FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., June 23, 2017 – Dean Evans, the chief marketing officer (CMO) for Hyundai Motor America, was selected as one of The World’s Most Influential CMOs by Forbes. Dean was ranked No. 29 and was the second-highest CMO from a global automaker in the 2017 report, developed by Forbes in partnership with Sprinklr and LinkedIn.
“Being named to the Forbes Most Influential CMO list is a tremendous honor for Dean and the entire marketing team at Hyundai,” said Jerry Flannery, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor America. “Hyundai consumer consideration and brand opinion reached all-time highs this year, and we’ve seen significant increases in dealership traffic. Dean and team have also successfully articulated our ‘better’ brand philosophy, developed outstanding creative and pushed new approaches to retailing.”
The role of the CMO has evolved greatly in recent years as the media landscape becomes more fractured, traditional advertising models are upended and the continued rise of digital and social media has shifted control of a brand’s reputation to consumers. This year’s report focused on CMO influence, the impact a chief marketer’s actions and words have on the brand’s awareness, and his or her influence over the organization and the industry.
Dean oversees a talented marketing team at Hyundai and the company’s agency, INNOCEAN. Together they have effectively built Hyundai’s consumer-centric brand promise and driven more customer leads as car-buying habits change rapidly.
Dean and his team have launched Hyundai’s “Better Drives Us” mantra, modernized the company’s digital marketing efforts, increased the use of data and analytics and introduced more precise performance metrics, among other accomplishments. Even in this new marketing world, Hyundai continues to break through in the biggest venues as an official NFL sponsor and a longtime Super Bowl advertiser. This past year, its Operation Better campaign was deemed one of the most effective spots of the game, resulting in nearly 95 percent positive sentiment on social media and achieving more than 74 million views.
Hyundai has also produced more branded content, with partners like BuzzFeed, and has developed innovative retail experiences, like its “Prime Now. Drive Now.” Amazon collaboration and Ioniq Unlimited+ subscription model. It continues to successfully launch new models with attention-getting TV spots, most recently for the all-new eco-focused Ioniq. All of these efforts have helped build emotional connections with customers and moved Hyundai from a brand that people buy to a brand that people love.