We Make Wah

HYUNDAI

AGENCY: INNOCEAN WORLDWIDE CANADA
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTION: IAN MACKELLAR
CREATIVE DIRECTION: KEVIN BÉLANGER / DAVID STRASSER

WAH means ‘WOW’ in Korean. But this campaign’s story goes far beyond that.

Hyundai needed a new voice in Canada. One that moved beyond value messaging to something more emotional, more human. WAH became that voice. It gave the brand a storytelling platform that connected with people and, at its best, inspired them.

Over several years, the work we produced helped Hyundai sell more vehicles in Canada than ever before. It became a benchmark across Hyundai’s global network, recognized year after year. And selfishly? It was a lot of fun to make. Mostly.

To get WAH into the Canadian vernacular we needed to say it loud and often. That meant lots and lots of production on our end. Work that not only needed to inspire, but to educate. We needed to define WAH in terms the average Canadian would understand.

If you watch NHL hockey, WAH has been hard to miss. As the Official Automotive Partner of the league, hockey-themed brand messages became a cornerstone of the launch, using hockey moments for storytelling and NHL personalities as storytellers.

But broadcast doesn’t tell the entire WAH story.

From splashy out of home placements, to national newsprint, to TikTok posts and on-the-ground messaging at dealerships, the campaign continues to have legs.