Watch Out For Hyundai

So January car sales were announced today. Chrysler down 55%. Ford down 40%. Toyota down 32%.

Guess whose sales rose in January? Ten guesses wouldn't be enough. Hyundai. Up 12%. Why?

Well, better cars, aggressive pricing in a down economy, sure. But it has to be related to their new ad campaign which offers a contract with buyers that Hyundai will take back your car if you lose your job.



Think about it. Marketers are supposed to get buyers interested in their products and then figure out what will get them to purchase. In some cases, like a car, it is a big decision for the consumer. For Hyundai, as an upstart brand, they have an additional challenge to get consumers to actually consider their brand. In normal times, Hyundai might have a harder time of that. But with everyone being price conscious, suddenly there is an opportunity.

But what is remarkable about the Hyundai story is that not only did they get consumers to consider their product, no simple task, but they also tackled the biggest barrier to purchase. In this economy, can you think of bigger barrier to buying a new car than "I might lose my job and won't be able to afford a new car"?

This is an authentic, timely campaign. It acknowledges the current reality of most consumers and offers a real solution to a real problem -- so much better than "employee-plus pricing." We all know that not even the employees are buying their cars right now.

Cudos to Goodby, Silverstein for this new campaign. And cudos to Hyundai execs for having the guts to go forward with this offer. Hyundai is clearly a marketing driven company at this point. Watch out Detroit.

What do you think? Is this offer enough to get you to consider Hyundai?