Hyundai Live Smart – Sonata Turbo
I remember a couple years ago I saw a commercial on TV that really caught my attention . The Hyundai Live Smart ad seems like any other ordinary car commercial, but ends off by showing that no carbon footprint was emitted from the making of the video. This is such a creative idea and it really adds to Hyundai’s image as a car company that can go green as well.
I found out more about the creation of this commercial:
“In developing the campaign, the Toronto office of Innocean Worldwide, which won Hyundai Canada’s business last February, recruited the sustainability consultant and former TV host (of HGTV’s Green Force) Lauren Gropper to ensure the four-day production was as environmentally friendly as could be.
She ensured that water bottles were banned from the set, the crew ate locally produced organic food with compostable plates, cups and cutlery, and everyone was required to separate their trash into recycling, organic waste and garbage. Paper consumption was cut sharply by using communal call sheets and scripts, requiring anyone who wanted to know what was going on to troop over to a shared bulletin board. The spots were shot digitally rather than using film. The crew even recycled the rainwater that soaked the set during ill-timed downpours, collecting it in buckets and then using it for rain effects in the commercials.” (taken from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/adhocracy/hyundai-canadas-green-shoots/article1748396/)
It’s not hard to tell that a lot of thought was put into making sure this ad was as environmentally friendly as possible — Recycling rainwater to use as fake rain water later on sounds very intense. With this ultra-green ad I decided to find out how green the hyundai sonata hybrid actually was.
The sonata hybrid can operate on an electric motor only, a gasoline internal combustion engine only, or a combination of the two depending on driving conditions and driver demands. When the car is stopped, the gas engine is immediately automatically shut off to save gas. Despite it being part-electric, the car still has a combined gas-electric output of 206 horsepower, which is higher than any other hybrid competitor in the market. With a redesigned sleek and chic interior and exterior, and significant savings while maintaining a price lower than the Camry and the Fusion, this car produces significant price savings for its user. (http://www.hybridcars.com/vehicle/hyundai-sonata-hybrid.html)
This car sounds appealing, and the use of a green ad to attract customers attention really adds another dimension to it. Hopefully other car companies will be inspired by Hyundai to produce their car commercials with less of a carbon-output. Regardless of whether the car they are marketing is actually sustainable, companies should try to reduce their carbon footprint where they can — i.e. in production of commercials.
