Hyundai dealers were unhappy with Goodby’s cerebral “Think About It” campaign, the executives said. Also, Hyundai’s president-CEO, Jong Eun Kim, who arrived in January, was losing patience that the agency’s work for the $80 million launch of the new upmarket Genesis sports sedan wasn’t working, one of the executives said.
Hyundai introduced the Genesis to the U.S. market during this year’s Super Bowl even though the car, with a base price of $33,000, wasn’t arriving in showrooms until June.
I can’t say I’m surprised. The car business is tough these days, but when I started seeing ads comparing Hyundai cupholders to Mercedes cupholders, I knew things were mismarketed. Hyundai is gunning for Toyota, period, end of story. It’s not hard to figure out.
To Whoever Gets This Account Next: Hire me. Seriously. I own an ’07 Santa Fe. And bought it after I comparison shopped. I can tell you how to market these cars, and I’ll be happy to help you do it.