Hyundai Motor and Kia have decided to skip advertising during the Super Bowl, known as the world’s largest advertising stage, for this year. As a result, viewers will not see any ads from these automakers during the Super Bowl scheduled for February 9.
According to industry sources, Hyundai and Kia determined that the expected benefits of Super Bowl advertising were not significant enough to justify the enormous costs, especially considering their new vehicle launch plans. While the impact and reach of Super Bowl ads remain substantial, the burden of paying over $2 million per second was deemed too high ahead of their first-quarter launches. Notably, Hyundai has now opted out for five consecutive years, with its last ad airing in 2020, featuring the “Smaht Pahk” campaign that highlighted the Sonata’s remote smart parking feature.
For Kia, this marks the second time it has chosen to forgo Super Bowl advertising, having previously executed 14 ads, excluding last year. Other global automotive brands, including Toyota, Volkswagen, BMW, Nissan, General Motors, Audi, Honda, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus, have also announced their decision not to participate this year. Currently, only Jeep has confirmed plans to run ads during the Super Bowl.
Industry insiders suggest that the political and economic changes following the Trump administration’s second term have made it difficult for automakers to settle on advertising themes this year. “Most global automakers have focused on promoting their electrification strategies and electric vehicle models in recent years, and the administration’s moves to cut incentives for electric vehicles have necessitated a more cautious approach,” one source explained. They also noted that if the political landscape stabilizes next year, these companies are likely to resume advertising in the Super Bowl.
The emergence of various alternative platforms for advertising has also influenced this decision to skip the Super Bowl. Notably, the global mobile short-form platform TikTok offers a more cost-effective way to achieve high visibility compared to Super Bowl ads. Hyundai recently reported that its 2023 campaign for the Ioniq 6 on TikTok garnered a response comparable to Super Bowl ads, surpassing 100 million views within two weeks and achieving a staggering 300% increase in viewership compared to the previous year. This figure is nearly half of the viewership for last year’s Super Bowl, and when compared to just TV viewers, it accounts for 90% of the audience.
