Brief Explanation

The brief from the client was to create an emotional corporate PR campaign focusing on "Caring" which is one of the core value of Hyundai Motor Company. Few years ago, Hyundai set out on a new direction with vision that Hyundai will become a "Lifetime partner in automobiles and beyond." Hyundai wanted to challenge the conventional that automobiles are mere transportation but rather, they can become a part of people’s life. Our goal as an agency was to move global audience with a story everyone can relate to and connect with the brand emotionally. To communicate with the global audience, we strategically picked a relationship that is universally relatable – family.

The Brief

Traditionally the role of automobile was limited to connecting physical distances, however, in Marketing 3.0 era, the role of automobile should go beyond the distance. Hyundai wanted to be a brand that connects people emotionally. This campaign deliberately conveyed our message to people who understand the core value of relationship by implementing a real family story with a daughter who misses her father working at the farthest place from earth - space. With the story of 11 Hyundai Genesis recreating the daughter's message to show her father in space, Hyundai reminds people of the value of being connected to people we care.

How the final design was conceived

To demonstrate how automobile can go beyond distance and connect people emotionally from heart to heart, we used a story of a girl named Stephanie who misses her dad working in International Space Station. We recreated her hand-written message on Earth big enough that her father could see directly from space. Delmar Dry Lake, Nevada was chosen as optimal location for the project, considering the weather and ISS orbital route in order for Stephanie's dad to observe from above. As GPS mapping technology enabled Stephanie's message to be copied on the surface, thousands of guide flags were plotted. 11 Hyundai Genesis drove accordingly to the plot creating enormous message 5.5km² in size which was recognized as ‘The World’s Largest Tire Track Image’ on the Guinness World Records.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

(The message on the desert was approved by Guinness World’s Records as the largest tire track image with a size of 5.55 km² which is almost twice the size of Central Park, NYC. This played a big role in adding credibility and viral value to the campaign. Since the launch of video on April 9th, it went viral reaching 70 million views. Hundreds of news media wrote articles on the campaign, including some of the major media companies such as Times, People, Forbes, Mirror etc.. “A Message to Space” placed #1 from 'Top 10 Most Watched Ads on YouTube' in April by the Google Ad Leaderboard. As it became viral reaching 70 million people, there have been changes in consumers' view toward Hyundai as more emotional and caring company.) The design work produced by total of 11 Genesis was so huge that it was able to be seen from space. An astronaut from International Space Station was able to see the typography clearly from space. The entire process was developed into video which went viral after it was released. Currently it holds 70 million views on YouTube. The typography work was approved by Guinness World Records as 'The World's Largest Tire Track Image' with a size of 5.55 km² which is almost twice the size of Central Park, NYC.