Hyundai Super Bowl ad puts spotlight on employees

Robby Persinger is a safety specialist at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. Normally, he spends his time at work evaluating equipment and work processes for the automaker.

But Saturday, he was a star of sorts.

Persinger and a couple hundred of his co-workers have been part of a four-day process to make a 60-second Hyundai Super Bowl ad.

“Hollywood’s come to Alabama,” Persinger said Saturday morning while waiting for one of his seconds-long scenes to be filmed.

About 225 Hyundai employees were on hand Saturday for crowd scenes in the commercial, but Persinger was one of about 25 who were selected through an audition process to be in the forefront of a few scenes.

But Persinger isn’t bragging about his acting career yet.

“You hope that you don’t get cut out, or that it’s not just the back of your head,” he said. “But it’s just a great experience to be a part of.”

The content of the minute-long commercial is confidential.

Hyundai spokesman Robert Burns said it does not focus on the Sonatas or Elantras that are built there, but the Hyundai brand.

Shots were filmed all around the facility in south Montgomery. There are several paid actors in the spot, but Burns said he was insistent that local employees get a chance to participate, too.

“If the commercial involves a team member job, it has to be a team member in that role,” he said. “That was my request. Why would you pay 200 actors when you have 2,000 team members?”

This year, Hyundai has purchased three minutes worth of commercials that will air before and during Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5.

The Korean automaker’s plans include two or three pre-game commercials, two commercials during the second half of the game and the 60-second spot before the kickoff.

John Krafcik, Hyundai’s president and CEO, told the Detroit Free Press that this year, the company wants to have more fun with its ads.