Background

Since April 9, less than one month since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the WHO, we have been taking supporting action for around the world. As we continued to carry out these relief efforts, it became clear that in addition to direct aide, a simple message of hope was needed as well. As lockdowns lead to unprecedented shifts in attention to digital media platforms, the This Is Us campaign was there to affirm what so many needed to hear. It admitted our collective vulnerability, but in doing so, asserted an unyielding faith in what we have always been focused on: Progress for Humanity. Beyond hero films that set the tone, a content series across social channels added value with short videos like how to show appreciation to frontline workers or how to stay active at home. No matter where you clicked or scrolled, we were there to support.

Describe the strategy

By capturing the current social and cultural dynamics of our community’s response to COVID-19 via social listening, we understood that Hyundai’s position should not be to solve the crisis, but rather give comfort and hope by showing real acts of kindness to help people cope with their unusual situation. We faced multiple challenges after extensive data gathering and research such as: high levels of critique from consumers and the perception of opportunism and lack of foresight on how the crisis would evolve. But, by focusing on Hyundai’s vision of “Progress for Humanity” we were able to with the audience on a very personal level. YouTube was selected as the hero channel, allowing for a longer format film in two parts. We used Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to show highlight clips from the full films and encouraged even more traffic to YouTube.

Describe the execution

As soon as widely enforced international lockdown came into play in mid-March, we immediately started work on our story. We wanted to react in real time to the increased feeling of unease across our social community and offer a message of empathy and hope, and we knew we had to stay relevant by acting swiftly. In just three weeks the film was concepted, edited and published. Using the combined forces of rudimentary production, due to heavy restrictions, and footage from within our organization and around the globe, we were able to show the world the measures that Hyundai was already taking to help during the crisis.

List the results

The films garnered immense levels of reach. Aligned with our brand mission, expressing this strong message of unity and progress, we achieved more than 14 million Impressions and a staggering 2.9 million Engagements across our global digital ecosystem.