Leagas Delaney will this week roll out its latest ad for the South
Korean car giant, Hyundai. Written and art directed by Tim Delaney, the
agency’s creative director, the pounds 2 million campaign for the Lantra
was directed by David Garfath for the Paul Weiland Film Company.
The result is a 40-second film that capitalises on the curved shape of
the car body by featuring footage of well-known film sirens with
curvaceous figures, such as Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe.
And despite the inclusion of such sex symbols, the agency’s research
showed the commercial was more of a hit with women than it was with men,
according to the account director, Chris Herd.
‘The commercial is more about style than sex,’ he said. ‘And our
research revealed that it is more appealing to women than men.’
Hyundai’s new version of the Lantra is the first to be designed and
built entirely in Korea. To reflect this, the film opens with a car
designer working at his drawing board, looking for inspiration.
Flashes of film footage come into his mind - Marilyn Monroe in There’s
no Business Like Show Business and Some Like it Hot, Sophia Loren in Boy
on a Dolphin, and Anita Ekberg makes an appearance in La Dolce Vita.
Inspired by these images, the designer goes on to create ‘the new curvy
car’.
The commercial, which breaks on BSkyB this week and Channel 4 and ITV
next week, is intended to take the marque upmarket.
The Lantra will target the upper-middle sector of the market, competing
with models such as the Vauxhall Vectra and the Ford Mondeo.