How Hyundai Sped into the NHL Season with Help from the Joseph and Tkachuk Brothers, and Connor Bedard
With the start of a new NHL season, Hyundai Canada was quick to continue its positioning as the league’s official vehicle. This meant a return to celebrating the heroes behind the players - the moms, dads, coaches etc. who drive them to games and practices, and the vehicles which get them there consistently, safely and soundly.
However, this year was especially big for the brand. Specifically, in tandem with partner creative agency INNOCEAN Canada, the two landed several NHL stars to build the creative around. In the case of two of the spots, the work celebrated the joys of sibling rivalry, poked fun at backseat fighting and demonstrated the amount of seating space Hyundai has to offer by showcasing the Joseph brothers (French version) and Tkachuk brothers (English version) bickering, all while their real moms drove the car.
Moreover, the brand officially declared its positioning around up-and-coming superstar Connor Bedard, releasing a heartfelt spot focusing on all the people in Connor’s life who helped him get to where he is today. Featuring photos and real footage of those behind the scenes legends, it represents the start of an exciting future between brand and player - something which will be built upon for years to come.
LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with INNOCEAN Canada executive creative director Ian MacKellar, and Hyundai Canada director of marketing Christine Smith to learn how this multi-pronged approach came to life in time for the first face off.
LBB> Launching a campaign to kick off the NHL season is no small task. As such, what was the brief, and what immediate ideas came to mind?
Christine> Year one of our NHL partnership was all about introducing Hyundai as the official vehicle of the NHL in Canada. This year, we wanted to return to some of our roots in hockey, using our partnership with the NHL to make those efforts even bigger and more impactful. So, we returned to our ‘Made for Those Who Drive Hockey’ platform, where we celebrate those ‘drivers’ of hockey – the moms, dads, coaches, volunteers, officials, etc. – who help make the game happen everyday in every neighbourhood across the country. Innocean, our AOR, is who came up with that platform in the first place. So there was no one else who could take this on!
Ian> Innocean's brief for the 2023-2024 hockey season was to build on the momentum we created over the last five years. What made this year’s effort even more compelling, however, was our access to several well-known NHL players, including the generational talent, Connor Bedard.
LBB> Tell us more about this! What makes Bedard, and the NHL, so important to the brand?
Christine> The NHL is a massive platform - one of the biggest stages in Canada. We wanted to increase awareness and familiarity of our brand and products today, versus the Hyundai of the past. So, the NHL was a great choice to help us do this. It provides not only a massive platform, but also unlimited storytelling opportunities and ways for us to better connect with our customers and fans.
Regarding Connor, he is a phenom, and we’re thrilled to have him on board. When we started considering a partnership, we knew there was an opportunity to get in on the ground floor, but also that the attention around him would be huge. Even more importantly, we were on the same page about wanting to share a little more about him and those who helped get him here; we liked the idea of highlighting his support network at a time when all eyes are on Connor as an individual. And you see that in this spot and the ones we have coming.
LBB> It’s not just Bedard, however. The Joseph and Tkachuk brothers feature in their own spots! Why was this multi-prong approach something you wanted to do?
Ian> ‘Made for Those Who Drive Hockey’ affords us the latitude to tell many authentic stories: the Joseph and Tkachuk brothers and their respective moms about raising a hockey family, and with Connor Bedard, the number of people it takes for one player to make it to the NHL.
Christine> Hockey is an opportunity for us to connect with Canadians at a more emotional level. And that gives us a range to work with because there are so many stories to tell. We wanted to reflect real, relatable hockey experiences – the drive to the rink, the people who helped you along the way (and stay tuned for more to come!). Sometimes, these moments are funny and humorous, sometimes they pull at the heartstrings, but the point is that Canadians can relate to them. This has been our mission since launching the platform in 2018, so it’s something you’ll continue to see.
LBB> Tell us about the writing process itself! How did these spots come to life?
Ian> We began creative development in early summer and worked closely with our NHL/NHLPA partners throughout the approval process. We scheduled our shoot days around the very busy schedules of our athletes and brought back the directing team of Jon and Torey, with whom we had worked on previous hockey efforts, to help bring our ideas to life.
LBB> Where did you shoot, and what was the experience like? Do you have any anecdotes from on set?
Ian> We shot in Toronto over six days. The experience, like most shoots, was a mix of excitement and the unexpected. Anecdote? France, the Joseph brothers’ mother, said it was nice to spend the day with her two boys and that the way they acted in the spot was the way they behaved on the flight to Toronto!
LBB> One can’t help but notice the ‘WAH’ plate while watching. What’s the significance of this?
Ian> ‘We Make Wah’ is our very successful brand platform that launched a year ago, embracing both Hyundai's Korean heritage and the 'surprise and delight' we aim to impart on all customers. We wanted to make a subtle, but important connection to that platform.
LBB> In the case of Connor’s spot, much of it is about representing the fact that success has been driven by all the important people in his life. How did this guide your approach?
Ian> Everything had to be real. We worked with the family and the owners of the photographs to secure their usage, and there is just a single actor in the spot (the skate sharpener). Everyone else, from his Regina Pats coaches to his sister, mom, dad, and even former teammate Andrew Cristall are the real people that made a real difference in his journey to the NHL.
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?
Ian> The biggest challenge was scheduling. Our production team worked closely with the Bedard family, the coaches, trainers and with the league and player association to book flights, secure locations, and book crew within a tight timeline.
Christine> All the usual ones, with some extra scheduling challenges to keep everyone on their toes. How do you overcome any challenge? You stay close and work together until you find a solution. I always ask the team to think ‘how’, not ‘if’, and they always rise to the occasion and find a way.
LBB> What lessons have you learned in the making of this campaign?
Ian> Plan for the unexpected, hope for the best, and, as a matter of fact, arenas are still cold in the summertime.
Christine> Brief earlier, haha (we did, but next year we’ll be even earlier)! There’s never enough time and these kinds of projects can be passion pursuits, so you’ll get more options than on anything else and you’ll want to make more than you thought you would.
LBB> Since launch, how have people reacted to this campaign?
Christine> People have responded fantastically! There’s been tons of chatter online (and it can be tough to get people to talk about commercials online), and great responses from the media across North America, our dealer network, and our employees.
LBB> Is there one spot you’re particularly proud of? And why?
Ian> ‘Sibling Rivalry’… It was one of the first spots written and thus, I believe, the purest of ideas.
Christine> I love all my kids equally! Mostly, I’m just proud of my amazing team at Hyundai, Innocean, and all of our partners whose passion and hard work made this great work come to life.
