Hyundai‘s Super Bowl spot, “Smaht Pahk,” stole the spotlight with its star-studded, Boston-themed commercial for its all-new Sonata 2020, which first debuted in South Korea in March last year.
The 60-second clip became one of the most successful commercials during the game ranking second on USA TODAY‘s Ad Meter in addition to scoring 738 points on Ace Metrix. With over 42 million views on YouTube, Hyundai’s ad was the highest performing commercial overall according to the highly-regarded third-party ranking platform that evaluates advertising effectiveness.
“Smaht Pahk” featured actors John Krasinski, Chris Evans, and comedian Rachel Dratch, as well as David Ortiz, a former Boston Red Sox player. The ad revolves around Hyundai’s “Remote Smart Parking Assist” featured on the 2020 Sonata vehicles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85iRQdjCzj0&t=3s
The 2020 Sonata includes new technologies such as Smart Park. The vehicle also highlights passive and active safety features as Hyundai offers the optional Advanced Driver Assistance System. The system consists of lane assist, lane-centering technology, forward collision avoidance, and radar cruise control with stop-and-go.
Remote Smart Parking Assist enables vehicle owners to park their cars in tight spaces, only using their key fobs while outside the vehicle.
With the thickest Boston accent imaginable, Krasinski, actor-director of “A Quiet Place,” demonstrates the “Smaht Pahk” feature to Evans and Dratch after a sedan failed to maneuver into a tight spot. After a while, Ortiz comes out a window and gives his seal of approval.
Hyundai’s commercial drove activity from consumer interests in the all-new sonata sporting a stunning fresh look. The company’s HyundaiUSA.com web traffic spiked an hour after the commercial aired, with over 250,000 people visiting the site.
In addition, “Smaht Pahk” became a hot topic of conversation with over 43,000 mentions across different social media platforms. Twitter Brand Bowl named Hyundai as the “12th Player” for the best advertisement, and the ad also became one of the top 20 trending topics on Twitter after its release on the Big Game.
Twitter user @its_ainslee even went on an adventure to find the film’s location.
Went on an adventure today after class to find the place @johnkrasinski @TheRealDratch and @ChrisEvans filmed the @Hyundai Smaht Pahk commercial aka my new favorite ad of all time. pic.twitter.com/mDpCllUTK9
— Ainslee (she/her) (@its_ainslee) February 5, 2020
Hyundai collaborated with Innocean USA and Canvas in creating the Sonata promotion. The success of Hyundai’s Super Bowl advertisement campaign expanded to national media commendation as the ad was one of the most talked-about commercials by various news outlets with over 3,000 stories on the day of its Big Game viewing.
Forbes also listed “Smaht Pahk” as one of “The Very Best Ads of the Super Bowl.”
