The all-new Hyundai Kona is getting premium placement at Super Bowl LII with a commercial of its own, or at least that’s what it seems like on the outside. The 60-second commercial features the Korean automaker’s punchy new crossover, but it’s not actually the star of the ad.

Instead, we get to see a children’s soccer game that devolves into a red card fest, all because the referee wants to catch the game between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. The unsuspecting parents (and coaches) eventually buy in on the referee’s charade, and when no one’s left to play the game, everybody scampers back to their homes to catch the game.

Apart from a few shots at the start and end of the commercial, the Kona is hardly visible in the entire ad. It’s not exactly the best way to spend millions of dollars on a 60-second commercial, but fortunately, the voice-over’s tagline in the end — “it’s designed to save the day” — helps tie the concept of the commercial together.

If you were underwhelmed by this commercial like I was, there’s a silver lining coming from Hyundai itself. In a similar move to what Snickers did last year, the Korean automaker is also filming a live Super Bowl spot that will showcase the company’s philanthropic efforts with the Hyundai Hope On Wheels childhood cancer fund.

Other automakers like Kia and Lexus have also tipped their hats with their respective Super Bowl ads. Hyundai’s sister company will focus on a spot featuring Emerson Fittipaldi and a pair of Kia Stingers while Lexus’ whole Super Bowl ad strategy will revolve around its partnership with Marvel Studios and the latter’s upcoming movie, Black Panther.

References

Hyundai Kona

Read our full review on the 2018 Hyundai Kona.

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