Hyundai celebrates sneaker culture to boost Sante Fe with Black audiences

Dive Brief:

• Automaker Hyundai is taking inspiration from a different industry’s product release strategy with a campaign referencing sneaker drops, part of its efforts to promote the Santa Fe SUV, according to a press release.  
• Developed with Hyundai’s dedicated African American agency Culture Brands, “The Drop” shows a sneakerhead who misses out on a hyped release only to impress his friends by pulling up in a 2024 Santa Fe. Vince Staples’ “Big Fish” soundtracks the spot, which is running in 15- and 30-second versions. 
• The creative features Black-owned brands like sneaker company Brandblack and was made with production house Fela, while Julien Christian Lutz, a.k.a. Director X, helmed the commercials. Digital activations, influencer engagements and branded content round out the media strategy.  

Dive Insight:

Hyundai hopes to shore up affinity for the 2024 Santa Fe with African American drivers through ads that spotlight a niche subculture. The compact SUV model ranks favorably among Black consumers who have previously purchased Hyundais, consistently landing as a top three car choice, according to the brand. The campaign spearheaded by Black-owned agency and production partners aligns with the auto industry’s larger overtures to audiences they view as important to unlocking future growth and boost diversity initiatives. 

“With ‘The Drop,’ we’re driving the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe into the limelight through an intentional and fresh cultural perspective, aligning our creative ingenuity with the dynamic experiences of Hyundai’s ever-evolving consumer base,” said Angela Zepeda, CMO of Hyundai Motor America, in a press statement.

“The Drop” embraces the highs and lows of being a sneaker fanatic. The commercial opens on a man just as he misses out on a new shoe release on Brandblack. The website glitches and he’s greeted with a red “Sold out” banner. A friend ribs him over a video call about how he never misses a drop, which sparks an idea in the protagonist’s head. He takes to the road in a brown Santa Fe, zooming past a snaking line outside of a brick-and-mortar Brandblack store, with Hyundai earning respect from the patrons. Finally, he pulls up at the golf course and his friends admit that the Santa Fe drop is better than securing the sneakers. 

The marketing effort is part of Hyundai’s larger “Okay Hyundai” program designed to increase cultural relevance and awareness with Black consumers. Culture Brands, a minority- and women-owned firm, has played a key role in the developing the multicultural platform. Hyundai appointed Culture Brands its African American agency of record in 2021.

The auto brand previously launched a viking-themed campaign backing the latest Santa Fe around the NFL conference championships. “Vikings” emphasizes the Santa Fe’s positioning around off-road ruggedness.