Hyundai’s ‘Goal of the Century’ Campaign Calls for a United, Sustainable World Ahead of FIFA World Cup

Hyundai Motor Company has announced the launch of its global sustainability campaign under the banner ‘Goal of the Century’. The campaign kicked off on Earth Day on April 22nd, and will run through and beyond the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which will be held from November 21st to December 18th 2022. 

“The ‘Goal of the Century’ campaign aims to unite the world for sustainability, inspired by the pure value of team spirit and togetherness created by the universal love of football,” said Thomas Schemera, global chief marketing officer and head of customer experience division at Hyundai Motor. “At Hyundai, we will continue striving to be of practical help to humanity at a time when it is more important than ever to come together for the healthy, long-lasting future of our planet.”

To drive the ‘Goal of the Century’ campaign, Hyundai Motor is introducing ‘Team Century,’ a newly formed group of ambassadors that will promote various environmental and social sustainability projects throughout 2022. Former England national team player Steven Gerrard will lead ‘Team Century,’ joined by BTS, Afghan refugee soccer player and Danish UNESCO ambassador Nadia Nadim, American fashion designer Jeremy Scott, contemporary Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn, documentary photographer Nicky Woo, and Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot. In addition, Hyundai also plans to unveil four regional ambassadors in the months to come.

As well as acting as an ambassador for ‘Team Century, Lorenzo Quinn, represented by MTArt Agency, will work to create a striking installation displayed in Al Bidda Park as part of FIFA’s Fan Festival. A physical manifestation of the ‘Goal of the Century’, the piece will act as a symbol of unity as the world comes together for this landmark event. Set to launch in November 2022 in line with the FIFA World Cup, the design will be revealed in the coming months alongside additional video content featuring Lorenzo. 

As a talent agency, it was particularly meaningful for MTArt to position a visual artist like Lorenzo in this context, appearing alongside major talents from the film, fashion, and music industries. Such a campaign will subsequently make art a key pillar for the 2022 World Cup, reaching wider demographics that may have previously been less accessible.

 

As part of the global launch, Hyundai Motor released a manifesto film and global TV commercial featuring football legend Steven Gerrard and global pop sensation BTS, sharing the company’s ambition to unite humanity through football and encourage universal support for a sustainable future. The campaign program is part of Hyundai’s mission to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, neutralising CO2 emissions at all stages of its production and operation.

“As a father of four children, one of the great goals of my life is to protect the world for the future generations. Hence, I am happy and proud to be part of this journey with Hyundai,” said football legend and ‘Team Century‘ captain Steven Gerrard. “As captain of Team Century, I want to lead by example as I did in my time as a football player and am currently doing as a coach. I want to inspire people to do their best every day. I know that football has the power to move people and help them come together to achieve our goal of a sustainable planet - as we are all in this together.”

In line with the campaign message, Hyundai Motor plans to provide eco-friendly vehicles for national teams, VIPs and event officials during the FIFA World Cup. This is the first time that eco-friendly vehicles are included in the official fleet for a FIFA World Cup event. Out of the total 592 vehicles, over 50 percent of the passenger vehicles and some of the commercial vehicles will be eco-friendly models, including the IONIQ 5, Santa Fe Hybrid, and Elec City bus. Additionally, test drives of Hyundai’s eco-friendly vehicles will be offered at locations around the world from July through September. 

Hyundai Motor will also collaborate with FIFA for the ‘Hyundai Goal of the Century Pledge’ event, where fans can make a personal eco-friendly pledge based on the number of goals scored by their favourite team. The event will be held on the FIFA’s official website from July to December. Hyundai Motor will continue to support FIFA’s sustainability agenda and ‘fully carbon-neutral World CupTM’ vision through various activities in the months to come.