With the launch of the All‒New Santa Fe, Hyundai Motors unveiled a customer‒participatory digital campaign titled ‘Open for Imagination.’ This campaign features a compilation video using images created by participating customers. Utilizing generative AI technology, customers can visit the website, input desired texts, and create high‒quality images blending the All‒New Santa Fe with various backgrounds.
Unlike traditional campaigns, the Open for Imagination campaign is unique in its customer‒participatory digital approach. The use of customer‒created generative AI images shared through websites and videos is akin to media art employing cutting‒edge technology. Park Eun‒Sun, manager of Hyundai’s Launch Marketing Team, explains,
“Whenever we roll out global new car launches, we always strive for innovative and groundbreaking campaigns. For instance, this year’s Kona Electric launch featured a digital studio in collaboration with Hyundai’s innovation group, Cradle. The campaign for the All‒New Santa Fe goes further by integrating generative AI, focusing on an expanded form of customer participation.”
Customers participating in the Open for Imagination campaign can see various outdoor‒themed images and feelings envisioned by generative AI. Hyundai Motors creates a platform and videos to share these diverse customer‒generated images, facilitating a natural connection of participation, sharing, and empathy. The campaign’s essence lies in creating these connections.
The campaign’s idea originated from the All‒New Santa Fe’s tailgate space, a key feature reflecting the lifestyle and needs of midsize SUV customers. The vehicle’s launch video shows how an ordinary cargo space transforms into a terrace, seamlessly connecting urban and natural environments. The Open for Imagination campaign takes this further, linking the All‒New Santa Fe with imaginative spaces through generative AI technology.
Generative AI creates various images based on user inputs. For the campaign, Hyundai used a proprietary
“At its heart is a groundbreaking generative AI, a digital artist requiring a reservoir of pre‒trained data to craft images. The journey wasn’t a smooth ride. The Hyundai team tirelessly plugged in prompts on the campaign page, debugging each hiccup by sending snapshots to the developers. Their relentless pursuit paid off, endowing the AI with the prowess to conjure crisp, precise images that breathe life into the campaign.”
Hyundai revved up for this venture by meticulously crafting the user experience, tailored for customers diving into the unfamiliar waters of generative AI. Simplifying the portal’s interface, they introduced two distinct driving lanes for interaction: ‘Simple Mode’ and ‘Free Mode’.
Simple Mode is like cruising on a predefined track, where users choose from AI‒suggested settings like lush forests or pristine beaches, aligning them with the Santa Fe’s adventurous spirit. Free Mode, on the other hand, is an off‒road experience where participants input their dream destinations in natural language, and the AI, like a skilled navigator, crafts an optimized image.
In Free Mode, even identical inputs yield a spectrum of outcomes, thanks to the AI’s flair for variety. The same prompts may spawn different stars in the sky, cloud formations, terrains, and angles of the Santa Fe ‒ offering a delightful journey of discovery with each participation.
The campaign, not confined to the web, has hit the roads of Instagram. Integrating messaging and text‒to‒image transformation within Instagram, Hyundai has made participation as effortless as hitting the accelerator. Engage in a chat with the Hyundai Worldwide Instagram bot (@Hyundai_Worldwide), and voila, you’re creating images on the go, ready for immediate download and sharing on your Instagram stories or feed.
This pioneering initiative showcases a quartet of themes, each unfolding in real‒time on the campaign’s microsite, presented in a captivating gallery format. It’s not just about displaying a collection of images; it’s about creating a cohesive narrative that allows users to explore and connect with similar visions. Participants are invited to resonate with others, expanding their imaginative horizons. Ki‒jong Lee, the lead marketing innovation manager at Hyundai, explains the ethos behind this campaign:
“The launch video for The All‒New Santa Fe introduces values that can be experienced with the Santa Fe in real life, encapsulated within themes of discovery, joy, and companionship. The AI‒powered campaign goes a step further, transcending reality to offer experiences beyond the ordinary. Participants can engage with more than just their expectations (More), embark on thrilling adventures (Excitement), feel the joyous embrace of nature like a field full of flowers (Happiness), or delve into fantastical realms of candy trees and fields of glass flowers (Fantasy). These rich and diverse images and values are segmented into four distinct themes.”
The global response to The All‒New Santa Fe’s Open for Imagination campaign has been nothing short of phenomenal. Customers from various nationalities have engaged, generating an array of images, notably through Instagram and chatbots. The viral spread of these images on Instagram has naturally fostered increased participation.
During the campaign, Hyundai Motor Company has been meeting an ever‒expanding customer base by weekly featuring the most striking images on Instagram. They’ve also expressed gratitude for customer participation through a compilation video of user‒generated images, creating a sense of collaboration rather than mere participation. Ki‒jong Lee elaborates, “Hyundai Motor Company is committed to using digital and new technologies to interact with customers, offering them a broad spectrum of digital experiences.”
Hyundai Motor Company continues to be a trailblazer in the automotive industry, constantly seeking innovation in all facets, including global vehicle launches. Striving to resonate not just within the automotive market but also to capture the attention of younger generations and a wider audience, Hyundai is committed to continuous innovation. Their campaigns aren’t just marketing tactics; they’re heartfelt engagements with customers. The anticipation for Hyundai Motor Company’s next narrative is already mounting.
HMG Journal Operation Team
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