Hyundai’s ‘Message to Space’ video: masterpiece or brilliant illusion?

Here’s the Hyundai ‘Message to Space’ spot in all of its glory, along with a “behind-the-scenes, making of” video:

But what if parts—significant parts—of this breathtaking video story were staged? What if the father-daughter interaction of Hyundai’s “Message to Space” video wasn’t quite what it seems?

That Hyundai’s Genesis cars wrote a message in the sand is indisputable—the performance on the ground was certified by Guinness World Records as being the world’s largest tire-track image. Hyundai’s PR bonanza for the audacious stunt included coverage from Time magazine to ABC-TV News. AdWeek praised the spot as “a sweet and pretty otherworldly stunt.” AdAge chose “Message to Space” for its Creativity Top 5 and awarded Hyundai the #1 spot on its Viral Video Chart.

But on April 21, The Globe and Mail in Toronto published a remarkable article titled, “NASA Puts Space Between Itself and Hyundai Ad Campaign,” that cast doubt on what occurred in the sky above those autos.