This weekend marks the official launch of the 2011 Elantra on the AFC Championship game.  Below is a note from our marketing dept. explaining our big presence during the third quarter of this weekend’s game.   Hyundai is also mentioned in USA Today as one of three companies (Anheuser Busch and Audi are the other two) who are previewing/taking advantage of the AFC Championship to get a jump on their Super Bowl ads.

As the 2010 NFL Season draws nearer to a climatic close with its two championship games this weekend, HMA is flexing its muscle by overtaking the 3Q of the AFC Championship Game!  Hyundai has signed on for the big AFC game between the New York Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers.   The game is an excellent way in which to announce the arrival of our perennial Pro-Bowl vehicle, the 2011 Hyundai Elantra.  The Championship Game is one of the top five most watched programs of the year {35 million viewers} and provides us with a unique opportunity to unveil the new campaign for the Elantra called “Snap Out of It.”  The distinctive “Snap Out of It” campaign tackles the issue of years of consumer complacency within the compact car segment.  By showing the current doldrums view of the compact car market, the 2011 Elantra stands out from the pack with its distinctive fluidic design, best in class front legroom and 40 MPG.  The 2011 Elantra typifies what it takes to win in the NFL…teamwork.  The sum of the Elantra parts is what makes this vehicle so unique and eye-catching from the rest of the competition, that we do not need any special gimmicks to promote this great package.  It blitzes the audience into snapping out of their current small, bland and uninspiring compact car and demands them to pay attention to the Elantra in a very unique way.  The AFC Championship Game can be seen on Sunday, January 23rdat 6:30 p.m. EST on CBS.  Hyundai has sacked the 3Q for auto-exclusivity to showcase portions of the new campaign by airing two new Elantra spots entitled “Sheep” and “Childhood.” Sheep is a spot that shows how we have become complacent in the compact car segment by not demanding more from our vehicles and accepting what everyone is drives in the segment and the Childhood spot talks about how we have been conditioned from an early age to accept that all compact cars must be cramped.  All of the “Snap Out of it” spots tout that the 40-MPG Elantra is here and ready to become a real game-changer in the category. In addition to the two new Elantra spots, we will also be airing two current Sonata spots to complete the playbook for the 3Q rotation.  To view the two new Elantra “Snap Out of It” campaign spots that will make their debut on the AFC Championship Game, please click on the Marketing Blog link – http://www.hyundaimarketingblog.com/index.aspx.