Another year, another Super Bowl now behind marketers.
Orange County automakers showed up in a big way with sibling brands Hyundai Motor America Inc., Kia Motors America Inc. and Genesis Motor North America Inc. shelling out the cash and creative to vie for the attention of the nearly 100 million viewers that tuned in to watch the big game.
Reports peg the price tag for a 30-second spot during Super Bowl LIV at a cool $5.6 million.
Hyundai took top marks among the three, as it rose up in the ranks of the USA Today Ad Meter, climbing two spots to No. 2.
Kia also muscled its way into the top 10 at No. 8, according to the ranking of every ad shown during the game.
Meanwhile, sister brand Genesis made its Super Bowl debut this year and came in on the Ad Meter at 28, beating out big names such as Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Heinz in a ranking that capped at 62—that last place being dished out to President Donald Trump for his spot highlighting criminal justice reform.
No. 1 on the Ad Meter was a spot for Jeep, featuring Bill Murray reprising his role in the movie “Groundhog Day.”
Here’s a breakdown of how each local automaker fared the morning after, by the numbers.
Genesis Motor North America Inc.
Synopsis: Commentary on old luxury versus new. The pitch: Genesis is symbolic of the next generation of luxury vehicles and used a hip celebrity couple as part of a larger campaign around its new SUV.
Details: 60 seconds during the second quarter to tout the new GV80 SUV
Star Power: Chrissy Teigen, John Legend
USA Today Ad Meter Rank: 28
YouTube Views: 26 million
Kia Motors America Inc.
Synopsis: The automaker took a decidedly serious tone to make a statement about overcoming hardships in a spot featuring Las Vegas Raiders’ Josh Jacobs in conversation with his younger self.
Details: 60 seconds during the third quarter for the 2021 Seltos sport utility vehicle
Star Power: Josh Jacobs
USA Today Ad Meter Rank: 8
YouTube Views: 10 million
Hyundai Motor America Inc.
Synopsis: The automaker gave a big “nahd” to Boston with celebs exaggerating their Boston accents to show off one of the features of the new Sonata. The spot was paired with a Twitter takeover the day of the game with Boston-area comedians Robert Kelly and Tony Viveiros and, in the lead-up, a TikTok campaign—Hyundai’s first ever—featuring Rachel Dratch.
Details: 60 seconds, during the first quarter to highlight the 2020 Sonata and its remote smart parking capability.
Star Power: Chris Evans, John Krasinski, Rachel Dratch, David Ortiz
USA Today Ad Meter Rank: 2
YouTube Views: 39.5 million
