He’s only been in the job a matter of weeks, but already Steve Shannon. Hyundai Motor America’s new marketing supreme, is shaking things up.
An ad campaign, proposed by Hyundai’s agency Innocean, for the new youth oriented 2012 Veloster, has been scrapped. Shannon believed the campaign lacked sparkle, since it didn’t feature any TV spots, considered a critical medium in targeting audiences en mass.
“I thought we could do better,” he said. Shannon, a former GM marketing maven has assumed the role at Hyundai, as the automaker enjoys a period of unprecedented sales success. In the U.S., during the first 9 months of 2011, the company reported sales of some 492,214 cars and SUVs, up 20 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier.
Among Shannon’s first marketing efforts at Hyundai, include 15-second TV spots aimed at technology savvy Generation Y buyers that emphasize different aspects of the Veloster, including a front seat screen where they can watch movies and play video games.
The TV spots are also complemented by print ads that feature short, catchy bullet points such as ‘asphalt boom box,’ ‘octane sippy’ and ‘uber drive,’ words he says create “more of a menu,” and a “big visual that surprises you.”
Following in the footsteps of Joel Ewanick, who helped revitalize Hyundai’s marketing efforts in the U.S., Shannon realizes he has big shoes to fill. Nonetheless he plans to move forward, building on Ewanick’s foundation with the goal of creating marketing concepts that encompass the entire Hyundai brand, not just specific models like the Accent, Elantra or Sonata.
“Products won’t always be this hot,” he says in reference to the Veloster, “so it’s important to develop a strong Hyundai brand.”
Among the campaigns currently running include tie-ins with Hyundai’s sponsorship of Thursday Night College Football on ESPN, which air as seven individual spots, aiming to more closely link the Korean car company with America’s cultural roots, intending to show that “as college football fans are passionate about their school so are Hyundai owners about their cars.”
These campaigns and others in the works are part of Shannon’s plan to make Hyundai instead of just a practical, rational choice among consumers, one that also inspires. Football “was a great strategic connection,” he said, “because of the passion for the sport.”
