Faced with such a disastrous sales environment, we quickly realized that no amount of cash back, employee pricing or special APR financing could outweigh the onslaught of grim economic news consumers were facing. What car buyers needed most was confidence. So the question became “How could a Korean car company give the American people back their faith in the future?” The answer was for Hyundai to take the unprecedented step of shouldering 100% of the financial risk involved in buying a vehicle. Television, print, radio and online spread the Assurance message and the response was nothing short of phenomenal.

As American and Japanese car manufacturers watched their sales plunge by as much as 55%, Assurance helped Hyundai increase sales by 14% YOY, making it the only car brand in America growing in 2009. The campaign generated over 350 news stories leading to over 100 million PR impressions. Hyundai saw the most online traffic in its history. Predictably, the competition soon followed suit. Unpredictably, the campaign’s influence extended far beyond the car business as airlines, homebuilders, cruise lines, and even NBA teams, all created copycat programs. Assurance fundamentally changed the way companies are promoting themselves in 2009.