Throughout the last 10 years, Marvel Studios has partnered with several car companies for their films, but the collaboration between Marvel and Hyundai takes partnerships to a new level. As the cars serve as a central piece of the story, Hyundai was able to showcase their vehicles in an organic way that really put a spotlight on the vehicles. After attending the junket for the film, I knew I needed to find out more about what brought this partnership together. We reached out to Hyundai and they were gracious enough to share their thoughts. We had a few moments to talk to Hyundai’s Senior Group Manager of Brand Marketing and Advertising Monique Kumpis about their part in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
“We have three different models in the movie,” said Kumpis. “We have the Veloster, our Kona and our all-new Santa Fe, which is coming out this fall. We tried to align each of those vehicles with key characters in the film. Without giving anything away, what I can say is, when people connect emotionally with a character, they notice things like what they drive.”
You may have already seen the following spot which gives a brief glimpse of the fun to be had in Ant-Man and the Wasp:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02Mp13Ks4MY
As we mentioned, the partnership extended beyond just appearing in the film. In addition to their presence at the World Premiere, Hyundai hosted a scavenger hunt in the Los Angeles area. Hyundai placed tiny toy versions of the Veloster around town, which served as movie passes to an exclusive screening of the film several days before release. As Kumpis said, “We can partner and be part of something people already love, ideally, we want to make their experience even better. We want to go beyond just product placement to build a brand experience.”
The big picture for Hyundai was to connect to the audience and transform how the brand is seen. As Kumpis said, “We’re always looking for ways to build an emotional connection with our customers. We want to move Hyundai from a brand that people buy to a brand that people love. With all partnerships of this nature, we want to be part of something that people already love. People love Marvel. People love Ant-Man. People love the Wasp.” After seeing the film, tell me that you don’t love the Hyundai Veloster.