Advertising. It’s something car manufacturers have been relying upon to sell their cars since the dawn of the motor car. It’s one of the proven ways to publicise both their brand and their products.
But as some of the biggest names in the business turn their backs on traditional forms of advertising, it would seem Hyundai is embracing the tried and tested ways more than ever.
It was big news in 2011 when the company signed up. I remember wondering – was having their name and their products on a large screen in the capital really worth it?
Well Hyundai certainly thinks so. The firm says: “Since 2011, passers-by have seen a variety of innovative brand films and product videos.”
They’ve also carried out a survey into footfall around the Lights during core daytime hours over a week-long period. An estimated two million people passed the site with around half being from overseas. Three-quarters were under the age of 45.
Even though Hyundai is using clever adverts on the Lights, advertising on the site is by no means a new thing. And fielding a car in the World Rally Championship – something Hyundai is doing next year – isn’t really cutting-edge either.
But is Hyundai following a path solely involving traditional advertising? Well, the firm is doing all it can to build its brand this year – and it’s doing so by using every avenue open to them.
Hyundai UK’s CEO Tony Whitehorn told me at our Automotive Influencers event back in January that sales have plateaued. This year’s tally is unlikely to be much over the 74,000 cars they sold last year, so Whitehorn is doing as much as he can to build the brand’s reputation to keep momentum going.
It’ll be interesting to see whether his strategy works. I hope it does.
