Design Like a Surfer… and How Hyundai Caught the Wave

Over the past decade, driven by an ever-more sophisticated consumer, design has gone from being a bonus to being an essential ingredient in almost every market sector.

Target earned itself a spot on Fast Company’s 2008 Fast 50 list by hiring designers like Michael Graves to bring design to the masses. Motorola shook up the world of cell phones with the Moto Razr. Consumers have evolved far beyond accepting products based on function alone. They’ve developed a hunger for design and even the current financial crisis isn’t going to cause them to lose their appetite.

Today, if you truly want to compete, design must be part of your brand’s DNA. It’s a little like surfing—the trick is to catch the oncoming wave of consumer demand. Like surfing, business success is about preparation and anticipation. If you wait for the wave to start to break before you begin paddling (or, in this analogy, designing), consumer demand will have passed you by. If you wait to see what your competitors do and rely on “me too” design, you’ll always be a beat behind; you’ll never get your company into position for breakout success.

Companies that don’t invest in design will inevitably find themselves dead in the water. To succeed today, you need consumer insight and design strategy to predict when and where the wave will peak, and you need design to propel your brand and put you in the right position to capture the market, just as the wave breaks.

Hyundai is an amazing example of using design to catch the wave of demand. It wasn’t long ago that Hyundai was a punch line for the late night comics. Its brand image was low price, low value. But in the past half-dozen years, Hyundai has used design to turn that image on its head.

 

Design Like a Surfer… and How Hyundai Caught the Wave

To be sure, this transformation could not have been accomplished with design alone. First, Hyundai improved the quality of its product line across the board. But Hyundai also understood the evolving consumer. It had watched Target’s example and knew that now, even bargain-hunting consumers crave design. So Hyundai invested in building a new design center and set about connecting with consumer aspirations. The results have been nothing short of astounding. In January, the Genesis won Hyundai its first North American Car of the Year honor.

Just this week, Hyundai earned AutoPacific’s Rising Star award by jumping 11 positions in overall brand satisfaction. And, perhaps most impressively, while other car manufacturers were suffering through the downturn, Hyundai sales were up an impressive 14% this January over January 2008. Hyundai drivers are no longer the butt of jokes—they’re smart consumers with an eye for great design and an appreciation of excellent quality at a good price. By delivering designs that elevate, Hyundai has propelled its brand while others are struggling to keep from drowning. Now more than ever, design is no longer a luxury; it’s an essential tool for business success. .


Originally posted in Ravi’s blog on Fast Company here.