It's not unusual to see advertisers — car companies in particular — pull out all the stops for Super Bowl advertising. It's a time when the millions of viewers with eyes glued to televised gridiron action can typically expect nothing less than creative genius from those who make the ads.
But viewers should expect no such thing from Hyundai, which released previews of their cheesy ads on YouTube this week. The apparent takeaway is that Hyundais are somehow fast, sporty, fun. But the ads try to get the point across in a way that reminds me of 1990-vintage Saturn commercials' folksy blandness. In other words, I have the urge to change the channel.
Here's one of the other ads; a confused jumble of noise and camera angles that makes it sound as if a yell-talking Hyundai Genesis is high on speed. It's sportscaster Gus Johnson, apparently excited about the car's 429 hp, but still.
The "Don't Tell" spot is a little more entertaining, but is it Super Bowl worthy?
There are still two ads we haven't seen. "Epic Playdate" will feature a Santa Fe full of children, and "Team" will feature another kid-filled Santa Fe whose passengers take on the neighborhood bullies. We're sure someone will think they're cute.