Art Direction, Strategy & the Long Game with Justin Yang from BorderX

What I hope to get out of every project is something to be proud of: work that’s on-brief, impactful, and is also creatively fulfilling to make. With Move Improved, balancing those three was a win on its own. The award is like the cherry on top. It’s awesome to see the team and the agency get this sort of industry recognition.

The brief was simple: position Hyundai MOBIS as a leading mobility solutions provider. From the start, Hyundai MOBIS made it clear they were looking for an innovative approach to their first global launch campaign. We also wanted to do something beyond a straightforward B2B tech explainer.

When it came to strategy, we set up creative guardrails based on what content our target audience (Millenials & Gen-Z) consume naturally, and to no surprise, it’s music and comedy. Our initial ideas were all based on this, even pitching the idea of doing a music video-style film. We ultimately landed on these comedic narratives that showcase Hyundai MOBIS’ tech in entertaining and relatable ways.

Move Improved represents a foundational creative practice called ‘wrapping the pill in bacon.’ The pill is the brand promise or USP you want the audience to internalize, and the bacon is the creative that makes that process enjoyable. Everything we put out into the world asks for your time and attention, so it better be fun to watch - that’s one of the driving philosophies behind our process.

One thing we did was intentionally simplify the narrative. The B2B tech category is full of technical buzzwords, the average person is desensitized to them. Since we targeted a mass audience beyond B2B personas, we needed to condense Hyundai MOBIS’ brand promise into something simplistic and universally understood, hence ‘Move Improved’ and the short films that followed.

I’ll paraphrase author Al Ries here to describe part of the ideation process - we needed to first understand that most people’s minds are oversimplified (when consuming advertising) as a result of an overcommunicated society. And the way to get into the oversimplified mind is the oversimplified message.

Another thing was how we balanced humor and relatability in the hero films. We partnered with a director who has experience working with skilled improv actors to achieve this, rather than going for prescriptive, line-by-line performances. The absurdity needed to be grounded in relatability in order to resonate with people.

Hyundai MOBIS, historically, was often mistaken for a car manufacturer, rather than a mobility tech innovator. Clearly establishing what MOBIS is and does was part of our answer in addressing this. There were early talks about whether or not the creative should be solely based in highlighting this misinterpretation. Ultimately, focusing on Hyundai MOBIS’ own story was enough to get people to truly understand the nature of their business, and by extension, why it matters to them.

Secondly - navigating a generational shift away from our category. Millennials engaged the least with B2B content, and Gen-Z is driving less. We tailored our strategy to bridge this gap, focusing on category exposure while taking a humorous, nontraditional approach to B2B marketing. This was a strategic choice to reflect the consumption preferences of our target.

It’s proof that carving your own path is rewarding. When a category is always doing and saying the same thing, it’s easy to draw conclusions about ‘best practices’ when deciding what to make. Convincing a brand to go for the path less traveled requires a lot of care, given the nature of our industry. Many parties need to be absolutely sure before decisions are made. So the award validates these ambitions, not just for myself and the agency but for brands as well.

Hyundai MOBIS executives told us the campaign made their own employees see the company differently, and they feel proud to be part of it. That sort of feedback is always great to hear. Marketing performance is one thing, but making an impact on the internal culture says a lot, too.

Go chase the unconventional ideas with confidence and handle it with care. Responsibly escort the idea into reality by making sure it’s strategically sound, and have the reasons for why it makes sense for the client’s business. Sell it well so that all parties involved can back it, too.

We’re excited about where things are heading. At BorderX, we want to keep making work that comes from that sweet spot between strategy and creativity. The ways we execute are evolving rapidly with the rise of AI and how brands choose to market these days. On that end, we always stay up to date because it helps shape our approach for future projects.

It will sound cliché, but just go for it. If you don’t place, just try again next time. The one way to guarantee that you’ll never succeed is if you don’t try. And I think failure is a great way to build confidence; once you realize that failure is not that bad, it’s easier to just go for things. It may help to have this mindset: “if I win, great. If I don’t, great. What matters is that I tried.”

Keep doing your thing! I’m a fan of my peers and it’s always fun seeing the latest projects that come from our industry. We all influence each other in some way or another.

To theHyundai MOBISteam for setting the ambitious tone at the start, and for working toward a shared vision with us. Also to everyone atBorderXinvolved for their ambition and collaboration. Thanks to our production partnersTiger House FilmsandNo Mercy. Lastly, massive thanks to executive producerJason Carpenterand directorMatthew Pollockfor bringing this idea to life with us.

I think that sums up our approach to B2B tech marketing.

We’ve got a few projects in the pipeline: some in tech, some in skincare, among others. The team and I jumped straight back into the work post award season, and I’m excited to see where things go.