Hyundai dances into the future of mobility—robotics

During a year of quarantine and mass separation, brands and consumers alike leaned hard into digital technology to replace many of the common daily tasks we took for granted, including shopping, going to work, entertainment and leisure activities, and staying connected with everyone in our lives. As society has reopened, the desire to get out into the world and reconnect with other humans is undeniable. And yet, according to research data, the changes in consumer and personal behavior in response to the pandemic lockdown—from online ordering to working remotely to streaming entertainment—are here to stay.

In short, regardless of our innate need for human connection, our embrace of technology is stronger than ever, and there is no going back. Similarly, Hyundai Motor Company's vision of future mobility—“Progress for Humanity”—implements the latest cutting-edge technology, including autonomous cars, logistics and urban air mobility.

In June, Hyundai acquired Boston Dynamics, the world’s leading robotics company. The merger will allow us to expand our concept of mobility and change the world’s perception of robots.

In 2020, the “Second First Steps” campaign told the story of South Korean para archery athlete Park Jun-beom, who had lost the ability to walk in an accident. Using Hyundai’s wearable robotics H-MEX, Park was able to take his second first step. The campaign received multiple awards including the bronze for brand design from the New York Festivals Advertising Awards in 2021, three brand communication awards from AdFest and Spikes Asia, and two awards from Red Dot.

A new future of mobility

Our brand vision video, “As Mobility Evolves So Does Humanity,” illustrates the collaborative potential of humans and robots by showing the evolution of Hyundai up to the dawn of our robotics business, emphasizing the technology the company has created to power the progress of humanity. Not only does the video depict how robots are moving from our imaginations into our factories, offices and classrooms; it shows the journey from steel to cars and back to steel to show how we can reimagine mobility for the future; from water to hydrogen and back to water to show how we’re pioneering hydrogen fuel and creating a “hydrogen society” that will benefit us all; and from feet to wheels and back to feet to represent freedom in mobility and our desire to help people and improve quality of life. Robotics has the potential to expand mobility to another level and find new possibilities for humanity to move forward by stepping over the limits.

The future where humans and robots coexist in harmony

Today, robots are already being put to work in places like warehouses and construction sites, but the robots of the future will continue to become more integrated into people’s lives, helping us with tasks that improve and enrich our day-to-day activities. For some people, however, robots—or at least perceptions of robots—can be frightening, so we wanted to show our vision for a world where humans and robots work together.

Our newest video celebrates the bright future of human-robot partnerships. “Welcome to the Family With BTS” shows Boston Dynamics’ robots Spot and Atlas making a surprise visit to Hyundai and the global superstar BTS’ commercial shooting site. After BTS meet Spot and Atlas, they dance together to the soundtrack of “IONIQ: I'm on It,” a song created by BTS and Hyundai last year to showcase the EV line-up brand IONIQ. The interaction between BTS and the robots symbolizes a future where robots will help enhance human lives.

The video gained 21,413,000 views and 3,500 comments in just two weeks.

Millennials and Generation Z consumers, in particular, connected with the messaging, commenting that they enjoyed watching the genuine interaction between BTS and the robots. Some commenters said that they are looking forward to a future where humans and robots are more integrated in daily life. A follow-up video showing a group of Spots dancing to “IONIQ: I’m on It,” “Spot’s on It,” was released on Boston Dynamics’ YouTube channel, creating a synergistic effect that drove higher viral impact. The appeal of these videos to the youngest and largest consumer base is a hopeful sign for marketing futurists.

The merger between Hyundai and Boston Dynamics is not just a new business development. For us, it is a partnership—and a reflection of the evolving partnership between humanity and robotics—that is just the starting point for the future of mobility, one in which we break the conventional concept of road and reach out to places where we were not able to before.