Lots of praise for Hyundai

This is a very thoughtful article by Brent Bouchez entitled: “How Many Buying Cycles Do You Have Left?”

GM has just hired the former CMO of Hyundai, as its marketing and brand supremo.

Brent believes that Hyundai advertising is the only car advertising in the U.S. that truly appeals to the boomer consumer. Since the 50+ buy 56% of all new cars in the US (50% in the UK) then having onboard somebody that understands that demographic is not a bad idea.

In January 2009, perhaps the worst month in automotive sales history, Honda, Toyota and Chevy sales dropped more than 30% whilst Hyundai was up 14%. OK, I know so little about the US car market that there may have been other factors involved. However, it is worth further investigation and worth reading what he has to say. Chuck Nyren has also commented upon this article.

What seems to be the secret of Hyundai’s success?
It puts the product front and centre.
It is straight-forward, honest and informative.
It tells viewers what they need to know about the brand and the product, simply and elegantly.
It doesn’t assume that the viewer is not an idiot. The copy (read by Jeff Bridges) is mature and insightful.

Finally, the advertising does not rely on digital or viral or social media, but on "traditional" media.

I never think there are any “golden rules” for success at creating ads for older people but these don’t sound bad to me. Dick Stroud