INNOCEAN India has launched a new campaign for Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) to commemorate the automaker's 30 years in India and 28-year association with Shah Rukh Khan, revisiting the iconic SANTRO Xing 'Mr. Kim' advertisement with a contemporary narrative.
The film recreates key moments from the original commercial while introducing the Hyundai CRETA ICE and IONIQ 5, linking the brand's advertising legacy with its current portfolio and transition towards electric mobility. The campaign uses a staged narrative involving a phone call from Hyundai Motor India Managing Director Tarun Garg, a temporary 'network drop' and an apparent end to Shah Rukh Khan's association with the brand before revealing the IONIQ 5.
According to the agency, the film has garnered around 25 million views with a 35% view-through rate across Meta and YouTube, reflecting strong audience engagement.
The campaign revisits familiar elements from the original SANTRO Xing commercial, including the "Mr. Kim" exchange, the "contract is now over" dialogue and the surfboard sequence, adapting them to reflect Hyundai's evolution from the SANTRO to the CRETA and now the IONIQ 5.
Virat Khullar, Head, Marketing, Hyundai Motor India Limited, said, “Thirty years in India is more than a milestone for Hyundai, it is a celebration of enduring trust and meaningful relationships. This campaign brings together Shah Rukh Khan, who is associated with Hyundai since the beginning, with the unexpected presence of our Managing Director to create a story that is both authentic and deeply human. While it honours our journey over the past three decades, it also reflects Hyundai’s vision for the future, driven by innovation, smart mobility and an unwavering commitment to enriching the lives of our customers.”
Commenting on the campaign, Jaeho (Jaden) Yoo, CEO & Managing Director, INNOCEAN India, said, "Thirty years is a hard number to do justice to in a single film, especially with a brand and a face as loved as Shah Rukh Khan's. Our starting point wasn't 'let's create a nostalgia campaign' - it was 'how do we make people feel the weight of three decades without it feeling like a history lesson.' For us, that's the job of good creative in a moment like this: not just to inform people that thirty years have passed, but to make them feel genuinely happy that they have."
Santosh Kumar, COO, INNOCEAN India, added, "Once we had that thought, the challenge became structural - how do we build a story that had warmth, a bit of drama, and genuinely felt like it belonged to Hyundai and Shah Rukh Khan's own journey. Building the campaign let us do exactly that - create a moment of real curiosity first, and then land the actual celebration with impact. It's a good example of thinking about a milestone as a piece of storytelling craft, not just a moment to mark."
