Hyundai UK Wants People to Pronounce its Name Differently

Hyundai says 2023 represents the dawn of a new era for the brand in the United Kingdom where a new marketing campaign has an interesting goal. Through an ad featuring the Ioniq 5 EV, the South Korean automaker wants to change the pronunciation of the brand from the more anglicized “Hy-un-dai” to “Hyun-day.”

According to the brand, the latter represents the global pronunciation and better reflects the Korean heritage. To spread the word about this unusual change, Hyundai has created a new commercial that takes place at a few fictional (and similarly pronounced) small businesses in the city: the High ‘n’ Dye hair salon, Highland Eye eye-wear specialist, a Hawaiian Tie shop, and the High-End Pie bakery. The takeaway of this 30-second clip is: “If you thought you knew our cars and how to say our name, maybe it’s time to think again.”

The Dawn of a New Hyundai TVC

Commenting on this move, Ashley Andrew, Hyundai Motor UK Managing Director says:

“Hyundai is a young, innovative and progressive brand which has transformed with great speed. We are proudly Korean with real character and purpose. With this campaign, we want to inject a little humor and personality to our brand which we hope will encourage more people to learn more about Hyundai.”

While Kia has changed its logo to go along with the massive progress the company has made in recent decades, sister brand Hyundai has so far refrained from updating its corporate image. Both, however, are hard at work preparing for what will ultimately be electric-only lineups, with products like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 leading the way. 2023 should see the unveiling of the larger Hyundai Ioniq 7 and Kia EV9, set to join the already revealed Ioniq 6 sedan and the upcoming Ioniq 5 N high-performance model.

UsmanAnsari

A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com