hyundai 2 | SunMatrix Ramble

IAA 2013: Walk of Innovations

The 65th Internationale Automobil Ausstellung (IAA) has been running in Frankfurt am Main for the past two weeks. So on Saturday I decided to go for the motor show to catch up on the latest cars and also see first hand the much anticipated Nissan Nismo Watch.

Most of the car makers in this year’s show were also present in IAA 2011. In fact they were even located in the same stands as 2011, with the same high tech touch displays to promote their cars. The difference was that their 2013 car models were now more hybrid and or electric only, for example this new four seater Smart.

What changed on the floor

While I walked around and looked for changes vis-à-vis what was shown in IAA 2011, I noticed that apart from the now expected large screens and touch displays, car makers were using all kinds of social media to engage with their visitors.

Engagement snapshots by brand

Here is a quick photo report of my engagement experiences with the various car makers.

Audi

To make sure I did not miss Audi this year due to 200+ people standing in line to get into the Audi stand, I decided to visit very early in the morning. The line was short, but there were already hundreds of people inside. On walking in, I noticed that the concept for the stand was taken straight out of the Hollywood movie “Upside Down”.

Visitor engagement at the stand was driven through a special photo booth. While people waited in line they got an iPad to play a game and answer three questions about Audi. Winners got custom giveaways like keychains, gummy bears, etc. After that, visitors were ushered into the photo booth which superimposed the photos onto custom Audi backgrounds. Visitors could take home a printed copy and later also download soft copies from www.audiphotoautomat.com.

Mercedes

Next stop was the Mercedes stand which was also impossible to get into in 2011. From the below picture you can see why.

Mercedes put up a huge multi-sensory show that went on for over 20 minutes, while thousands of people just stopped and watched. Children visiting the stand were kept busy with car simulators.

Outside the stand one could test drive the Mercedes off-road jeeps with the help of trained drivers.

Hyundai

Hyundai was the first car brand I came across that was using the event to generate Facebook fans. For liking the Hyundai Facebook page, fans at IAA could win a Hyundai i30.

The rear windscreen of the i30 was converted into a touchscreen which people could use to instantly “Like” the brand’s Facebook page or choose to receive the fan page link via email.

At the stand Hyundai also displayed a touchable music seat for hearing impaired drivers which vibrated as per the music being played. This was still in concept phase and the test seats were being developed out of Korea.

Volkswagen

The Volkswagen “Think Blue” initiative was presented via an interactive augmented reality layer that was activated through the provided iPads.

Skoda

Skoda explained their Green Line initiative via a wooden toy car that was supported by the animations in the embedded touch screens.

At the neighbouring table kids were engaged with games around the Green Line initiative.

Michelin

At the Michelin stand, visitors could take pictures with a virtual Michelin mascot and have the pictures emailed to themselves instantly.

Nissan

After having written about the Nissan Nismo Watch last week, I could not wait to see the real watch in action. But to my disappointment the watch was not there as announced. There was only a plastic dummy on display.

But I did take Nissan’s version of real life “Likes” for a spin (first spotted at the Renault stand in the 2011 Amsterdam Motor Show).

The RFID badges allowed visitors to post custom Nissan branded pictures of themselves onto Facebook.

Visitors were also given the option to share the cars they like on Facebook via special Like buttons built into the car info pillars.

Ford

At the Ford stand this year visitors were given head and shoulder massages.

Then to experience the Ford EcoBoost, visitors were put in front of a leaf blower and their reactions captured and uploaded on the Ford Flickr channel.

And for the more social visitors, Ford had a Twitter based contest running.

Kia

At Kia, visitors could superimpose their heads onto a football player and then have the custom postcard sent to their email IDs.

Chevrolet

Visitors at the stand could make small flipbooks of themselves doing funny dances in front of the main character of the Hollywood film “Turbo”.

Or they could write special messages to their loved ones on a piece of paper and the team at Chevrolet would instantly convert them into wearable badges.

Chevrolet was also the only car maker at the IAA who was using Foursquare to offer discounts on their show merchandise.

Mini

Mini this year gave visitors the option to body paint their cars and email the photos to themselves.

Visitors could also slide down a specially created tunnel at record speeds that were also photographed and displayed on a large overhead digital screen.

BMW

BMW, like Mercedes, put up a multi-sensory show at their stand. But compared to Mercedes it was short and not as extravagant. Still pretty impressive.

