The FINANCIAL -- Hyundai Motor America moved into one of the world’s most high-profile advertising venues with a new Times Square billboard.

"The space at 2 Times Square in the heart of the famous “crossroads of the world” is a cubed shaped sign offering three display faces.  The front display has two LED screens showing an updated stream of Hyundai video content, flanked on each side by two vinyl banners.  The first Hyundai ads to be placed in Times Square feature Genesis Coupe. Hyundai is leasing the space through Sherwood Outdoor," Hyundai Motor reported.

The video display enables Hyundai to develop new content that is both contextual and engaging. For example, the current videos feature the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe flying around the world-famous Road Atlanta racetrack, drifting through corners and accelerating down straightaways.  A question is posed: “What’s your excuse?” Viewers are prompted with: “But officer. . .,” then given a series of fill-in-the-blank responses:

“I always drive fast when I hear opera!”
“I was trying to activate the flux capacitor.”
“I get muscle spasms in the leg.”

 “As one of the world’s largest brands, Hyundai is actively looking for ways to integrate with the world’s biggest advertising venues, such as the Super Bowl, Academy Awards and World Cup,” said Chris Perry, director of Marketing Communications, Hyundai Motor America. “Times Square billboards draw 1.5 million impressions daily and it is one of the most iconic locations for outdoor advertising, so it aligns perfectly with our overall brand strategy.”

In the future, Hyundai will integrate text messaging capability so that viewers can customize responses and post them to the video board. Hyundai is exploring other interactive capabilities for the display, and will integrate new campaigns to ensure the content is fresh and topical. 

The Times Square billboard follows a year of high-profile advertising initiatives from Hyundai. Hyundai launched its exciting new Genesis Coupe during Super Bowl coverage, and sponsored the game’s pre-game show. In addition, Hyundai sponsored the Academy Awards for the first time ever, airing a total of eight spots during the telecast focused on the innovative Hyundai Assurance consumer program. 

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