Hyundai wants to boost its emotion and brand value

The car company that made its name with $9990 pricing and drive-away deals is planning to polish its image and inject more personality into its products in 2020.

Hyundai, a price fighter since the 1980s and the company that brought drive-away shopping to Australia in the early 1990s, is taking a fresh approach to try and lift its brand values.

As the second-generation Hyundai Veloster coupe/hatch hits the road, following the funky compact Venue SUV and with four more new models promised next year, the company’s new chief operating officer says it’s time for some fresh thinking.

“We will be stronger. And humorous, and smart, and factual. And you will see us speaking more proudly about who we are and how we’ve evolved,” new COO John Kett tells carsales.

“We want to be brand focussed next year. It’s about our ability to consistently focus on the brand. And the brand bringing us benefit.

“That is the emotional, intangible association people have with our brand. If we get that right…”

Kett denies his plan is about pushing Hyundai into a head-to-head battle with Toyota for number one in Australia, even though it is likely to overtaken Mazda for second this year.

Instead, he says it is a move to make Hyundai more than just a dollar-dealer. He wants people to see the strengths of the vehicles and not just a $990 tagline, as well as boosting dealer profitability at a time when many showrooms are struggling to turn a profit.

“We want to bring greater visibility to where our true strengths are. We are rethinking what our priorities are for next year,” Kett says.

“We want to talk more positively about what we’ve achieved. About what the brand can be. I look at it just through the lens of wanting to improve.

“We want to bring some life to the history. We're a 52-year-old brand. We’ve been in Australia since the 1980s.”

He can still see the advantages of programs like the $19,990 price line for the i30, but does not want people to only shop Hyundai for a bargain.

“We’re not advocating for more price. [But] I’m yet to really see a deal get lost for $100.

“When you have everything at drive-away pricing … I think it has a role to play, but not all the time.

“So a little more Active, a little less Go,” Kett says, referring to the base model and the next-one-up in its model lines.

He says Hyundai has research showing that buyers still question the quality and reliability of its vehicles, although he admits they need to be presented with more emotion.

“The very areas where we are strong are some of the areas we are marked down. We can fall short a little bit in the aspirational piece.

“I think it’s more a lack of familiarity with our brand. And how we can take our consumers on that journey.

“Our product portfolio is telling we can evolve. I don’t think the mass market has acknowledged that Hyundai has moved. We have to bring consumers on that journey.

“We know that progression and innovation will be important. And as we do that we want people to understand that quality is non-negotiable for us.”

Kett says advertising for the Venue shows the new direction, but he wants to do much more through 2020 and beyond.

“We have that history, without apologising for it. We have 32 years in Australia.

“We’ve got some work to do. I don’t want to make out that this is easy.

“[But] We definitely can be better than what we are today. We don’t want to be arrogant, we want to be humble.”