Kumho Tyres

On the way out I spotted Kumho Tyres giving away various petrol and tyre related coupons. To win the coupons visitors had to catch them while being closed inside a wind cabin.

Why this direction matters

Across the stands, the consistent pattern is not “more screens”. It is more reasons to create something. A photo. A badge. A flipbook. A posted image. A public interaction that becomes proof you were there. The stand stops being a catalogue, and starts behaving like a content studio that rewards participation. The real question is how a stand turns a visitor into a willing participant and publisher. The strongest stands here are the ones that give people something to make, not just something to look at. That works because visitors are more likely to remember, share, and talk about an experience when they leave with something they helped create.

Extractable takeaway: If you are designing for an event, do not start with channels. Start with a social object, meaning a photo, badge, flipbook, or other shareable artifact people can take away, share, or replay. Then build the simplest capture and distribution loop around it.

In large European trade shows, brands increasingly treat the stand as a live media channel where every interaction can become a shareable moment.

And that was a quick overview of what I experienced at the 65th Internationale Automobil Ausstellung. (To read about my experience at the 2011 show, click here.)

Until the next show in 2 years. This is Sunil signing off from IAA 2013.

What to steal from IAA 2013 for your next show

Queue utility. If people must wait, give them something to do that feeds the experience (Audi’s iPad game and questions).
Instant takeaways. Printed photos, emailed images, and small artifacts create memory and sharing triggers.
Low-friction publishing. RFID, built-in Like buttons, and email delivery reduce the “I’ll do it later” drop-off.
Make participation visible. Leaderboards, overhead screens, or public displays turn individual actions into crowd energy.
Match the mechanic to the brand truth. Eco themes paired with AR explainers, performance themes paired with physical challenges.

A few fast answers before you act

What is this IAA 2013 “walk of innovations” about?

It is a photo report from the IAA show floor in Frankfurt, focused on how different car brands used interactive touchpoints and social mechanics to engage visitors.

What is the main shift versus earlier shows?

Beyond large screens and touch displays, more stands are designed around capture and sharing, photo booths, RFID check-ins, instant email delivery, and social prompts.

Which engagement mechanics show up repeatedly?

Instant content creation (photos, flipbooks), low-friction sharing (RFID, embedded Like buttons), and public spectacle (multi-sensory shows, overhead displays).

What is the practical lesson for event marketers?

Design one clear participatory moment that produces a social object, then remove friction from capture and delivery so visitors can share immediately.

How do you keep these activations from feeling gimmicky?

Anchor the mechanic to a brand truth, and make the output useful or delightful for the visitor, not only promotional for the brand.

Hyundai i30: Light Drive Test Drive Game

To launch the new generation i30 in South Africa, Hyundai reinvented the test drive with the Hyundai i30 Light Drive. It is a virtual racing game projected onto the i30’s front windscreen, played from inside the car.

Instead of waiting for people to visit a dealership, Hyundai took the experience to South Africa’s hottest nightspots in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Anyone, at any time, could step in, experience the car’s slick dynamic features, and compete for the top spot on the leader board.

A test drive that behaves like entertainment

The mechanism is smart because the “drive” is no longer a polite sales ritual. It is a game with stakes, progress, and a score. Two-man teams work together on the track to collect icons. Each icon represents an i30 specification, and collecting them powers up the car and boosts the team’s score.

That turns feature education into gameplay. Specs are not listed. They are earned. The i30’s story is embedded in the rules of the experience.

In experiential automotive launches, product education lands best when features are translated into gameplay mechanics that people can learn by doing.

The real question is whether your product education can be designed as a loop people want to repeat in public.

Why it lands in a nightlife setting

Nightspots are where people are already in a social, competitive mood. A leader board gives instant status. A queue becomes part of the atmosphere rather than a frustration, because everyone can watch and anticipate their turn. Hyundai amplified that social energy with HD cameras streaming the live test drive to a large screen outside the car. The crowd can watch the teams compete in real time, which makes the experience feel bigger than the physical footprint of the vehicle.

Extractable takeaway: In social environments, make learning visible. Use a score people can chase and a spectator view people can watch, so the product story spreads while the line forms.

Facebook Connect turns players into publishers

Hyundai linked the i30 Light Drive to Facebook Connect, turning participation into a shareable identity moment. Photos of the teams are posted instantly onto their timelines, extending the experience beyond the venue and turning “I played” into “I was seen playing”.

Even the waiting time is engineered. People queuing to play are educated and entertained with a touch screen brochure on the i30’s rear windscreen. It is product information, but delivered in an interactive format that matches the energy of the activation.

