Following Kwon Ohgap's Spirit of "Pioneering the Future of Humanity"
Establishing a New Focus on Mass-Market Advertising
Delivering Both Technological Strength and Brand Image
"A truly impressive man boards HD Hyundai's 174,000-cubic-meter-class ultra-large LNG carrier equipped with an air resistance reduction device."
This phrase was recently posted by Chung Ki-sun, Senior Vice Chairman of HD Hyundai, on his personal social media account along with a YouTube advertisement. The six-minute video, produced by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and centered around this same phrase, features the well-known actor Kim Woobin as a model and introduces the company’s LNG carrier, air resistance reduction device, dual-fuel propulsion system, and other core technologies. The video surpassed 3 million views on YouTube within a week of its release, receiving a positive response.
According to industry sources on May 11, HD Hyundai is investing significant effort in mass-market advertising aimed at general consumers, which is unusual for a B2B (business-to-business) industry. The HD Hyundai marketing team pointed out that, although shipbuilding is a core industry in Korea, it still feels distant to the general public. They explained that this advertising campaign is an attempt to bridge that gap. The company produced the video to make its technology more approachable, to boost the pride of field workers, and to communicate the company’s vision.
Recently, the shipbuilding industry has been enjoying a boom in orders, and HD Hyundai is seeing new overseas business opportunities, such as expanding exports to the United States. As a result, the company is focusing not only on technological competitiveness but also on strengthening brand awareness. Their strategy is to shed the ‘serious and heavy’ industrial image, enhance communication with younger generations, and simultaneously increase understanding and favorability toward their technology.
This advertisement is also seen as aligning with the group’s core value of “pioneering the future of humanity,” a principle championed by Chairman Kwon Ohgap. An HD Hyundai representative stated, “Ultimately, we aimed to promote the group’s values. Since shipbuilding is unfamiliar to the general public, it was necessary to introduce our technology in a cheerful manner.” The representative added that targeting general consumers has now become a central marketing strategy.
Previously, in 2023, HD Hyundai drew attention with an advertisement using the late founder Chung Ju-yung’s famous quote, “Have you tried it?” Since then, the company has continued consumer-friendly marketing efforts, including HD Hyundai Oilbank’s “Oil Warrior” and HD Hyundai’s “The Cube,” making this the fourth such attempt.
Meanwhile, HD Hyundai affiliates all recorded strong results in the first quarter, driven by increased shipbuilding volume and a higher proportion of sales from high-priced vessels. Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering reported consolidated sales of 6.7717 trillion won and operating profit of 859.2 billion won, up 22.8% and 436.3%, respectively, from the previous year. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries posted sales of 3.8198 trillion won and operating profit of 435.4 billion won, marking increases of 27.9% and 1,793.0%, respectively, compared to the same period last year. HD Hyundai Mipo Dockyard’s sales reached 1.1838 trillion won, up 18.3% year-on-year, and its operating profit turned to a surplus at 68.5 billion won.
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