Hyundai Wins Driving Engagement Award At Chicago Auto Show

The Walking Dead Chop Shop Recognized by Word of Mouth Marketing Association

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Feb 10, 2014, 02:18 ET

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Feb. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai took home the second-ever Driving Engagement Award from the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show. The Walking Dead Chop Shop campaign was chosen as the most innovative social media campaign of 2013.

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Hyundai took home the second-ever Driving Engagement Award from the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show. The Walking Dead Chop Shop campaign was chosen as the most innovative social media campaign of 2013. (PRNewsFoto/Hyundai Motor America) (PRNewsFoto/HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA)

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"Our judges were blown away by the creativity, originality, and execution of Hyundai's Walking Dead Chop Shop. It allowed for maximum fan participation online, and it was a great experiential marketing element at Comic Con and other events," said Suzanne Fanning, President of WOMMA. "By continuing to engage fans with fun, effective marketing tactics like this, Hyundai will not only survive the Zombie apocalypse, they will definitely thrive in the industry."

Hyundai beat out two other automotive manufacturers for the Driving Engagement award: Honda for their Project Drive-In campaign and Jaguar for their #MyTurnToJag campaign.

"We are honored and truly thrilled that The Walking Dead Chop Shop campaign has been recognized by WOMMA," said David Matathia, Director of Marketing Communications, Hyundai Motor America. "With help from the popularity of The Walking Dead franchise, Hyundai continues to expand the conversation around Hyundai vehicles with young and passionate audiences."

"Social media provides an extremely human element to the marketing world, and it's no surprise that word of mouth marketing drives purchase decisions," said 2014 Chicago Auto Show Chairman Kurt Schiele. "Our hats go off to the 'Driving Engagement' Award winner, Hyundai, and the runners-up for creating these particularly engaging campaigns."

WOMMA is the official trade association in the industry dedicated to word of mouth and social media marketing.

Hyundai's The Walking Dead Chop Shop gives fans the opportunity to outfit their own zombie survival machine through an interactive app and accompanying website: walkingdeadchopshop.com. Fans start by choosing a Hyundai vehicle – an Elantra, Veloster Turbo or Santa Fe – then add armor, survival accessories and designs from a wide range of options, including nearly 300 different car parts and custom graphic decals created in collaboration with Robert Kirkman and comic book artists at Skybound. Users are then able to share their creations with friends, get a survival score and test the vehicles out in scenarios inspired by the comic books. To date, over 190,000 Zombie Survival Machines have been created on the Chop Shop. Last year, the program also allowed fans to enter their designs into a contest where the winning design, selected by Kirkman, was built into a real car that Kirkman unveiled at New York Comic-Con.

Hyundai's continued partnership with Robert Kirkman's Skybound imprint at Image Comics and Kirkman's groundbreaking comic and best-selling graphic novels, The Walking Dead, has evolved over the past few years and now includes three Hyundai Zombie Survival Machines and a Special Edition production model Hyundai Tucson arriving in dealerships this Summer.

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA
Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 820 dealerships nationwide. All Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes the 5-year/60,000-mile fully transferable new vehicle limited warranty, Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty, and five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance. Hyundai Assurance includes Assurance Connected Care that provides owners of Hyundai models equipped with the Hyundai Blue Link telematics system with proactive safety and car care services, complimentary for three years. These services include Automatic Collision Notification, Enhanced Roadside Assistance, Vehicle Diagnostic Alert, Monthly Vehicle Health Report and in-vehicle service scheduling.

For more details on Hyundai Assurance, please visit www.HyundaiAssurance.com

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