The intent: make the i30 feel modern before anyone compares price

The business intent is clear. Hyundai wants the i30 to feel like the next generation. Not just in features, but in attitude. By turning a test drive into an interactive spectacle, the brand signals innovation, tech confidence, and social relevance. The car becomes an event.

Moves to borrow from Hyundai i30 Light Drive

Move the experience to the audience. Take the product out of the showroom and into high-traffic social contexts.
Teach through interaction. Turn product features into game mechanics so learning is part of play.
Design for spectators. Live screens and streaming make the activation bigger than the footprint.
Make sharing native. Identity-based posting works best when it is built into the flow, not bolted on later.
Use the queue. If people are waiting, give them interactive content that reinforces the product story.

A few fast answers before you act

What is Hyundai i30 Light Drive?

It is an in-car virtual racing game projected onto the i30’s windscreen, designed to turn a test drive into an interactive competition.

How does it communicate the i30’s features?

Teams collect icons on the track that represent i30 specifications. Those icons act as power-ups, so the specs become part of the game’s reward loop.

Why target nightspots instead of dealerships?

Nightlife venues provide a ready-made social crowd. Competition and spectacle fit the context, and the experience spreads through observation and sharing.

What role does live streaming play in the activation?

HD cameras stream the gameplay to a large screen outside, turning players into performers and the crowd into an audience, which increases participation and energy.

What is the key takeaway for experiential launches?

Design an experience that people want to play and watch. When product education is embedded inside a compelling interaction loop, attention follows naturally.

Hyundai Elantra: Driveway Decision Maker

When choice made the Elantra harder to buy

In North American automotive marketing in 2012, the hardest moments are often the ones created by success: when a winner expands and the buyer suddenly has more to compare.

The Hyundai Elantra was named 2012 North America Car of the Year. Momentum was strong.

Then Hyundai introduced two additional variants. The Elantra Coupe and the Elantra GT. Suddenly, a clear win turned into a harder purchase decision.

More choice created more hesitation. Hyundai needed to simplify the decision again, without reducing the range.

Turning your driveway into the showroom

Instead of pushing another brochure or comparison chart, Hyundai built the Driveway Decision Maker, a tool that let prospective buyers preview what an Elantra would look like parked outside their own home.

By combining Google Street View, projection mapping, and real-time 3D animation, prospective buyers could see exactly what an Elantra would look like parked in their own driveway.

The experience replaced imagination with visualization. No guessing scale. No abstract renders. Just your house, your street, and the car.

In high-consideration categories where products physically live at home, a realistic preview in the buyer’s own environment reduces comparison fatigue.

Why seeing it at home removed friction

Car buying is emotional, but doubt creeps in when people cannot picture ownership.

Extractable takeaway: If your buyer must imagine ownership to decide, put a realistic preview into their own environment so the choice feels concrete.

The Driveway Decision Maker collapsed distance between consideration and ownership. By anchoring the car to a familiar, personal environment, Hyundai removed uncertainty about fit, size, and presence.

The experience also shifted control to the viewer. Instead of being told what to like, buyers explored the car in their own context.

The business goal behind the experience

The intent was not novelty. The real question is how you help someone choose when a clear winner becomes a lineup.

Hyundai wanted to reduce decision paralysis created by a broader lineup and move people confidently from interest to purchase. By helping buyers visualize the outcome, the brand shortened the path to commitment.

This was about restoring clarity, not adding noise. Interactivity is only worth it when it makes a decision easier.

What brands can steal from Driveway Decision Maker

Bring the product into the customer’s world. Context beats abstraction.
Replace imagination with visualization. Show the outcome, not the promise.
Use technology to remove doubt. Innovation works best when it answers a real buying question.
Support choice instead of limiting it. Help people decide rather than forcing simplification.

Hyundai invited consumers to try the experience themselves on the PickMyElantra site.

A few fast answers before you act

What problem was Hyundai solving?

Too much choice created hesitation. Buyers struggled to decide between Elantra variants.

How did the Driveway Decision Maker work?

It combined Google Street View, projection mapping, and real-time 3D animation to place the car into a buyer’s actual driveway.

Why was this more effective than a configurator?

Because it grounded the decision in a personal, familiar environment instead of abstract specifications.

What business outcome did Hyundai target?

Reducing purchase friction and restoring confidence across an expanded model lineup.

What is the transferable lesson?

If your product requires imagination to buy, use technology to make the outcome visible.