How do you say Hyundai? That’s a relatively straightforward question, but the company is changing its pronunciation in the United Kingdom.
In the past, the company has pronounced its name as ‘Hy-un-dai’ but they’re now transitioning to ‘Hyun-day.’ The latter has been the automaker’s global pronunciation and the company ran a Super Bowl ad over a decade ago that taught Americans “It’s Hyundai, like Sunday.”
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Getting back to the other side of the Atlantic, Hyundai said the brand has been transformed through “innovation, design and leadership in electrification” in recent years. This has resulted in a shift in perceptions and the automaker wants to “further accelerate this” by changing the “anglicised pronunciation of ‘Hy-un-dai’ to the global pronunciation ‘Hyun-day.’”
To help get consumers used to the change, the company is launching a multi-channel advertising campaign that consists of television, radio, and online spots as well as commercials on on-demand services. The centerpiece is a 30 second video, which shows a man seeing an ad announcing the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the 2022 World Car of the Year.
While seeing an ad inside an ad is pretty meta, the man uses his phone’s voice assistant to search for ‘Hy-un-dai.’ This takes him to the High ‘N’ Dye Hair Salon instead of a Hyundai dealership. Other people attempt to say the same thing and they’re taken to places called Hawaiian Tie, High End Pie, and Highland Eye. The clip ends at the latter location with a woman telling a confused man “It’s Hyun-day, by the way.”
While the change is relatively minor, Hyundai UK said they’re embracing a new chapter by bringing the pronunciation “in line with the global organization and our Korean heritage.”