Hyundai Creative Brief

I. Market Info a. In September 2012, Hyundai had sales of 11,403 with YTD sales numbers reaching 107,612. This accounted for a 12. 9% Canadian market share to date. The YTD for September 2012 sales of the electric vehicles available in Canada are as follows: Nissan Leaf – 196 units (up 367% from 2011), Mitsubishi i-MiEV – 165 units , Chevrolet Volt – 927 units (up 548% from 2011). Of the 1,305,538 cars sold to date in Canada, electric car sales accounted for 0. 0099% of total car sales. According to these numbers, Canadians are not embracing electric cars at a significant rate, however the World Wildlife Fund of Canada is aiming to have 600,000 EV’s on Canadian roads by 2020, accounting for 10% of all car sales. The WWF intends to do this by: * highlight environmental benefits of EVs * support improved access to EVs and EV infrastructure achieve competitive pricing with conventional vehicles * expand travel freedom for EV users with infrastructure and travel partnership options * provide Canadians with positive EV information and experiences Government agencies have also offered incentives for buyers and owners of EV’s for example; the Ontario government is offering a rebate between $5,000 and $8,000 as well as a Green license plate which enables owners to use High-Occupancy Vehicle lanes, even if there is only one person in the vehicle as well as future access to public recharging facilities and parking at GO station and government lots. . Brand Profile Hyundai vehicles run the gamut from budget cars to luxury sedans to commercial trucks. South Korea’s leading carmaker, Hyundai Motor produces compact and luxury cars, SUVs, minivans, trucks, buses, and other commercial vehicles. Its cars are sold in 180 countries through some 6,000 dealerships. Hyundai generates about half of its sales in South Korea, but its vehicles are also popular in emerging markets such as China and India. The company operates a dozen manufacturing plants in China, the Czech Republic, India, Russia, South Korea, Turkey and the US. Hyundai also owns a 34% stake in Kia Motors.

Some key benefits of the Hyundai brand are: * Modern, premium, affordable mentality towards car design * Hyundai backs their product with an excellent warranty and service. * Heavy investment in design and promotion * Focus more on explaining a car’s history, its value and its strengths, rather than just talking about price Hyundai’s brand reputation hasn’t always been the greatest and has only increased within the last 5 years or so as Hyundai made the switch from making cheap, economical cars to affordable, modern, premium and reliable cars that are fun to drive, luxurious and backed by an excellent warranty.

Some issues Hyundai faces are: * Poor reputation in regards to reliability * Poor reputation in regards to build quality * Not known for making sporty or luxurious cars * Overcoming well-established brands such as Toyota, Honda and VW c. Brand Proposition – Hyundai’s brand slogan “NEW THINKING. NEW POSSIBILITIES. ” reflects the will of Hyundai Motor Company to create new possibilities to benefit the world and its people by encouraging and developing new thinking.

All members of Hyundai have the brand slogan deeply engraved in their hearts as they move forward in their effort to provide new values and experiences desired by today’s customers through innovative ways that are unique to the brand, driven by new thinking about customers and cars. d. Brand Position – Hyundai’s brand direction “Modern premium” does not just mean luxury cars; it is about providing new values and experiences to yet more customers of today through ways that are unique to the brand and which go beyond what customers expect by combining exceptional performance with reasonable price and emotional elegance.

Being simple but perfect, staying faithful to the basics yet different from the others, and not forgetting the big picture while paying attention to the smallest details; developing cars that cater to the diverse lifestyles of customers and propose an advanced automobile life and culture; enriching the lives of customers who have an active and positive approach to life—that is the Modern premium of Hyundai Motor Company. e. Positioning Statement – For the Earth-conscious, high-mileage driver who wishes to be whisked away in a safe, fun and environmentally responsible way.

