Established in 1967, Hyundai Motors is the auto sales leader in the Korean domestic market and exports vehicles to more than 180 countries across the world. The automotive brand entered the U.S. market in 1986 when most automobile manufacturers had abandoned the entry-level market in favor of high-end, high-priced vehicles, leaving a large void in the market.
The automobile giant slowly made inroads across different markets. While the company had already established itself much before the advent of social media, it surely helped Hyundai Motors amplify its online presence which further drove its brand awareness. And Facebook had a major role to play in it.
Here’s how Hyundai Motors made the most of Facebook to ramp up its brand awareness across three different markets worldwide.
1. Hyundai Indonesia
Hyundai Motors had opened a new manufacturing plant in Indonesia, the first in Southeast Asia, and debuted the Hyundai CRETA, the first vehicle produced in Indonesia.
Their Objective
Hyundai Motors sought to raise awareness for CRETA, its new sport utility vehicle (SUV) model, and learn more about the impact that the in-stream video ad placement could have on its brand awareness campaigns.
Solution & Approach
To launch the Hyundai CRETA, the team added standalone Facebook in-stream video ads, which appear at natural breaks in longer-form video content, to its business-as-usual campaign of photo ads and video ads.
The campaign of in-stream videos included a series of both six- and 15-second ads that highlighted the benefits of the new car model, including customizable options and safety features, among others, and invited viewers to “Learn more” by visiting the Hyundai website. The automaker worked with media agency Innocean Worldwide to optimize the campaign’s setup, which included reach and frequency buying.
To understand the impact of the in-stream video ads, Hyundai Motors Indonesia conducted a brand lift study that compared the results of its business-as-usual campaign with a campaign that also included the in-stream video ads.
The Result
Hyundai Indonesia’s Facebook campaign performed incredibly well and led to a 5.3-point increase in ad recall and 2.6X more landing page views with in-stream video ads. Also, the cost per click was 45% lower and the cost per incremental brand lift was 11X lower.
2. Hyundai Germany
Hyundai had been an established car manufacturer in Germany since 1991 and was about to launch its fully electric car IONIQ 5 in the country.
Their Objective
Hyundai wanted to boost brand awareness for the German launch of its fully electric car IONIQ 5.
Solution & Approach
With the launch of the IONIQ 5 electric car, Hyundai was not just adding a new model; it also needed to convince undecided electric vehicle audiences to see Hyundai as a technology leader in the field. Its advertising campaign, therefore, had two jobs to do.
First, it needed to generate interest in the IONIQ 5, and then convert that interest into test drives and – ultimately – sales. Hyundai also wanted to try a different approach and increase the share of digital media and print campaigns to reach a larger share of high-value automotive audiences online.
Hyundai Germany worked with the Meta account team and INNOCEAN Frankfurt to set up a multi-phased campaign. The campaign used multiple objectives over the entire campaign period, including reach for maximum campaign amplification, as well as video view completion rate. Traffic and lead generation objectives were also used to boost the number of landing page visits and encourage people to book a test drive for the new IONIQ 5. The ads were optimized for mobile, in line with Meta’s best practices for mobile-first ad creative.
The Result
Hyundai Germany’s Facebook campaign performed much better than their expectations as it resulted in a 7.5-point lift in brand awareness for the Hyundai IONIQ 5. Also, the campaign reached 8.1 million people in Germany.
3. Hyundai France
Hyundai began selling vehicles in France 30 years ago and hopes that the switch to hybrid and electric vehicles will strengthen its position in a country where it claims fourth place in the market for all-electric vehicles, and second for hybrid vehicles.
Their Objective
With the rollout of its BlueDrive range of electrified vehicles and by showing its willingness to engage on key environmental topics, Hyundai hoped to generate brand awareness and sales leads for its latest hybrid and all-electric vehicles.
Solution & Approach
Working with media agencies Havas, Innocean, and Socialyse, Hyundai formulated a media plan for TV, digital and social media. To tackle some of the myths related to electric vehicles, demonstrate its commitment to engage on key environmental topics, and promote its BlueDrive range of electrified vehicles, Hyundai created “Zéro Emission”, a mini-series of six short films starring French actor Arnaud Ducret, who also wrote the scenarios.
By sharing this video campaign on Facebook and Instagram, Hyundai could reach a large audience of car enthusiasts and address common misconceptions or areas of concern related to electric vehicles. People who viewed the series were then shown lead ads, inviting them to book a test-drive of the new Hyundai KONA electric model, one of Hyundai’s BlueDrive range of electric vehicles, from within the ad.
The Result
Hyundai France’s Facebook campaign was a major success and led to a 1.5-point lift in purchase consideration for its electric vehicles. This was followed by a 2.1-point lift in a favorable opinion of electric over combustion-engine vehicles. Moreover, it resulted in a 52% decrease in cost per lead and reached 9.6 million people aged 25–59.
Bottom Line
Over the years, Hyundai Motors has cemented itself as a leading brand in the automotive space. And much of that success has come on the back of its excellent campaigns on social media platforms in recent years, notably Facebook.
Despite the emergence of a plethora of marketing avenues, Facebook easily remains the most sought marketing platform for most brands. With its various features like mobile-first video ads, Meta Business Partners, and its messaging service, Messenger, Facebook offers brands plenty of marketing options to choose from. However, to capitalize upon the potential of this excellent marketing avenue, brands need a combination of solid marketing strategy and impressive content, which can help them create maximum impact.
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