Kill a Bunch of Zombies and Drive Off In a Hyundai; How The Walking Dead Does Product Placement Right!

Me and My Buddy!

Hi, my name is Jon, and I am a Walking Dead fan. I have watched the show since episode 1, debate “what if” situations with my best friend Jeremy for hours, and I will pretty much buy anything Walking Dead related. (From a boy who writes blogs about product placement, that really shouldn’t surprise anyone.) Today’s blog will focus on my favorite character. Many people will assume my favorite character is Daryl. I will admit I am a huge fan boy of his, even met Norman Reedus at a Con, but he is not number 1 in my book. Oh, so it must be Andrea, the former Civil Rights Attorney with more daddy issues than an orphanage. Nope. I love the character, but it’s not her. Shane maybe? I am drawn to his bad boy personality and how the only rules he plays by are his own, but he’s dead now, so it’s not him either. My favorite character is the 2011 Metallic Green Hyundai Tucson! Yup, it’s a car, it is product placement, and I love it!

Why hello ladies!

As a fan of product placement, I am always paying attention to the cars in a show or movie. Hyundai and The Walking Dead have made it very clear that the placement of the Tucson is intentional. When I first saw this little green crossover utility vehicle in episode one of season 2, I was skeptical. I thought to myself, “here we go.” But I have been proven wrong. Hyundai and the producers of the Walking Dead have not made this car blatant. The only time I rolled my eyes was when the character of Dale says to Shane “You got that nice new car…” since then the dialogue hasn’t been about the car. Just like they never refer to walkers as Zombies, they never call the car a Hyundai.

We can admit that the show handles the car well, but is it right for me to call the Tucson a character. While it never has any dialoged (the last car I saw talking was Lightning McQueen,) the car does play a vital part in the series. The Tucson is where Shane and Andrea first did naughty things, it’s the vehicle that saved Maggie and Glen from the farm and it’s been involved in several zombie murders. It is the main form of transport during the show, and many key scenes take place in this little car. In fact, almost every character has had a scene in which they were driving it, or riding in it in the past two seasons. It is a part of the show.

 

The Tucson has an update coming. This likely means that it will be written out of the show soon. If this day comes I will be sadder then when Merle Dixon was killed this season. Ask the people I watch the show with, I love seeing that car on screen. If it does not appear in an episode I get upset, if it is involved in an action scene I get worried. It is no General Lee or KITT, but this car makes the show more fun for me. I like this product placement so much; I made a parody video of it! (See it here.) I hope Hot Wheels makes a version of it soon. Until then I get a little excited every time I see one on the road, an if it’s green, I check to see if there is a sheriff behind the wheel.

Hyundai and The Walking Dead prove that product placement can be done properly. I hope more people follow their lead.