Commenting on the shifting of the account, a Hyundai official said, "We were looking to introduce a fresh perspective in the advertising of Accent. We decided to go with Grey because they demonstrated a better market understanding than any of the other agencies that made presentations to us."
Accent is positioned as a mid-sized luxury car. The previous ad campaign by Bates, therefore, targeted the upper-end market with headlines such as 'To break the glass ceiling, you need steel', 'It's for men of mettle' and 'You've conquered the skies. Don't let the Earth feel left out'. A TV commercial also demonstrated the power of the vehicle by seemingly outrunning an attacking missile.
Apart from Accent, Hyundai's other cars in the Indian market are the smaller Santro and Sonata models, both of which are handled by SSC&B Lintas.
ZenithMedia is the media agency of record for all three accounts.
The South Korean carmaker, which has increased its marketing budget by nearly 15 per cent to US$12.5 million for this year, is planning to enter the premium market with Viva, an upscale model of Accent. It is also gearing up to enter the sports utility vehicle category with Terracan.
An advertising agency has yet to be chosen for the Terracan account, however, a Hyundai source said that Bates, Grey and SSC&B Lintas would be asked to pitch.
