Last week, Hyundai->ke201 announced that it would be showing four commercials during Super Bowl 50. The game will be played on February 7, 2016, but apparently, the Korean automaker isn’t waiting around for this Sunday to release its highly anticipated ads. Two of the four commercials have already been uploaded on Hyundai USA’s official page, including “Ryanville”, the 60-second spot starring Deadpool himself, Ryan Reynolds.

The objective of the “Ryanville” commercial->ke1469 is to highlight the Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection safety feature that can be found in the all-new Hyundai Elantra. That feature ensures the driver and the passengers inside the car that no matter what kind of distractions are out there, the feature will be able to detect them and stop the car in case the driver and/or the passengers find their eyes staring at anything other than the road ahead. Hyundai went to great lengths to try to prove that point, enlisting Reynolds to play, well, everyone in the “Ryanville” neighborhood, much to the delight of the two female occupants inside the all-new Elantra.->ke1391

Meanwhile, the other commercial that’s been released is called “The Chase”. It’s a 30-second ad that touts another one of the nifty new features found in the new Elantra: the voice-activated Blue Link Remote Start feature. Say you’re in a forest and you’re being chased by two bears, one of which we later find out is vegan. You’d be in a mad dash to get to your car, right? Worse, there’s a lot of panic that comes with trying to open the doors and starting the car, all while stealing glances in every direction to make sure that bears haven’t arrived. It’s a tricky situation to be in as a lot of victims in horror movies will tell you. Now imagine being able to circumvent all of that trouble by simply barking a command in your smart watch to start the car so when you get to the door, the engine’s already running, saving you precious time that could have otherwise been the difference between you escaping or getting eaten up for lunch. That, in a nutshell, is what “The Chase” commercial is all about.

Continue reading for the full story.

Why it matters

Hyundai’s move to jumpstart the release of its commercials days before making their debuts during the Super Bowl is a strategy that a lot of companies have employed for years. It’s actually been more prevalent in the last few years as these companies have increasingly relied on the reach of social media and the Internet to show these commercials on a global platform.

Sure, they might be intended for the American market, but at some point, the cars that are being promoted in the ads will make their way in foreign markets, so it makes sense for these ads to be shown in a global platform like YouTube, even if it happens days before they make their official debuts in US television.

I’ve seen both ads and I like The Chase commercial more than I do Ryanville. The former gets its point across naturally, at least until the bears start talking. On the other hand, Ryanville also got its point across, although I do feel that Hyundai somehow overexposed Reynolds in the ad to the point that the hook of the commercial almost got buried by the sight of Reynolds playing so many roles.

For those of you who prefer to watch these two ads for the first time during the Super Bowl - there are some people who like to preserve the viewing experience - the 60-second Ryanville ad will be shown in the pre kick-off time slot while the 30-second The Chase commercial will be shown in the second quarter of the game.

2017 Hyundai Elantra

Read our full review on the 2017 Hyundai Elantra here.

"Ryanville"

"The Chase"