Brief:
- Hyundai this week became the first automotive brand to launch a campaign on TikTok, the social video app that was downloaded more than 700 million times last year. The carmaker debuted a TikTok video to support its Super Bowl campaign that includes a 60-second commercial starring Boston celebrities, per an announcement.
- Hyundai's TikTok video stars former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Rachel Dratch, who also appears in the Super Bowl spot, completing the #onedayafterwatching challenge. The popular TikTok challenge urges people to share videos of how watching a TV show or movie changes their behaviors. In the video, Dratch shows how spending time in Boston to film the Hyundai commercial reconnected her with her childhood roots.
- Hyundai's social media campaign during the Super Bowl includes a takeover of its Twitter account by Boston-area comedians Robert Kelly and Tony Viveiros. They'll live-tweet from the @Hyundai account and respond to fans and viewers during Super Bowl, and will host four segments of "The Hyundai Quartertime Show" that will be posted online throughout the game, per the announcement.
Insight:
Hyundai aims to leverage the publicity for its 12th Super Bowl campaign in the past 13 years with social media activations that can broaden its reach among smartphone users. The strategy could help it reach younger audiences who are heavy consumers of media on mobile devices, and are more difficult to reach through linear TV. More people intend to watch the big game this year on their phones and connected TV than in the past, according to a recent AdColony report. Last year's Super Bowl posted the lowest ratings in at least 25 years among adults ages 18 to 49, per Nielsen data cited by Sports Media Watch. TikTok and Twitter give Hyundai a platform to reach younger millennials and Generation Z who rely on their smartphones to research purchases, and are willing to visit dealer lots to buy cars.
@hyundaiusaGot my chowdah and lucky sweatah- I’m ready for the big game! Are you? It’s gonna be wicked! #smaht
♬ original sound - hyundaiusa
Hyundai's TikTok video isn't a branded hashtag challenge but may urge people to share it with their friends on the platform to support viral growth. The video short but plays upon a popular genre of TikTok challenges. Comedian Rachel Dratch shows how spending time back in Massachusetts compels her to start speaking with a Boston accent that gets thicker with each passing day. Hyundai's lighthearted depiction of Boston accents is part of the broader Super Bowl campaign, which Hyundai has said wasn't related to expectations that the New England Patriots would be in their fourth straight Super Bowl, Boston.com reported.
Hyundai's TikTok campaign is another sign of how the nascent social platform is gaining acceptance among major brands. The app's extensive reach and popularity among younger audiences has led a growing number of companies to develop campaigns that urge social sharing. American Eagle Outfitters, Chipotle, Ralph Lauren, Uniqlo and Walmart are among the brands that have developed campaigns for TikTok in the past year.
