It's as If John Krasinski, Rachel Dratch and Chris Evans Never Left Boston in Hyundai's Wicked Funny Super Bowl Ad

There are times when a concept is so obvious, you have to run with it. Such is the case with Hyundai and its longtime agency Innocean for this year’s Super Bowl. Featuring the new, redesigned 2020 Sonata, the carmaker focuses on one key feature in its ad: Remote Smart Parking Assist. But the shorthand for it is Smart Park. That word combination led creatives to set the ad in Boston and riff on the city's unique accent, leaning fully into an ad titled “Smaht Pahk.” Starring Boston-area natives John Krasinski, Rachel Dratch and Chris Evans—all of whom slide back into their hometown accent with glee—it’s 60 seconds of quick-fire banter, local references and copious mentions of Smart Park (or in their case, Smaht Pahk). [kickout id="2"] While some might think that a minute of a thick Bostonian accent could be grating, it’s actually glorious because of the actors, as well as cameos from Red Sox legend David “Big Papi” Ortiz and two of Mark Wahlberg’s brothers (at the beginning of the ad). The timing is whip-smart, and Dratch’s improv and SNL chops in particular are on full display. This is a ridiculously dense commercial, and it’s hard to pick just one favorite gag, but people may gravitate to her calling the Sonata a “ghost cah,” as Krasinski navigates a tight spot remotely. The ad is in keeping with the brand and agency’s tradition of comedy, though it hasn’t relied on it every year. Last year, the brand enlisted Jason Bateman to focus on Hyundai’s Shopper Assurance program, and in 2016 Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hart starred in ads that topped USA Today’s AdMeter. In 2017, Hyundai saluted veterans with an ambitious spot filmed live during the game, and 2018’s “Hope on Wheels” effort supported its pediatric cancer nonprofit. “The Super Bowl is America’s largest stage,” said Hyundai CMO Angela Zepeda, who started in the role last October. “It’s an important stage for Hyundai because we still consider ourselves a challenger brand, and we want to be out there where America is.” But back to the Boston thing. According to Barney Goldberg, Innocean executive creative director, what started as a linguistic challenge became a fabulous concept. “We try to find that one very interesting thing and do it in an entertaining way. So the feature we focused on is Remote Smart Parking Assist, which is a mouthful,” Goldberg said. “It was shortened to Smart Park, and then a team with Boston roots started saying it in the accent, which started becoming pretty catchy.” Even though the idea was there, the agency went through an eye-popping 344 original scripts. “With the Super Bowl, you want to look high and low and be really thorough,” he said. “We landed on 10 for Angela [Zepeda], and ‘Smaht Pahk’ from the beginning was the one.” Since this is an ad with a highly specific creative and regional premise, the brand and agency tested it to “make sure we’re not leading ourselves down the wrong path,” Goldberg added. They believe the ad should be a runaway success, based on Ace Metrix data. The spot scored close to 700 overall (the norm is 552) and outperformed in all qualities, including likeability, watchability, relevance and desire. When reviewers were asked to name the single best thing about the ad, the cast and the product itself—the most critical aspect of the ad—both scored well above average. “We want to make sure it's entertaining, but we’re also informing and educating people on our products. So it's a nice blend of both,” Goldberg said. Last year’s Bateman ad had close to 39 million views and was the second most-viewed commercial of the year. Crucially, it drove 200% more traffic to the brand’s site. [kickout id="3"] “We did really well with our metrics last year,” noted Zepeda. Blowback from vegans over a “beetloaf” joke in the 2019 spot was perhaps unexpected. Taking it in stride, the brand shared a recipe on Twitter. [kickout id="1"] This year, community managers will be ready for any backlash (New York sports fans?), and the brand enlisted Boston comedians to interact with people on social media on game day. There are several other digital extensions of the ad, including Dratch fronting TikTok videos where she progressively goes from no accent to laying it on thick after several days in Boston. In the end, though, it’s all about the accent, the cast and the director, Bryan Buckley, who has deep Boston roots. “The cast is a great ensemble,” Zepeda said. “We picked them as individuals—and they’re all very likable—and when we got them all together on set, it was amazing.” “It’s the best of Boston coming together,” added Goldberg. For all the latest Super Bowl advertising news—who’s in, who’s out, teasers, full ads and more—check out Adweek’s Super Bowl 2020 Ad Tracker. And join us on the evening of Feb. 2 for the best in-game coverage of the commercials anywhere. CREDITS: Client: Hyundai Motor America Agency: Innocean USA Production: Hungry Man Editorial: Cabin Sound Design & Mix: Lime Sound Design Color Correction & Finishing: Company 3 / Arsenal VFX VO Record Studio: NightBird Studios Hyundai Motor America Chief Executive Officer: Jose Munoz Chief Operating Officer: Brian Smith Chief Marketing Officer: Angela Zepeda Director of Marketing and Advertising: Paul Imhoff Sr. Group Manager of Brand Marketing and Advertising: Monique Kumpis Innocean USA Chief Executive Officer: Steve Jun Executive Creative Director: Barney Goldberg SVP, Managing Director: Sean Gilpin SVP, Media: Ben Gogley VP, Group Brand Director: Mike Braue VP, Head of Production: Nicolette Spencer VP, Group Creative Directors: Jeff Bossin, Ryan Scott Brand Director: Bryan DiBiagio Art Director: Chris Dyer Copywriter: Eddie Babaian Senior Content Producer: Melissa Moore Content Producer: Devondra Dominguez Brand Manager: Christy Butler Director of Product Information: Brian Bittker Production Information Specialist: Charlie Ashby Strategy Director: Zach Reusing Director, Media: Sean Gilpin Director, Business Affairs: Jana Nauman Business Affairs Manager: Sheila Barrand Broadcast Traffic Supervisor: Theresa Artaserse Broadcast Traffic Manager: Christy Powers Project Management Supervisor: Suzanne Cheng Project Manager: Quinlan Sparks Public Relations Director: David Thalberg Production: Hungry Man Director: Bryan Buckley DP: Par Ekberg Managing Partner: Mino Jarjoura Executive Producer: Dan Duffy Producer: Matt Lefebvre Production Manager: Adam Whaley Tobin Casting Agent: Boston Casting Editorial: Cabin Managing Partner: Carr Shilling Executive Producer: Remy Foxx Producer: Michelle Dorsch Editor: Chan Hatcher Assistant Editor: Nick Deliberto Sound/Mix: Lime Studios Senior Mix Engineer: Loren Silber Sound Designer: Michael Anastasi Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan Color: Company 3 Color Producer: Gabe Wakeman Senior Colorist: Dave Hussey VFX: Arsenal Creative Managing Partner: Mark Leiss Creative Director: Chris Noellert Executive Producer: Cortney Haile Producer: Esther Minister VO Record: NightBird Studios VO Record Engineer: Mike Gaydusek