- Hyundai Motor landed Grand Prix for its lauded short film, ‘Night Fishing’, highlighting the brand’s innovation and creative excellence
- ‘Night Fishing’ marks Hyundai Motor’s first Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions Festival
- Hyundai Motor also won two Gold Lions and one Silver Lion for its ‘Tree Correspondents’, an AI-driven CSR marketing campaign for the ‘IONIQ Forest’ global tree-planting initiative
SEOUL, South Korea and CANNES, France, June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Hyundai Motor Company netted a Grand Prix, two Gold Lions, and a Silver Lion at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for its acclaimed short film project, ‘Night Fishing,’ and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven CSR marketing campaign, ‘Tree Correspondents’. These prestigious accolades highlight the brand’s innovation and creative excellence in brand storytelling.
(from left) Jung A Kim, CCO of Innocean; Sungwon Jee, Senior Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer of Hyundai Motor Company; and Yongwoo Lee, CEO of Innocean
“Winning four awards, including the Grand Prix, at the prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a testament to Hyundai Motor’s consistent efforts to build an innovative brand identity through creative storytelling,” said Sungwon Jee, Senior Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer at Hyundai Motor Company. “It also reflects the global resonance of our content marketing approach. We will continue to explore distinctive ways to engage with customers across the evolving media and market landscape.”
‘Night Fishing’ wins Grand Prix in the Entertainment – Branded Content category
‘Night Fishing’ wins Grand Prix at Cannes Lions
‘Night Fishing,’ a bite-sized thriller or ‘snack movie’, was awarded the Grand Prix in the Entertainment – Branded Content category. Its recognition marks a rare achievement for a Korean automotive brand, highlighting the campaign’s creativity and engaging storytelling on the global stage. This represents Hyundai Motor’s first-ever Grand Prix win at the Cannes Lions Festival.
‘Night Fishing’ is a collaborative film by Innocean, a global brand communications company, director Moon Byounggon and famous Korean actor Son Sukku. The film breaks away from traditional advertising by offering a cinematic narrative free of explicit promotional elements. Filmed entirely from the viewpoints of seven fixed cameras on a car, this project establishes Hyundai Motor as a pioneer in brand storytelling.
“I’m delighted that ‘Night Fishing’, our collaborative campaign with Hyundai Motor’s Brand Marketing Division, demonstrated the power of authentic content to build meaningful connections between the brand and its consumers,” said Yongwoo Lee, CEO of Innocean. “It’s even more rewarding to see that this resonated on a global stage and led to the honor of receiving the Grand Prix. We are deeply grateful for the enthusiastic support of audiences and cheer for this new format of film – ‘snack movie’.”
“I’m truly honored and thrilled to receive the Grand Prix at the world’s most prestigious advertising festival, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity,” said Director Moon. “I would like to thank Hyundai Motor, Innocean, and everyone who supported and believed in the unconventional yet innovative vision of ‘Night Fishing’.”
‘Tree Correspondents’ wins two Gold Lions and one Silver Lion
‘Tree Correspondents’ wins two Gold Lions at Cannes Lions
Hyundai Motor also won two Gold Lions and one Silver Lion in the Digital Craft category for its ‘Tree Correspondents’, the company’s first brand campaign on the ‘IONIQ Forest’, a decade-long CSR project dedicated to conserving biodiversity and acting against climate change.
Set to launch in July, the campaign uses AI to analyze ecological data from global IONIQ Forests, providing insights into forest health and biodiversity through innovative storytelling. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the ‘IONIQ Forest’ program, and in July, it will reach the milestone of planting a million trees across 13 regions worldwide.
