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Hyundai Motor Company accelerates its full-scale World Cup marketing

With the 2006 World Cup five months ahead, Hyundai Motor's global soccer marketing tactics are in full swing.
At the final draw of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which took place at the Messe Convention Center in Leipzig, Germany in Dec. 9, 2005, Hyundai's cars exhibited in the splendid glass hall caught the eye of soccer fans all over the world. And, the company also provided vehicles for Joseph Blatter, the president of FIFA, Franz Beckenbauer, the president of the Organizing Committee for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and managers and delegates from 32 countries when they came to the place of the function.
This is only a part of the privileges this Korean auto manufacturer can enjoy. The company can put marks and logos of any competitions opened by FIFA and install its advertisement boards around the pitch of all matches. This exclusive official sponsorship contract will be in effect by 2007.
FIFA used to have fifteen official partners for the FIFA World Cup. But, it reorganized its sponsorship system to have six FIFA partners and eight FIFA World Cup partners after the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. As the former official partner Opel Motors, a GM affiliate, gave up its vested right considering the potential benefit from the 2002 FIFA World Cup™, which would be held in Asian countries, not very attractive for it, Hyundai Motor and Toyota vied for the official sponsorship. Toyota lost in bid as it had insisted on the condition that Toyota City should be selected as one of the hosting cities.
As the official partner of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Hyundai Motor could hold the sponsorship in the next game. But, this time was not easy for Hyundai Motor either, because many eminent German car makers tried to exercise influence on FIFA and Hyundai Motor. In this context, being an official automotive partner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany is even more meaningful for the company.
Korea's top auto maker's dedicated efforts and strategies in global soccer marketing started in 1995 when the company sponsored Fluminense, a Brazilian soccer team. Hyundai Motor established a Sports Marketing Team which now became one of the busiest departments in Hyundai Motor these days. The team covers both Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors; as for Hyundai Motor, the main interest of sports marketing is soccer, and Kia Motors'targeted fields are tennis, extreme sports and mountain climbing.
Sports marketing has an excellent marketing effect with relatively lower cost. Especially through sponsoring soccer games that attract international interest, a company can make its name widely known and enhance company image in a very effective and natural way. Through the sponsorship for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Hyundai Motor could raise its brand recognition (Unaided Awareness) by 10% and its brand recall (Aided Awareness) by 9% globally, which helped the company establish its status as an internationally recognized car manufacturer.
The FIFA World Cup is a golden marketing opportunity indeed. It is the one and only sport event that draws the eye of the almost entire world; thousands of millions of people in more than 210 countries fix their eyes on the games of the FIFA World Cup The number of the FIFA member states, 207, also exceeds the number of the member states of the UN. Even North Korea and Iraq are members of FIFA. Hyundai is expecting up to 9 trillion won of marketing effect from the sponsorship of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which is 1.5 time of that from the 2002 FIFA World Cup
Hyundai Motor' marketing master plan for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany consists of the sponsorship of international big games, extensive promotion programs and online marketing.
Last June, the company sponsored the FIFA World Youth Championship, which was held in the Netherlands, and the FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany.
As for the FIFA World Youth Championship, 24 countries participated in it and 85 vehicles were provided by Hyundai Motor to the teams, the press, and VIPs. For the FIFA Confederations Cup which is a kind of a rehearsal of the FIFA World Cup a total of 122 Hyundai cars were supplied. In both competitions, the advertising boards of the company were installed and exposed to the viewers around the world. And, car exhibition at the venues, ticket promotions for customers and various hospitality programs were conducted.
Right after the final draw, nine special marketing programs will be unfolded by Hyundai Motor.
First of all, the company will initiate the Goodwill Ball Road Show. It is a road show of large balls being four meter big on which the FIFA World Cup logo, the national flags of the qualified countries and the Hyundai logo are printed. This ball will tour around 32 countries with the final destination of Germany, collecting the messages of the soccer fans all around the world. This FIFA-sanctioned sole & exclusive program was first implemented for the European Championship EURO 2000, and also was successfully run for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan and EURO 2004.
And, Hyundai will give opportunity for amateur soccer players to have their own matches ― the Hyundai Football World Championship. It is a mini soccer game with five players in each team. Amateur national sports teams will have matches in each country and then the winners of each continent will compete to single out the best amateur soccer team at the world final in Germany.
This program was first run for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and also was held for EURO 2004 in Portugal. The final of the 3rd Hyundai Football World Championship which will take place in Frankfurt, Germany with 16 countries participating including the host, Germany and Australia, the former winner. Hyundai Motor will provide all participating players with a ticket for the quarter final.
'Be there with Hyundai' is a cheering slogan contest for the 32 qualified countries. The best slogan of each country will be put on the respective team bus during the tournament. The winners of the 32 countries will be invited to the opening match.

Fan of the Match
In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, it is not only the players who content with each other. Also fans in the stadium will compete for the prize, the 'Fan of the Match.'Among the spectators in the stadium during the tournaments, Hyundai Motor will select the most wild and passionate one and inform the selectee through the large screen in the stadium right after the first half of the game. At the Hyundai Zone on the official website, the final 'Fan of the Match'will be settled by the vote of fans from all around the world. This contest will be held in every 64 matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. And prizes like a car and gifts will be given to the winners. Their pictures taken during the matches will be used in various PR materials afterwards.
This program is also a sole & exclusive one. The company is expecting it will be greatly helpful in making soccer fans get familiar to the brand name "Hyundai."It took place in the four matches (Opening, semifinals and final) of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2005.
During the games, hundreds of thousand spectators will see Hyundai" new car models exhibited at the venues. Hyundai Motor is preparing various events and shows to amuse the audiences with.
For ardent Korean soccer manias who could not go to the stadium, but will be watching, rooting and cheering in a square or a plaza, which became a trend of big game watching since the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the company will support this "street cheering"by installing giant screens in the twelve host cities and presenting many events. Hyundai is one of the four companies will hold the exclusive right to put their advertisement boards near the screens and neighboring places. And for the domestic cheering squad, "Red Devil,"this Korean leading car maker will sponsor it with 300 million won as well as transportation vehicles.
The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, one of the representative FIFA programs will be held in Germany, too. And Hyundai Motor and the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee will select drivers among the volunteers and train them to drive official vehicles and serve as promotion ambassadors.

Online Marketing Blitz
The most interesting part of Hyundai Motor's FIFA World Cup marketing plan is the internet promotion. And it already had started. The company is the title sponsor of the Korean version of the official FIFA World Cup website (www.fifaworldcup.com), which was available only in the four languages English, French, Germany, and Spanish, for the convenient access of Korean soccer fans. Also, the company opened the Hyundai Fan Corner on it to run various promotion programs in connection with field marketing plans. The Hyundai Fan Corner consists of "Fan of the Match" "Be there with Hyundai"and "Virtual Show Room.""This World Cup will give us an opportunity to firmly establish a global sports marketing system, thereby gradually reinforcing our brand recognition and familiarity as a leading global car maker."said, Park Chae-hoon, general manager of Sports Marketing Team of Hyundai Motor.
The company is now selling 40,000 cars a year in Germany. It is planning to provide a total of about 900 cars for this FIFA World Cup as official transportation vehicles. It is seeing this tournament as a great chance to have the press corps from many countries, VIPs and global opinion leaders experience the enhanced quality and competitiveness in person. Not only this, the FIFA World Cup will offer an unparalleled opportunity for exposure. Hyundai Motor prospects the financial value of the brand exposure through the 2006 FIFA World Cup would be around 6 trillion won. nw

A mini-soccer championship sponsored by Hyundai Motor

Good Will Ball Road Show