Great Ad, But Will Hyundai’s Super Bowl Commercial for the 2015 Genesis Actually Sell Cars? [The Ad Section]

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Great Ad, But Will Hyundai’s Super Bowl Commercial for the 2015 Genesis Actually Sell Cars? [The Ad Section]

Generally speaking, I like Hyundai's commercials. They're mildly entertaining, often communicate meaningful selling points, and Jeff Bridges makes everything sound both hip and safe and the same time. Importantly, they invariably make the cars look great, especially the paint. It's amazing to me how many car companies don't pay enough attention to that, but Hyundai does. I particularly like this 2015 Hyundai Genesis spot, "Dad's Sixth Sense," because of how well it's made. I've been in this business a long time, but I'm really impressed with how they nailed all of those close calls. Maybe some of them were actually done in the camera, but the best were augmented by CGI that's textbook perfect. I've watched this spot dozens of times and I still can't believe some of those kids didn't get seriously injured, especially the one who launches himself off the rock when he casts his fishing line. Hats off to the actors, director, and editor for jobs well done.

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The spot opens with convincing-looking period footage of a father waving to camera when his (roughly) four-year-old son charges in and nose-dives at a brick planter. But Dad swoops in with amazing speed and agility to save the day, and by just a few micrometers. Cut to a playground where Dad keeps junior from getting mowed down by a bigger kid on a swing, again just in the nick of time, and then my favorite scene, where the youngster broadsides a parked truck with his bike only to be intercepted mid-air by a snag that Richard Sherman would be proud to make. After a number of similar near-death experiences, the kid's finally old enough to get his driver's permit and that means Dad won't always be there as often to save him anymore.

3rd Gear Fortunately, the 2015 Genesis can fill the void with its Automatic Emergency Braking system (standard on the V-8 model and available on the V-6). That it—and the kid's hormones—both work is demonstrated when our boy is sidetracked by a distraction-worthy girl and totally misses the trick Lancer Evo IX that backs up directly into his path. But Dad stays cool, and so does the Genesis, which, as I said at the top, looks great. The Jeff Bridges voiceover VO brings it all together thusly: "Remember when only Dad could save the day? Auto Emergency Braking, on the all-new Genesis, from Hyundai." Nice. Bruno Mars's rendition of "Count on Me" was seemingly made for this spot, both the lyrics and arrangement. It also provides a nice tie-in with the Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show.

So is this my favorite Hyundai commercial ever? It might be, if it didn't look and feel so much like a Subaru commercial. Maybe that's why they cast an Evo as a bad guy?

Award-winning ad man-cum-auto journalist Don Klein knows a good (or bad) car commercial when he sees one; the Ad Section is his space to tell you what he thinks of the latest spots. The ad's rating is depicted via the shift pattern at the bottom, but everyone has an opinion when it comes to advertising, so hit Backfires below and tell us what you think, too.