Hyundai launches ‘The Walking Dead Chop Shop’ allowing fans to create their own zombie-survival machine
Could you build a car that would see you through a zombie apocalypse? Well, now you can try as Hyundai launches ‘The Walking Dead Chop Shop’.
The initiative is centred around The Walking Dead TV show, with which Hyundai has a long-standing partnership, an interactive app and accompanying website.
Through the digital sites, developed by Innocean USA, fans can outfit their own zombie survival machine and enter their designs into a contest over the coming months and the winning design will be built into a real car that will be unveiled at New York Comic-Con in October 2013.
Greg Braun, executive creative director at Innocean USA, said: "Following the 2012 'Hyundai Undead' campaign, in which Kirkman outfitted a Hyundai Elantra Coupe as a zombie survival machine, there was a phenomenal response on social media. We noticed that fans of the show were challenging Kirkman's design and discussing how they would create their own. 'The Walking Dead Chop Shop' gives fans this opportunity, putting them in the driver's seat with an initiative that is true to the comic book series' narrative."
Fans can choose a Hyundai vehicle - an Elantra, Veloster Turbo or Santa Fe - and then add armour, survival accessories and designs from nearly 300 different car parts and custom graphic decals created in collaboration with Kirkman and comic book artists at Skybound.
Users then get a survival score and test the vehicles out in scenarios inspired by the comic books.
To push the initiative, Innocean, Hyundai's advertising agency of record, created a multi-pronged advertising campaign. In addition to an on-site activation at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2013, the campaign includes radio buys in key markets, high impact media and digital video across pop culture sites and social media engagement.