There was a fair amount of "will they or won't they" leading up to Super Bowl XLII for Hyundai, which purchased two 30-second spots in the fall but evidently suffered buyer's remorse due to a worsening economy and creative issues with agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners. But Hyundai eventually decided to keep both spots, which introduced the Genesis sedan, the brand's priciest car yet.

Both "Big Twist" and "Tomorrow" tout the model's luxury capabilities, equating it with the likes of Mercedes and BMW. In "Big Twist," a narrator nods directly to the venue and the expectations that go akong with it. "Tomorrow" steers even more directly at the Super Bowl-ness of it all, announcing, "We're not sure what the USA Today Ad Meter will think of this commercial tomorrow, but we're pretty sure Mercedes, BMW and Lexus aren't going to like it very much."

Since Hyundai and Goodby brought it up, "Tomorrow" ranked in the lower-middle of the Ad Meter results. By shifting the focus to more important matters like the features of the car and its surperiority over rivals, however, they may have managed to successfully do an end-run around the dreaded popularity contest.

Director: Africa Films. Production company: Eun Teak Cha. Copywriters: Jim Elliott, Brian Ahern. Art director: Will McGiness. Executive agency producer: Tod Puckett. Editorial company: Rock Paper Scissors. Editor: Kirk Baxter. 

BRAND: Hyundai

YEAR: 2008

AGENCY: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

SUPERBOWL: XLII

QUARTER AIRED: Q4