Hyundai, SRK rewrite brand-celebrity script

There is nothing new about Bollywood ambassadors endorsing car and bikes. Everyone from Aamir Khan to Abhishek Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan to Hrithik Roshan feature in some automobile endorsement or the other. But car maker Hyundai is rewriting the usual brand-celeb script with Shah Rukh Khan.

Khan is actually involved in the scripting, advertising and storyboard brainstorming for the i10 brand which he represents. His company Red Chillies is also making the new i10 commercial which will debut for the Diwali season starting October 8.

Speaking to ET Now , Shah Rukh Khan said: “Many of the companies I represent take feedback from me. I use these products...like the Hyundai cars...so I can give a creative suggestion. In most of the scripting and advertising I do take a very active call.”

The latest commercial for the i10 also included substantial inputs from the King Khan. “Normally for a commercial, the story and script is developed and decided by Hyundai and its advertising agency – Innocean ,” said the Hyundai spokesperson . “Once the story board is decided it is shared with SRK and at times he gives his inputs and suggestions about the production or dialogues so that it adds value to the entire script or story. For this particular ad also the same procedure was followed.”

The new i10 spot featuring SRK will highlight a fresh positioning twist for the car as a chic, urbane, stylish, reliable and desirable product . That positioning has also necessitated a tweak in the branding for Hyundai’s flagship Santro. “We are now positioning the Santro as a more family-oriented mass car which has its advantages like mileage, cost of ownership and trust of over 15 lakh customers,” says the Hyundai executive. Also, it is targeted towards tier 2 and tier 3 towns while the i10 is positioned as the most desirable compact car with primary target being young working couples; small nuclear families and more for urban use.