A “Smaht” Way to Remember Hyundai’s New “Pahk”-ing Feature

On January 27^th, Hyundai released their Super Bowl ad to promote their newest feature for their 2020 Sonata, by calling it “Smaht Pahk.”

“Smaht Pahk” is a feature that allows drivers to park assist by using a fob to help them move the vehicle either in or out of a parking spot.

The “Smaht Pahk” campaign features a few well-known celebrities 

• Chris Evans (Captain America)
• Rachel Dratch (Saturday Night Live)
• John Krasinski (The Office)
• David Ortiz (Major League Baseball Player for the Boston Bruins, also known as “Big Papi”)

The ad starts out as Evans and Dratch talking about how no car will be able to fit in a particular parking spot. Then, we see the driver, Krasinski, step out of the car and use the “smart park” feature to help him make the park job work. The twist to this story is that every character in the ad talks in their Bostonian accent (hence, the “Smaht Pahk” name).

According to Boston, the creative accent idea came from a number of company employees who could not only pronounce “Smart Parking Assist,” they could not even remember the name of the feature. It wasn’t until one of the employees said the words “Smart Park” in a Bostonian accent.

Presenting this campaign became a memorable ad by the number of celebrity appearances, and saying the name of the feature in a “fun” accent can easily resonate with a car brand like Hyundai.