Santa Fe ad top of the pops

Hyundai's ad featuring 4WD driving toddlers is a favourite.

New Zealand's favourite TV commercial is the Hyundai ad with the cute toddlers heading to the surf in a four-wheel-drive Santa Fe. An AdMedia survey shows the ad received almost double the rating of any other commercial launched this year.

The survey, showing a snapshot of viewers' favourites in July when the Santa Fe was introduced, rated Santa Fe the most-liked ad, scoring four times higher than any other in that month.

Media sources say the rating is remarkable in a cluttered advertising market.

Created by advertising agency Assignment Group, the ad has been hailed by Hyundai Automotive managing director Philip Eustace as a further step for Hyundai into the New Zealand public consciousness.

"This is a great ad that clearly touches the hearts of New Zealanders, placing the Santa Fe right in front of its target market - families."

But did it work? "It's been a runaway success," said Eustace. "We expected the Santa Fe to be a popular vehicle so we ordered plenty of them. But we have already run short of stock just a couple of months since we launched.

"Our dealers are crying out for more and customers are having to wait for some models, especially in their colour choice.

"Undoubtedly that is partly due to the TV commercial."

The ad survey is conducted in the second week of each month among 1000 New Zealanders aged 15 and over, drawn from an online research panel of more than 105,000 members.