Hyundai Motor Co. is getting buzzy over Marvel Studios’ big-screen debut of Ant-Man sequel “Ant-Man and the Wasp” next week.
That’s because the Fountain Valley automaker’s new Veloster coupe will make its debut in the film. It tapped agency of record Innocean USA to create a marketing campaign that includes commercials and a scavenger hunt.
The campaign kicked off this month with a “Stoplight Standoff” television spot featuring two police officers in a patrol car waiting at a stoplight. The officers think the Veloster driver next to them is revving his engine to race, but it turns out a tiny Veloster between the cars is the one ready to take off.
“We’re huge Marvel fans, so we immediately recognized that our goal was to integrate Hyundai in a way that felt organic and paid homage to the comedy inherent in the films,” said Innocean Associate Creative Director Joe Reynoso and Senior Copywriter Alvaro Soto in a joint statement.
Hyundai will sponsor the livestream of the premier event featuring two segments dedicated to its car placement in the sequel.
Fans will also have the chance to win tickets to a screening of the film three days before its July 6 theatrical release.
Hyundai said it will place 500 toy versions of the Veloster model around Los Angeles this month for fans to find.
The tiny car serves as a movie pass, and fans will have to check Hyundai’s Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat channels for clues to their locations. The exclusive screening event will also have photo ops, custom artwork posters and gift bag giveaways.
Marketing firm Advantage in Century City is helping manage the screening event.
Head-to-Head
The World Cup kicked off two weeks ago, and Huntington Beach-based ad agency Gallegos United is getting into the action with its latest campaign for Comcast’s Xfinity service.
The “Unexpected Experts” ads feature a chameleon named Chema. The character demonstrates that anyone watching the World Cup can become an unexpected expert with Xfinity Internet’s Wi-Fi coverage.
One spot features Chema peeking over someone’s shoulder while watching a soccer match, yelling for a player to “Take the shot!” and when the player doesn’t listen, Chema responds by saying that he once dated a snail who would’ve “crushed that shot.”
Aimed at the U.S. Hispanic market, Chema also takes over Xfinity Latino’s social media accounts to harp on the World Cup and celebrate wins while promoting Xfinity’s streaming, internet and X1 tools.
Gallegos United develops Spanish-language campaigns for many of its clients, including Kia Motors America Inc. in Irvine, Comcast, Foster Farms and the California Milk Processor Board.
The agency is part of United Collective in Huntington Beach, which formed last year under Chief Executive John Gallegos and includes business planning consultancy Poly United, content creation and post-production shop Luna United, digital agency Canvas United and public relations firm Rox United.
Straight Shot
Men’s apparel label TravisMathew successfully courted recently turned professional golfer Norman Xiong.
The 19 year old also signed with parent company Callaway Golf Co. this month, making him the first professional golfer to be signed by both TravisMathew and Callaway, according to a joint statement. Financial terms of the deal were undisclosed.
Xiong will wear TravisMathew apparel on and off the course, and his equipment will be Callaway Golf.
Chief Executive Travis Brasher said the company is excited to work with “an athlete of Norman’s caliber.”
“We believe his personality and style on and off the golf course are a tremendous fit for us and we welcome Norman to the TravisMathew family,” Brasher said in a statement.
Xiong, who turned pro this month, played his first tournament when he was 5. Born in Guam and raised in San Diego, he was the No. 1 collegiate recruit in his class—picking University of Oregon as a chance to practice playing in poor weather conditions.
The athlete has won six college events this year as a sophomore at Oregon, more than any player in the country, and received the Jack Nicklaus Award for Division 1 Player of the Year.
TravisMathew in Huntington Beach is owned by Carlsbad-based Callaway Golf, which acquired the label last year in a $125.5 million cash-and-debt deal.
The company was founded in 2007 by Brasher, Travis Johnson and John Kruger. Its clothing is sold in resorts and country clubs, Nordstrom and golf retailers.
