Hyundai Dealer Advertising Associations Pick The Richards Group

DALLAS and FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Aug. 16 -- The four Hyundai Motor America Dealer Advertising Associations (HDAA) announced today they have hired The Richards Group as their advertising agency of record. Awarded the Hyundai Motor America brand work earlier this year, the agency now assumes creative assignments for each of the four regional Hyundai Dealer Advertising Associations. Billings are estimated at $200 million, bringing the total Hyundai win to $360 million at Richards. Media responsibilities will continue to be handled by Carat North America.

"We were drawn to The Richards Group's rich history in retail branding and advertising for such clients as The Home Depot, Motel 6 and Chick-fil-A," said Hal Philipson, Vice President of the Southern States HDAA and Chairman of the collective associations' Dealer Council. "We also recognize the value of using a single organization for both our national and regional communications."

The Richards Group was awarded the national creative assignment for Hyundai Motor America in May. The agency unveiled dealer creative as part of the presentation for the national business in April. Dealer creative was presented to, and approved by, the Hyundai Dealer Advertising Associations' Creative Committee in June. The Richards Group and the HDAA will break new advertising in October including TV, radio, print, outdoor and point of sale materials.

"We are thrilled to be working for the U.S. Hyundai dealerships," said Stan Richards, founder and principal for The Richards Group. "Hyundai is an incredible brand experiencing tremendous success -- they've tripled their U.S. market share over the past three years. We look forward to helping each dealer continue to build on that success."

The Richards Group has seamlessly transitioned the Hyundai business into the agency, adding staff and opening new account service offices in Orange County, Calif., Chicago, Atlanta and New York. All creative will be developed and produced out of the Dallas office.

The Hyundai Dealer Advertising Association was created in 1986 to represent the interests of Hyundai dealers in four major regions of the U.S.: East, South, West and Central. Creative decisions are made by a creative committee comprised of the president and vice president of each region's board.

Hyundai Motor America, based in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Hyundai cars and sport utility vehicles are distributed in the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 590 dealerships nationwide. Additional information on Hyundai is available at www.hyundaiusa.com .

The Richards Group, located in Dallas, is the largest independent branding agency in the nation. Agency clients also include the standard-setting brands of The Home Depot, Chick-fil-A, Motel 6, Nokia, Fruit of the Loom and Travelocity. The Richards Group can be found at www.richards.com .