Autonomous vehicles are becoming a reality, and the IONIQ 5-based robotaxi is Hyundai's part in that, set to launch fully autonomous service in the 2nd half of 2023. However, we found that people still have distrust and are anxious about autonomous driving, because of the lack of knowledge on how self-driving cars work, paired with a fear of the unknown. Unfortunately brands have just been eager to explain the technology through complicated jargon and numbers.

In this situation, Hyundai analyzed the clichés of previous autonomous driving communications, and established a creative strategy for the IONIQ 5 robotaxi to tackle these.

1. Situation

: Hyundai is launching the fully autonomous IONIQ 5-based robotaxi during the 2nd half of 2023, starting with Las Vegas, then to other major cities in the U.S. and global

2. Brief

: Portray the safety and autonomous technology of the IONIQ robotaxi in a way that is

1) Familiar and relatable to the potential passengers, who are the regular taxi riders of today

2) Entertaining and engaging through touching storytelling, in order to captivate all viewers regardless of their understanding of autonomous driving technology

3) Easily understood by all target groups by demonstrating and explaining the technological aspects with attractive and helpful visuals of the IONIQ 5 robotaxi’s autonomous driving

3. Objective

: Give the public trust in IONIQ 5 robotaxi's technology and safety, as well as raise expectations as fully autonomous launch closely approaches, ultimately raising the willingness to ride IONIQ 5 robotaxi

Although autonomous vehicles have already become a reality, that is not the case for the majority of the public, and even those who have access don’t naturally consider it as a first option. Hyundai conducted a survey to gauge how the public thinks of autonomous vehicles. The results showed that 35% of respondents are currently comfortable to ride one. Autonomous vehicles were still a foreign technology that people are just not used to, even though they are rapidly entering the markets. Moreover, there are already prominent names in the autonomous vehicle industry, and it is hard to overcome years of communication done beforehand.

We needed a breakthrough creative strategy to make Hyundai stand out as a leader among the numerous players, while reflecting our brand’s strive for “Progress for Humanity”.

Taking a closer look at the previous communications on autonomous driving, it was clear that the material discussed were not convincing for the everyday people, who will be the largest customers. Previous works often compared the technological prowess with human nature, especially emphasizing human error, further dividing the mental gap. Also, the content was full of complex technical jargon and hefty numbers, such as miles driven autonomously, that did not connect immediately to the audience, ultimately resulting in a creative that did not interest the public.

With this, Hyundai saw opportunity to give the public what they wanted to see in a way that was captivating and engaging. In direct relation to Hyundai’s core vision, we formed an idea that the IONIQ 5-based robotaxi was created with “Humanity Inside”. Even more, we focused on what the public were actually curious about, all shown with cinematic shots and guiding VFX.

Based on the “Humanity Inside” positioning direction, The 1st campaign features a robotaxi engineer, who works on the IONIQ 5-based robotaxi with inspiration from her family, how her sincere intentions are all linked with the autonomous driving technology, CX, and design of the IONIQ 5 robotaxi. Moreover, we wanted to give more representation of women in STEM and of seniors.

After the 1st campaign, VOC analysis showed that viewers wanted to see actual autonomous driving on public roads. So we planned a 2nd campaign that shows the harsh training the IONIQ 5 robotaxi is going through on Las Vegas public roads. A mile in Vegas is unlike a mile anywhere else, as it is full of unusual cars, eccentric pedestrians, and the most complex pick-up zones. We wanted to portray that Hyundai is going beyond measures to make the IONIQ 5 robotaxi safe for everyone on the road.

Most importantly, the campaign successfully shaped the IONIQ 5-based robotaxi as a safe and caring mobility with “Humanity Inside”. Overall acceptance metrics rose 1.7 times from 35% to 62% after watching the campaign, which included very important characteristics for a taxi such as safe/trustworthy/caring. In particular, the change in positive responses from women (28% to 58%) and seniors (25% to 43%) are notable. Comments also show that viewers found the “Humanity Inside” positioning refreshing, and many wanted to see the robotaxi in their own cities in order to ride it.

The impact can also be found in the numbers, with more than 56 million views across platforms. Even more, 64% were complete viewings (VTR100% of 2 main films) thanks to the engaging cinematography, easy-to-understand graphics, as well as the bubbly IONIQ 5 robotaxi itself.

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