FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 6, 2017 – The wait is almost over, the first kickoff of the 2017 NFL season is just two days away and Hyundai has suited up to give fans an even better experience. Entering its third season as an official sponsor of the National Football League (NFL) and the presenting sponsor of the 2017 Kickoff, Hyundai will tackle the first game with immersive fan interaction and creative content. The Kickoff activities will be the opening drive of Hyundai’s season-long campaign to help NFL fans have a better experience with the game they love.
“There is nothing quite like the experience of watching your favorite team play on Sunday. Hyundai aims to make the NFL experience even better by connecting with these fans through a shared passion for NFL football,” said Dean Evans, chief marketing officer, Hyundai Motor America. “Our Kickoff initiatives are a way to give the 188+ million NFL fans a better and more meaningful way to kick the season off by providing opportunities to celebrate the game and their teams, while showcasing the Hyundai vehicle lineup.”
2017 NFL Kickoff Driven By Hyundai
Hyundai will be the presenting sponsor of the 2017 NFL Kickoff at Gillette Stadium in New England. At its activation space at the stadium, Hyundai will host NFL Legends for autograph sessions, provide fans a fun photo opportunity to share on social media, and offer giveaways including a $10 NFLshop.com gift card. The on-site activation will also display four of Hyundai’s vehicles – the new Ioniq, Elantra GT, Tucson and Santa Fe. Prior to the game, fans can celebrate at the Christopher Columbus Park in downtown Boston. There will be appearances by Patriots’ icons and a free live performance at the Kickoff concert, sponsored by Hyundai, from a surprise artist. As a part of the sponsorship, there will be Hyundai LED signage flanking the stage. The Kickoff activation is managed by Advantage.
Random Acts of Kickoff
Leading up to the 2017 NFL season, the NFL provided fans with Random Acts of Kickoff. These experiences range from surprise player and celebrity appearances to free merchandise and game tickets. One of Hyundai’s Acts of Kickoff gave six football super fans a test drive of a lifetime when they were surprised with a guest passenger, NFL Legend Spice Adams. After arriving at the “stadium” in the 2018 Sonata, they played “What’s in The Trunk?” where each fan was challenged with a series of trivia questions that were related to their favorite team. After completing each challenge, they moved closer towards the end zone. Once the touchdown was scored (car in the end zone), the fan was be able to see “What’s In The Trunk” where they won a trip to the week 1 game of their favorite team. This fan experience was captured in a digital content series currently running on NFL.com/randomacts.
Safeties First
In the “Safeties First” videos running on Hyundai’s YouTube channel, Rodney Harrison learns that he has a lot in common with Hyundai; they both believe that safety/safeties should come first. The videos will have contextually relevant online media banners running on NFL.com with pre-roll that will be directing to Hyundai.com to view all the videos.
Hyundai vehicles include safety technology like Automatic Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Detection that helps drivers avoid hits. Currently five Hyundai models are deemed IIHS Top Safety Picks where vehicles are tested to determine crashworthiness — how well a vehicle protects its occupants in a crash. It also rates vehicles for front crash prevention, systems that warn the driver or brake automatically to avoid or mitigate a frontal collision.
Hyundai’s NFL Creative
During the Kickoff show, Hyundai will air its popular Sonata spot, “Duet” with the “Official Sponsor of The NFL” designation at the end. The new ad features Hyundai’s fully redesigned 2018 Sonata in a familiar situation that football fans experience on game day, traffic. A delighted Sonata driver sings along to Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond while stuck in a massive traffic jam, and unites with another happy Sonata owner among several angst-ridden drivers on the road. The ad features the new Sonata 2.0T and showcases its captivating new design and demonstrates safety technology features like Blind Spot Detection (BSD) with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert (RCTA), which is now standard equipment on all trim levels.
Hyundai will also continue to run its highly successful ads that focus on how the brand celebrates the fan passion for and loyalty to their teams throughout NFL season. Ads include “D-Gate”, “Fishing Trip”, and “Choices”. Hyundai’s “D-Gate” spot is a fun take on some passionate Arizona Cardinals fans and their effort to create the ultimate symbol of support for their team. The Hyundai Tucson showcases Hands-free Smart Liftgate with additional cargo space that is ideal for NFL fans, whether they are tailgating in the stadium parking lot or packing up for a game day gathering. The “Fishing Trip” 30-second spot features a diehard Miami Dolphins fan whose Sunday improves because of their Hyundai Elantra’s innovative technology. Lastly, “Choices” features a Pittsburgh Steelers fan seamlessly caring for his infant and never missing a minute of the Steelers game due to the Hyundai Santa Fe’s 8-inch Touch Screen with SiriusXM Recording Feature. These ads organically demonstrate the connection between the brand and loyal NFL fans. Hyundai’s NFL creative was developed by INNOCEAN USA.
Throughout the season, Hyundai will also be utilizing NFL creative in one of the most highly visited areas, its Time Square digital billboard and will be distributing NFL-themed social posts and interacting with fans on its social media platforms.