A couple of years ago, KIA changed its emblem as a consequence of the progress the company has made in recent decades: its sister brand, however, had not touched its corporate image. Until now. The British subsidiary of Hyundai has launched an advertising campaign that aims to re-educate drivers, with a lot of humor, on the pronunciation of its name.
The truth is that, being a South Korean brand, Hyundai is a name that is pronounced differently depending on where you are in the world. In Spain we tend to eliminate the initial ‘h’ to literally say ‘yundai’. In the UK and Australia it’s ‘Hee-un-day’ or ‘Hi-un-day’, while in the US it’s something like ‘Hun-day’. The correct way of naming it, according to the brand, is ‘Hyoon-day’ because it represents the global pronunciation and better reflects Korean heritage.
a funny ad
The advertising campaign, which accompanies these lines and has been developed for the United Kingdom, was launched last ‘Boxing Day’ (December 26) and says the following: “If you thought you knew our cars and how to say our name, maybe it’s time to brush it up again.” And the truth is that, in recent years, the Hyundai range has changed to offer more attractive designs and a whole range of electric cars.
The ad features potential Hyundai Ioniq 5 buyers who want to find the nearest Hyundai dealer by using voice search on their phones. Using the wrong pronunciation, they end up, somewhat bewildered, in fictional places like the ‘High ‘n’ Dye’ hair salon, the ‘Highland Eye’ optical store, a tie shop or the ‘High and Pie’ food stand. Until a woman remembers one of them: “By the way, it’s Hyoon-day.”
What do you expect from 2023?
Ashley Andrew, general manager of Hyundai in the United Kingdom, has defined the brand as “young, innovative and progressive” and recalled that “it has transformed at great speed”. With this campaign they want to “inject a bit of humor and personality into our brand. We also hope that it will encourage more people to learn more about Hyundai.”
For 2023 it is a year in which a new chapter will begin for the company and for its vehicles… and also “a change in pronunciation to align it with the global trend and our Korean heritage.” Now, we just have to make amends for decades of mispronunciation.
