Let’s face it. We live in a complicated and confusing world. It is becoming increasingly difficult to chillax, let alone find comfort in our busy surroundings. For the everyday urbanite, this means daily stresses, noisy streets, dirty air.
Solving these challenges was the impetus behind the creation of Hyundai’s NEXO, the Korean automaker’s latest zero-emissions automobile.
To illustrate the company’s vision for a clean, free and connected future, Hyundai partnered with ad agency Jung von Matt/Neckar to launch the #BecauseofYou campaign, which highlights how the car’s features benefit the daily lives of not just the driver, but others who interact with the vehicle.
Everyone benefits
The story unfolds by following a NEXO driver’s quiet drive through the city. While many car ads focus on the joy of driving and the safety of the car’s passengers, Hyundai takes a different approach, revealing the impact the vehicle has on others—sometimes without them even realizing it.
At the crack of dawn, health-conscious Femita enjoys a quiet run without having to worry about inhaling exhaust fumes during her morning workout. We see how the NEXO’s self-parking feature makes life easier for Pablo, and how its blind-spot safety feature keeps Harold in view and safe. Finally, we meet baby Liam, whose parents want him to breathe clean fresh air. A brighter and healthier future lies ahead of him, thanks to the NEXO’s air-purifying engine that filters the air the more you drive.
In one scene, the vehicle passes an electric charging station, where two cute, energetic dogs jump at their owner as they wait for his electric car to charge. But they don’t have to wait long, as hydrogen fuel cells take just five minutes to fill. As the day ends, the driver appears to leave the city behind. She’s revealed to be a young woman who looks out at the glimmering city below.
“The whole film focuses on the car itself and its interaction with the people who are living their lives in the environment of the car or who come into touch with it in one way or another,” explains Daniel Börjesson, the ad’s director. “The driver becomes secondary while the NEXO becomes an independent character—up to the appearance of the female driver who is only revealed toward the end.”
Giving the community a face
The #BecauseofYou campaign reflects Hyundai’s strategic evolution toward lifestyle brand. The commercial’s message is clear: The NEXO was built with the bigger picture—Femita, Pablo and even pets—in mind.
This broader view, which demonstrates an understanding of how purchasing decisions can impact the world, may make the brand more appealing to millennials in particular. After all, research shows that this generation values about social issues and the environment, and those beliefs affect their brand choices.
“We’re giving the environment and community a face,” Börjesson says. “We tell their stories and how the NEXO is helping them have a better, healthier and more joyful life.”
CREDITS:
Client: Hyundai Motor Company
Agency: Jung von Matt/Neckar
Creative Director: Rico Noel
Copywriter: Matthias Hess
Account Executive: Marco Schubert, Kelsey Gühring, Karen Kustermann
Agency Producer: Darek Stöhr
Styling: Gretchen Patch
Director: Daniel Börjesson
Director of Photography: Adam Frisch
Production Company: Sterntag
Executive Producer: Maik Siering
Producer: Bettina Kolonko
Production Designer: Dana Leibovitz
Edit Company: Die Acht, Hamburg
Editor: Bo Ismono
Grade: Nadir Mansouri
Sound Design: Die Acht, Hamburg
Post Production: Die Acht, Hamburg
Musical Composition: Why Do Birds
