Hyundai in World Cup content push

Video: Hyundai kicks of its World Cup TV campaign

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2HiMpo0cws?list=PLk2o-pez2QCZCNjowW9EQg0A0lEhmoktl

The car marque has been an official sponsor of the Fifa World Cup since 2002 and recently inked a deal to take that partnership through to 2022. Andrew Cullis, Hyundai’s UK marketing director, told Marketing Week that while it has previously used the sponsorship to raise awareness of the brand it now wants to start building a more “sustainable fan base”.

This year’s campaign will target armchair football fans, typically those aged over 35 and with a family. Cullis says the aim is to offer those stuck in the UK who won’t get to experience Brazil first hand to get a feel for the country and the tournament and to reappraise Hyundai as a “more progressive and creative brand”.

Hyundai has partnered with YouTube channel Copa 90 to create the content, rather than doing it itself, to make the programmes “more meaningful”. It will air 13 shows reviewing the host cities, as well as interviews with sports fans, celebrities and locals, on YouTube, while Hyundai will also promote them on its social media channels and through direct marketing.

“We want to offer football fans a real sense of what is happening on the ground and bring them closer to the experience of being in Brazil,” says Cullis.

Cullis says this is a shift in strategy for Hyundai, which has previously used social media to engage people using competitions. It will still offer these and ran a number of giveaways earlier in the year, but now wants to engage with fans in a “more intelligent way” and give them a reason to come to Hyundai, rather than any other brand, for football-related content.

The content push will be run alongside a broader global awareness campaign for the Hyundai brand. Ads will run in the stadiums and a TV spot featuring Hyundai’s brand ambassadors – Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas and Brazilian midfielder Kaka – will air during England group games.

Dealerships will also get involved in the run-up to the tournament, offering Hyundai customers that come in for services such as a car health check entry into a competition to win prizes including a 50-inch TV or Hyundai i30 car. Cullis says the aim again is to engender loyalty among its customers, rather than drive sales by offering test drive incentives, although it will be promoting World Cup special editions of the i30 through tactical press and online ads.

Hyundai is one of a number of car companies ramping up their marketing in the hope of taking advantage of the excitement around the World Cup. Official England sponsor Vauxhall launched its own campaign at the weekend encouraging supporters to get behind the home nation, while Volkswagen has created a “Onefootball Brazil” app that aims to make it easy for local marketing teams to communicate relevant messages to consumers.

Video: Vauxhall’s England campaign