Through sophisticated design changes and advertising which pushes the boundaries of normal automotive campaigns, 'yet another Korean car' has smoothly transcended its image and taken status among the established vehicle elite. The success of this blend of engineering and artistic input is evident in the fact that a Hyundai Terracan 4x4 buyer now must appear on a waiting list, and through a remarkable rise in sales figures, throughout Hyundai cars.
The Jupiter Drawing Room has long been involved with Hyundai, and its campaigns are being credited both for their role in improving sales and their creativity. (The Getz's TV commercial was recently asked to air on Sky with some of this year's best commercials on Kirsty's World). "Hyundai is at the defining point in its life cycle now," says PJ Kensley, Creative Director at The Jupiter Drawing Room Cape Town, "Like the period for VW about 20 years ago, Hyundai too, will reap the benefits of a strong campaign. For VW, "The Right Stuff" ad set the benchmark, and here the Getz commercial set the precedent, and every Hyundai ad was obliged to follow suit."
The Hyundai Terracan's print campaign feels like the work of an activist, done in black and white, with sketched illustrations and a stencil-type font complementing the Terracan's "untamed" style. Hyundai also steps outside of conventional car commercials with its "Save the Terracan" slogan - a reference to animal activism - using provocative and emotive spaces that access a host of pre-established meanings. "The Terracan is a powerfully built, purposeful 4x4." says Kensley. "For similar money to a compact soft-roader, you can now get a 4WD that boasts more space, a bigger engine and better off-road abilities. The car might be competitively priced, but the campaign needed to look like no expense had been spared. The print ad had to reflect the 'go-anywhere' attitude of this vehicle, and had to be noticed. Instead of traditional shots of a mud-splattered off-road vehicle, we use illustration, or opt for black and white photography. It's a starker and more dramatic medium, and it defies the norm for vehicle advertising."
With Hyundai, changing the public's perceptions has been backed by genuine changes across the board. The company handed its build over to Austrian designers for the angular elegance Europe was beginning to appreciate, and turned to The Jupiter Drawing Room to find an approach to break the new Hyundai into the market. "Hyundai began to suspect that an unconventional approach would work." says Ahmed Tilly, Creative Director. "The Jupiter Drawing Room is known for consistently unorthodox work, and while with clients like Musica or Sissy Boy, this is expected: it is a greater challenge to do something on this scale with a more traditional client like Hyundai."
A glance over Hyundai's sales figures indicates how far the revised campaign has impacted on the market. Says PJ Kensley, "Designing this campaign was, and still is, like the process of designing the car itself, assessing what is needed in terms of the market, noticing the competition, and then making every rand walk the route you've chosen to get the maximum result. It's not about sacrificing or being cheap, just smart."
The Jupiter Drawing Room, Cape Town
