Santa Fe ad a runaway success

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New Zealand’s favourite TV commercial promotes a sellout success for the Hyundai Santa Fe SUV.

15 September 2006
Immediate release

Santa Fe ad a runaway success

New Zealand’s favourite new TV commercial is the Hyundai ad with the cute toddlers heading to the surf in a Santa Fe SUV.

An AdMedia survey, undertaken by TNS NZ, out today shows the ad received almost double the rating of any other commercial launched this year.

The August survey, showing a snapshot of kiwi viewers’ favourites’ in July when the Santa Fe was introduced, rated Santa Fe the most-liked current ad , scoring four times higher than any other in that month.

Media sources say the rating is remarkable in a very cluttered advertising market.

The commercial, created by advertising agency Assignment Group, has been hailed by Hyundai Automotive Managing Director, Philip Eustace as a further step for Hyundai into the New Zealand public consciousness.

“This is a great ad that clearly touches the hearts of New Zealanders, placing the Santa Fe right in front of its target market: families.”

So the Santa Fe commercial is a popular ad, but did it work?

“It’s been a runaway success,” said Mr. Eustace.

“We expected the Santa Fe to be a popular vehicle so we ordered plenty of them, in the various different models. But we have already run short of stock, just a couple of months since we launched.

“Our dealers are crying out for more and customers are having to wait for some models, especially in their colour choice.

“Undoubtedly that is partly due to the TV commercial.

“It just shows the Santa Fe is the best possible combination: a great car from a great brand with great advertising. “

The survey results are outlined in the latest issue of industry magazine Admedia, out today.

The survey is conducted by TNS NZ in the second week of each month amongst 1,000 New Zealanders aged 15 and over, drawn from an online research panel of more than 105,000 members. The panel is representative of the 70 percent of New Zealanders who are online and the survey is quota managed by age, sex and region throughout the country, giving a statistically significant representation of the wider New Zealand public.

ENDS