Hyundai Fuel-Cell powered cars will get you where you need to go, regardless of the distance, with very little impact on the environment and your wallet, giving you the confidence of knowing you’re the smartest person on the road. f. Competitor’s Profiles Honda – YTD for September 2012, Honda owned 9. 0% of the Canadian market. Some Honda brand strengths include: * Well known for reliability * Consumers will buy a Honda regardless of their level of luxury, sportiness, features or price. * Loyal customer base/repeat buyers * Consumers will rarely shop around if their first choice is a Honda

Brand weaknesses include: * Have rested on their laurels * Very few innovative or exciting products * Redesigned the 2012 Civic after 1 model year because of lack of innovation * Rely on brand loyalty to drive sales Honda utilizes the same media as most other prominent brands in the industry. They have a strong presence both online (through social media websites as well as their own homepage) and in print (many ads in newspapers and magazines). They also invest heavily in televised ads and billboards. Honda has positioned themselves as “a company built on dreams.

And these dreams inspire us to create innovative products that enhance human mobility and benefit society. ” Toyota – YTD for September 2012, Toyota owns 11. 8% of the Canadian market. Toyota brand strengths – * Synonymous for reliable cars * diversified product range * highly targeted marketing and a commitment to lean manufacturing and quality * Loyal customer base * Customers will rarely shop around before purchasing a Toyota Weaknesses – * Massive recalls and lawsuits over the past few years * Boring styling and performance Recognized mainly for economy and not performance * Slightly older buyer demographic Toyota utilizes all of the traditional methods of media, much like Honda does. * Print * Social Media Networks * TV and Billboards * Own homepage g. Target Market Profile – * Similar to early adopters of hybrids, early adopters of EV’s will be young, very high income individuals — adoption is already being popularized by high-profile celebrities * Average incomes are expected to be in excess of $200K HHI who already own one or more vehicles Early Majority Profile * View the product as “Green and lean” * Top purchaser influence is: Reliability * Household income: $114K * Gender: 67% Male * Location: Urban and Suburban * Ages 40-45 Non-adopter profile * View the product as “Expensive” * Household Income $54K * Gender: 49% Male * Location: Suburban and rural Barriers to Adoption Include – * Price and cost of ownership * Familiarity with “clean” technologies * Size of the vehicle(too small) * Fuel cell infrastructure * Brand II. IMC Objective This IMC campaign must address the issue of the barriers to adoption that fuel-cell powered automobiles face.

The IMC campaign must prove to the consumer that the high initial cost, range of the vehicle, fuel-cell filling station infrastructure and most importantly, that green technologies much different than the standard gasoline engine should not be a barrier to adoption as the cost of ownership is relatively low, the environment benefits greatly from zero-emissions vehicles, fuel-cell powered vehicles do not limit range like electric vehicles do and that a fuel-cell powered vehicle is a viable, and just as convenient alternative to the gasoline-powered car. ——————————————- [ 1 ]. www. goodcarbadcar. net/2012/10/september-2012-canada-auto-sales-brand-rankings2. html [ 2 ]. http://www. goodcarbadcar. net/2012/10/september-2012-ytd-canada-auto-sales-rankings. html#more [ 3 ]. http://www. northumberlandview. ca/index. php? module=news&type=user&func=display&sid=17939 [ 4 ]. http://news. ontario. ca/mto/en/2010/06/ontario-paves-the-way-for-electric-vehicles. html [ 5 ]. ttp://worldwide. hyundai. com/WW/Corporate/CorporateInformation/BrandSlogan/index. html [ 6 ]. http://worldwide. hyundai. com/WW/Corporate/CorporateInformation/BrandSlogan/index. html [ 7 ]. http://www. goodcarbadcar. net/2012/10/september-2012-canada-auto-sales-brand-rankings2. html [ 8 ]. http://corporate. honda. com/about/ [ 9 ]. http://www. deloitte. com. br/publicacoes/2007/MFG. Gaining_Traction_customer_view_of_electric_vehicle_mass_adoption. pdf