South Korean automobile giant Hyundai launched the revamped version of Venue yesterday, following up on a slew of TVCs teasing consumers over the last couple of weeks. While Venue was originally launched in India in 2019, the 2022 model is the vehicle’s facelift, promising more features.

Virat Khullar, Group Head - Marketing, Hyundai India Limited, said the 360-degree marketing campaign for this new model was their biggest launch in 2022.

“This is the entry SUV among the five SUVs we have in India, with our youngest buyers among SUVs coming for Hyundai Venue. Because of its popularity, and with a young consumer base with ever-, evolving demands, we wanted to do a refresh,” said Khullar.

“The communications plan for this launch is to target Generation Z and millennials, and we are focusing very heavily on the mediums that they use. While the millennials, those under 40, are our primary purchasers, we are also targeting Gen Z, which is a big part of the influencer base of our decision making,” said Khullar.

“Because it's the most connected SUV in the country, from an advertising POV, we'll be concentrating a lot on the features. The marketing plan began on the 1st of June. We've already gone live with seven teaser TVCs which are live on TV and social platforms. Each of these seven seven TVCs concentrate on a different feature of the car. The official launch commercial will go live after the car's launch event today on the 16th,” said Khullar.

While Innocean Worldwide, Hyundai's creative agency on record, conceived and executed the teaser TVCs, Havas Media is Hyundai India’s media agency. The positioning statement is to ‘live the lit life’, with Khullar pointing out that as people come outdoors again after two years, the brand wants to be the vehicle for both a return to normalcy and new adventures. “It’s all about the comeback. We’re seeing a lot of comeback shopping, comeback tourism, comeback dining out. So I think ‘living the lit life’ is very apt for us, for the product, and for our target audiences,” he said.

Because the entry-level SUV is geared towards younger buyers, Hyundai will be working closely with social media influencers and the campaign will be playing across TV channels, OTT platforms, and other media. The company has also tied up with the BCCI for the vehicle to be present at the remaining T20 matches between India and South Africa and the ‘Man of the Series’ driving home the car after the final match this weekend.

Interestingly, while Venue is meant to appeal to Gen Z and millennials, Hyundai won’t be pulling up at the metaverse, seemingly every brand’s favourite new arena, just yet. However, it will be targeting the country’s rapidly growing gaming cohort as part of its digital campaign.

A 3-D anamorphic installation, a first for the auto industry in the country, will go up at Cyber Hub Gurugram this Sunday, showcasing the product along with visual animations and scenography.

“Car campaigns usually concentrate on adventure, sports, and the outdoors. However, with this car and all its connected features, we’ll be looking at music, gaming, and other influencers in these new market segments,” said Khullar, adding that various elements of the campaign will roll out over the next three days, with outdoors going live on Sunday, and print on Monday.