Debbie Laskey, MBA

There has already been too much written, rewritten, and discussed about the funny vs. annoying vs. heartwarming ads, the surprising power outage and why it happened, and the close score of Sunday’s Super Bowl, so don’t worry. I’m not going to focus this post on any of that. Instead, I have a question to ask: Which brand stood apart from all the rest, and why?

Before you throw out Coca-Cola, Budweiser, GoDaddy, Oreo, Jeep, or any of the other brands, I invite you to consider Hyundai. Initially known as a throw-away car, Hyundai introduced an industry first more than a decade ago: the 10-years or 100,000-mile power-train (engine and transmission) warranty (whichever comes first). By comparison, other brands offer 5-years/60,000 miles or even 3-years/36,000 miles. Most automobile manufacturers realize that they must consider similar warranties to remain competitive – because customers expect a lengthy warranty. The Hyundai brand attracted buyers as the company evolved with a focus on quality. The automotive press began to recognize Hyundai, and people admitted to owning its vehicles. In fact, today’s Hyundai vehicles include interior features and high-performance engines that rival high-end European vehicles.

So, therefore, it’s really not that surprising that Hyundai wants exposure to share its brand evolution story. And where else can a few well-placed ads be seen by so many eyeballs? Yes, that’s correct, by being a sponsor of a single day event watched by over 100 million viewers around the world.

What would you do differently if you were in charge of Hyundai’s marketing budget?