Hyundai Shoots its Most Efficient Ad Campaign Ever

Hyundai Shoots its Most Efficient Ad Campaign Ever

Lights, camera, action….pollution? Beyond the glitz and the glam, the TV shows and commercials Canadians loves most have major, but rarely discussed, environmental impacts. Electricity and water use, travel, onsite generators and waste disposal are just a few culprits. 

Hyundai recently shot three television commercials with a 96% reduction in carbon emissions and a 97% reduction in garbage when compared to typical shoots.  From using human-powered pulleys to banning water bottles on set, no measure was spared for producing the company’s most efficient ad campaign ever. The commercials shot for the Sonata Turbo, Tuscon and Sonata Hybrid take the efficiencies of the cars themselves to the small screen. Part of Hyundai’s new “Live Smart” philosophy, these commercials reveal Hyundai’s commitment to becoming not only a world leader in fuel economy, but a more responsible corporate citizen.

During the August 22-25 shoot at a parking lot in downtown Toronto, the consumption of resources was strictly regulated and all waste was monitored, sorted and measured. As a result, the team was able to calculate the shoot produced a total of 0.35 metric tonnes of CO2 and 45 kg of garbage. For comparison, the company estimates a traditional shoot would have produced approximately 8.93 metric tonnes of CO2 and 1,524 kg of garbage.

The reduced figures were achieved by filming three commercials all at one location, utilizing solar and wind power generators, LED and low-power lighting, local-sourced food for the crew and an innovative set design that simulated moving vehicles and landscapes through bicycle generators and hand cranks. The crew of 80 also tracked their transportation to-and-from the set, utilizing car pooling, public transit, bicycles and sidewalks whenever possible.

“There are no smoke-and-mirrors here,” said John Vernile, Vice President of Marketing at Hyundai Canada. “We made a concerted, holistic effort to find the most efficient way to shoot a commercial that significantly reduced our ecological impact. Frankly, there aren’t too many commercials shot with this level of efficiency and limited environmental impact, let alone three.”

“The inspiration for this campaign came directly from the efficiencies of the cars we were tasked to advertise,” commented Gary Westgate, Executive Creative Director of Innocean Canada. “Hyundai’s aim is to become a global leader in fuel economy, so we wanted to step-up our game and deliver our services in a new, more efficient way.”

To achieve the goal of developing three carbon-neutral commercials, Innocean Canada brought-in Lauren Gropper, a LEED Accredited Professional Sustainability Consultant. Originally from Vancouver, Gropper has worked throughout North America on residential and commercial buildings in Environmental Planning and Design.  Gropper organized the shoot from a green perspective, sourcing the required resources, working with the crew and advising on set design, building, tear-down and disposal. 

While the shoot was partially powered by solar, wind and manpower, additional power needs were supplied by clean diesel generators right-sized for the anticipated energy requirements. By employing exhaust scrubbers, the generators produced 35-40 percent fewer emissions. Other ecological choices were enforced through outright bans. For example, water bottles were forbidden on the set, saving an estimated 4,800 plastic water bottles.  In their stead, reusable bottles were brought-in by the crew.

Added Vernile: “This is another step in Hyundai’s efforts to be a more responsible corporate citizen. We’ve learned a lot through this process and we’re looking forward to applying these lessons to future marketing projects.”

Interestingly, the stars of the commercials – the vehicles – were noticeably silent for the full four days.  By using human-powered pulleys, treadmills and cranks, the crew was able to simulate vehicle motion by spinning the vehicles’ wheels and by rotating a canvas of static images for background scenery.  All of the set materials were either donated or recycled.

“Each commercial looks as though the car is moving under its own power when, in fact, it’s the background that’s doing most of the work,” Vernile said. “We went back to the early days of film making for lessons in how to help trick the camera.  We think Canadians are going to be surprised with what we were able to do.”

The commercials were for the Sonata Turbo, Tucson and Sonata Hybrid and will run on national Canadian television networks from mid-September until late November. 

“The Sonata Turbo, Hybrid and Tucson were developed for the global market,” said Keith McDevitt, Senior Vice President, Innocean Canada Worldwide. “So we wanted to maintain a global perspective on the ecological impact during the development of this campaign. By aggressively minimizing our C02 production and limiting waste, I believe we found a way to achieve our goal.”

The videos – and the making of – can also be viewed on the company’s dedicated YouTube page (www.youtube.com/hyundailivesmart) that went live on October 1, 2010. For every 600 visitors to the YouTube page, Hyundai will purchase one metric ton of carbon offsets.