Hyundai-owned Genesis taps Chrissy Teigen and John Legend for its first Super Bowl ad

Hyundai-owned Genesis is taking on “old luxury” with a Super Bowl ad starring celebrity power couple Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, scoffing at stuffy symbols of excess, like pretentious, plastic-surgery-ridden rich people. The ad, by Innocean, seeks to portray the 4-year-old premium auto brand as more approachable and better-suited for a younger audience than its rivals. A teaser (above) shows the couple wreaking havoc at an oyster bar. The luxury car segment “always had a little bit of trouble laughing at itself. They all act like consumers have had their sense of humors surgically removed,” says Bob Rayburn, executive creative director at Innocean. “Luxury should be fun,” he adds, while poking fun at other luxury car ads that deploy “messaging that acts like their car features are curing polio.” The 60-second spot, which will air in the second quarter, marks the Super Bowl debut for Genesis. Hyundai debuted the Genesis name in 2011 but kept it under the Hyundai umbrella until launching it as a standalone brand in 2016. The ad plugs the new GV80, which marks the brand’s entry into the popular crossover market. Innocean also handles the Hyundai brand, including its Super Bowl spot. The director of the Genesis ad is Neal Brennan, whose credits include “Chappelle’s Show” and “Half Baked.”

Hyundai-owned Genesis taps Chrissy Teigen and John Legend for its first Super Bowl ad

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