Dive Brief:

• Hyundai is showcasing a series of photographic and video portraits of vehicle owners and employees across the organization as part of a new multichannel campaign, according to a company announcement.
• The creative was captured by world-renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz, who focused on telling the stories, or "Journeys" — as the campaign is called — of eight owners and 17 employees. The portraits live on HyundaiJourneys.com, with eight supplementary videos diving deeper into the subjects' lives. More content will be revealed through mid-November, ending in an event at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The effort is a collaboration between Innocean USA, Annie Leibovitz Studio and YW3.
• Hyundai will also partner with media company Condé Nast to drive online awareness of the campaign, which sees the automaker looking to humanize its brand in order to curry favor with consumers.

Dive Insight:

Through "Journeys," Hyundai is attempting to position itself as a brand that cares about its clientele. Customers increasingly want to associate with brands that exhibit model values and behavior, and are willing to look elsewhere if they fail to do so. By dedicating an entire campaign to the stories behind the people who are associated with the brand, Hyundai could ingratiate itself with potential customers and strengthen the relationships it has with existing ones.

The auto brand is also spotlighting its employees as part of the effort, which could further instill trust in consumers. As new stories seem to break every week about the mistreatment or exploitation of workers, big companies like Hyundai are under the public's microscope, and could therefore win favor — or, at least, avoid backlash — by showing how they care about their employees.

"This campaign humanizes the Hyundai brand and is rooted in emotional storytelling that threads the spirit of Hyundai and its customers' passions for life," Angela Zepeda, CMO of Hyundai Motor America, said in the announcement.

Leibovitz's involvement lends name recognition and gravitas that could increase appeal for the campaign's stories. Leibovitz is one of the most well-regarded portrait photographers in recent memory, known for capturing celebrities — including John Lennon and Kim Kardashian West — in intimate settings. Leibovitz in the announcement also cites driving, particularly life on the road, as a formative experience in her artistic development, making the partnership a more authentic choice for Hyundai.

Hyundai will promote "Journeys" online and across social platforms with the help of media company Condé Nast, whose global presence could widen the campaign's reach. The car brand will also support the effort through out-of-home (OOH) elements, digital and social activities as well as by featuring the campaign in customer communications.

Hyundai, which reported strong quarterly financial results in July, has been busy engaging consumers through a range of creative activations. The auto brand dipped its toes into the metaverse last month in a campaign on gaming platform Roblox, and earlier this summer it released a series of ads starring Marvel Studio heroes. This latter effort is part of a larger creative collaboration Hyundai has with Disney.