We're pretty decent at advertising cars here in New Zealand. It shows in just how many car adverts here grow into cult classics cited well into the future, as they penetrate popular culture and become part of the country's lore.
The best example of all of this, of course, are the Barry Crump Toyota Hilux commercials spread through the ’80s and ’90s — a range of ads that probably did as much as anything else to ingrain the Hilux with contemporary Kiwi motoring culture.
These days Hyundai New Zealand are probably one of the more adventurous brands in the country when it comes to advertising. Hell, they once got a baby to drive a Santa Fe. Most recently you'll have noted the advert for Hayden Paddon's new 'Paddon's Pack' commercial where he appears to whisk a bunch of passengers around various roads in a rally-spec i20.
That ad is an excellent one, but this latest commercial for the i20 Cross is even better.
In the interest of fairness here, it's worth noting that the i20 Cross probably isn't our favourite hatch, largely thanks to the four-speed automatic transmission. But credit where it's due, the matching ad is stellar.
The premise and execution are simple. It depicts a boy and his thoroughly 'modified' Hyundai i20 Cross, covered in papier mâché signage and carboard wings — liveried up to look like Paddon's WRC machine. Paddon takes the boy (complete with pint-sized racing suit) for a skid in the woods with it, all the alterations peel off, and you see by the end that it's just a standard i20 Cross.
Nothing revolutionary about it; it's just nice to see manufacturers embrace their motorsport connections in this way. Many others don't, with the exception possibly of Holden.
Great work, Hyundai.