemployment was surging toward 8%, up from 4.8% the year before. Escapism was the order of the day, and most advertisers played right along, with brands like Coke and Pepsi offering saccharine happy-happy joy-joy visions that jarred with the bleak reality.

From buy, buy to bye-bye

The recession will have a lasting impact on the way people shop

The Economist, April 2, 2009 — “WANT IT!” screamed the words plastered on the walls, counters and shopping bags in the flagship emporium of Saks, a big American retailer, on Fifth Avenue in New York. The same exhortation was emblazoned in huge letters on a giant red and white ball that revolved slowly in the middle of the main sales floor. Saks’s spring marketing campaign, which came to an end on April 1st, made its brazen appeal to greed in a bid to drum up sales in a dire market. But the exclamation mark in its “Want It!” tagline should perhaps have been a question mark instead.

Hyundai gives recession-fearful buyers a way out

Those who finance or lease a new vehicle in the next 12 months can return it if they 'experience an involuntary loss of income' within a year.

Los Angeles Times, January 6, 2009 — A big reason auto sales have tanked in recent months is the sharp rise in unemployment. Folks who are worried about losing their jobs aren't likely to take on the added risk of a five-year car loan.

Hyundai Motor America unveiled a novel approach to the problem over the weekend. Dubbed the Hyundai Assurance Program, the South Korean automaker said people who finance or lease a new Hyundai during the next 12 months could return the car if they "experience an involuntary loss of income" within one year of the purchase date.

Animators Envision 3-D TV at Home†

Wall Street Journal, January 5, 2009 — Animation giants have vowed this year to turn three-dimensional technology from a curiosity to a fixture in theaters. Now comes the attack on homes.

The quest to deliver 3-D versions of television shows, movies and videogames to the living room will be a hot topic at this week's Consumer Electronics Show, which kicks off Wednesday night in Las Vegas. The offerings face some big challenges — including a grim economy and the difficulty of persuading users to wear special glasses associated with most 3-D technologies.

Hyundai Genesis offers luxury for less, may help image, sales

USA Today, November 14, 2008 — LOS ANGELES — Ron Olsen could have bought a Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus or another Cadillac. Instead, the Boeing retiree decided to part with $40,000 for the new kid in the luxury sedan market — a Hyundai Genesis.

Chrysler's Woes Are Partly The Result of Poor Quality†

Auto Makers Showing in Consumer Reports Survey Is Evidence of Miscues

Wall Street Journal, October 27, 2008 — Detroit's Big Three look like they will soon be a Smaller Two. Industry leaders and investors are still absorbing the idea that Chrysler LLC could disappear. A lot of consumers have already moved on.

Chrysler's woes arise from many mistakes, compounded by bad turns of luck. But the company's failure to keep up with rivals on quality is a significant, and underrated, factor in its current crisis.

At Hyundai, Branding Is Job 2

Despite receiving high marks for quality, the carmaker has struggled with stalled sales. Marketing guru Steve Wilhite has to sell drivers a new story

BusinessWeek, May 21, 2007 — A tense Steve Wilhite paced in a cavernous hall at New York's Jacob Javitz Convention Center on the afternoon of Apr. 4, intently rehearsing his presentation. Hyundai Motor America's chief operating officer was about to introduce the South Korean company's upscale Genesis sedan to the media at the New York International Auto Show. He was worrying over his prepared comments about the $30,000 to $35,000 sedan, which he would soon audaciously compare with both the BMW 5 Series and the Lexus ES350.

Reuters Ties News Into 'Smart Thinking' Campaign For Hyundai

MediaPost Publications, May 1, 2007 — REUTERS TODAY LAUNCHED A "VIRTUAL brand channel" for Hyundai Motor America, allowing the automaker's branding for its "Smart" campaign to appear online adjacent to relevant "Smart thinking" stories on Reuters.com in any topic. In a somewhat unusual relationship, Reuters editors worked with company engineers to devise an algorithm that would trigger "smart thinking" stories based on keywords and attributes identified by Hyundai and its agency Carat Fusion/Los Angeles.