Jason Bateman’s Dry, Witty Humor Will Star in Hyundai’s Super Bowl Ad

Hyundai has announced that Ozark and Arrested Development star Jason Bateman will front its 60-second Super Bowl ad. Running in the first quarter of the NFL’s title game in Atlanta, the commercial will focus on the Hyundai Shopper Assurance program, defined by the brand as a “frictionless, efficient and transparent experience.”

Innocean is leading the creative execution and, according to Hyundai, Bateman will bring his dry, witty form of comedy to the ad.

“Jason Bateman is the perfect person to infuse humor into this year’s Super Bowl ad and help us communicate the universal truth that people want a better way to shop for buy a new car,” said Dean Evans, CMO of Hyundai North America.

“For this role, it was always Jason Bateman. It had to be him,” added Innocean USA executive creative director Barney Goldberg. “[He] is the only person that could pull off humor like this while staying so likable.”

This will be Bateman’s first appearance in a Super Bowl ad. His Arrested Development co-star, Will Arnett, was featured in a Hulu ad during the Super Bowl in 2012.

An official NFL sponsor, Hyundai will also have a robust experiential presence as outside of Atlanta’s Centennial Park and inside the Georgia World Congress Center.

Last year, the brand took advantage of its presence on the ground at the Super Bowl in Minneapolis to create a powerful ad that featured its Hyundai Hope on Wheels program benefiting pediatric cancer. The brand used metal detectors at “hope detectors,” and those who passed through not only saw an early version of the ad but also were able to meet some of the cancer survivors and their family members their vehicle purchases helped.

In 2017, the brand, agency and director Peter Berg worked with the U.S. Department of Defense and filmed a spot during the game at both NRG Stadium in Houston and a military base in Poland. The ad was ranked “most effective” by Unruly, an ad-tech platform.

This year’s ad will be directed by Jim Jenkins, who worked on past Super Bowl ads for Hyundai, most notably, 2013’s “Team,” promoting the brand’s Santa Fe SUV.

In addition to this year’s Super Bowl ad, Hyundai will use the AFC Championship game on Jan. 20 featuring the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs as a springboard to promote its first premium three-row SUV: Palisade. This 30-second ad will also run during the Super Bowl pre-game show.

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 LIII Ad Tracker. And join us on the evening of Feb. 3 for the best in-game coverage of the Super Bowl commercials anywhere.

Doug Zanger

Doug Zanger is senior editor at Adweek focusing on creative. He is based in Portland, Oregon and unabashedly loyal to the Pacific Northwest.