[Brand] Wish moves everythng, The SnowishMan
Hyundai reinvents its 15-year "Wish" campaign into a punk carol and an 11-minute film where a snowman meets a robot.
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AI Translation Summary
After 15 years, Hyundai Motor Company's year-end "Wish" campaign had gone stale. Reframing it through the brand vision "Progress for Humanity," the team built entertainment rather than an ad: an original punk carol by Chanhyuk Lee and "The SnowishMan," an 11-minute fantasy film where a snowman awakened by the first snow meets Hyundai's robot SPOT.
Cultural Context
In Korea, the year's first snow carries romantic, hopeful symbolism—a moment associated with wishes, love, and blessings—which the film weaves into its story. A "punk carol" fuses punk music with a Christmas carol, signaling a bolder take on the holiday genre.
Entry Information
Summary
For 15 years, Hyundai Motor Company had run its year-end "Wish" campaign. Over time, however, it became familiar, losing both cultural buzz and a clear reason for why Hyundai should talk about wishes. The challenge was to redefine "Wish" and transform a routine campaign into a cultural phenomenon. We reinterpreted "Wish" through Hyundai's vision, "Progress for Humanity," transforming it into entertainment people could emotionally connect with. Instead of a typical ad, we created a brand film and an original song, delivering an immersive experience that drove attention and favorability. The campaign evolved into a sustainable brand asset that carried Hyundai's philosophy beyond the holiday season.
Strategy
Wishes Drive Us Forward — Bridging Brand Vision and Human Emotion through Branded Content. We found the essence of "Wish" in Hyundai's brand vision, "Progress for Humanity." Every technological advance - from mobility to robotics - begins with a human desire: to see a wider world, to experience something new, and to reach the people we love. We distilled this belief into one message: "Wish moves everything." To bring it to life, we created emotional branded content that inspired people to wish again.
Execution
From advertising to entertainment, Hyundai transformed its year-end Wish campaign into a fully immersive cultural experience. (1) We launched "We Wish," an original punk carol by Chanhyuk Lee - an artist known for turning his boldest wishes into reality - as a genuine music release rather than a branded jingle. (2) We created Hyundai Wish Tale, "The SnowishMan," an 11-minute fantasy film in which SnowishMan, awakened by the first snow, meets SPOT, Hyundai's robotic companion. Released in theaters during the holidays, the film fused technology, emotion, and the Korean symbolism of first snow - wishes, love, and blessings - into cinematic storytelling. (3) The experience expanded through a drone show and mobile Wish cards, inviting people to wish together.
Results
- Delivered a record 14.4M online video views, up 616% vs. the previous campaign - Generated 9.85M+ organic views, with organic traffic accounting for 68% of total views - Drove 57K combined online and offline consumer engagements, up 772% vs. the previous campaign - Achieved 90% ad favorability and lifted campaign awareness by 51 percentage points - Reached average theater occupancy 2X higher than year-end commercial film releases, earning acclaim from both media and audiences