Hyundai Hires Costa Mesa Firm for PR Work

Hyundai Motor America on Wednesday awarded its public relations account to Paine & Associates of Costa Mesa.

The contract, described by Hyundai as being in the “high six figures,� runs through 1999 and ranks among the auto maker’s largest with public relations firms, said Chris Hosford, a Hyundai spokesman.

The South Korean auto maker, whose U.S. headquarters is in Fountain Valley, parted company earlier this year with GCI, which handled its media communications for six years.

Paine, whose clients include Polaroid Corp. and Toshiba American Medical Systems Inc., was chosen from 12 companies that an outside consultant helped Hyundai identify, Hosford said. The company, which employs 37 people, doesn’t expect a significant amount of new hiring as a result of the contract.

Hyundai’s staff will work more closely with the automotive media, while Paine will focus on raising the company’s awareness among consumers through various media.

In an effort to counter its reputation for poor quality and to boost its U.S. sales, Hyundai recently created one of the industry’s longest warranty packages: a five-year, 60,000-mile limited warranty on all 1999 models.

Hyundai’s U.S. sales fell 7.6% in the first eight months of the year, to 64,079 vehicles, from the same year-earlier period.

Company officials said Paine was chosen for its creative means of communication.

On April Fool’s Day two years ago, Paine client Taco Bell Corp. announced that it intended to restore the Liberty Bell and rename it “Taco Liberty Bell.�

“That is one of the things that strongly attracted us to their agency,� Hosford said.