Hyundai is standing by its DEI policies and launching a new multicultural marketing campaign – and an executive says that it’s good for business.

"In terms of the creative that we’re doing and the work that we’re doing with Culture Brands, it’s born from a recognition that it drives sales, drives the bottom line for the company," Hyundai Director of Experiential and Multicultural Marketing told Digiday. 

Culture Brands is Hyundai’s African American Marketing Agency of Record and produced the "Play for the Car" ad campaign. The commercial features a Black couple "finding moments of connection and joy amid the chaos of daily life" through the driving of a 2025 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, according to Campaign Director Nate Edwards. The ads will be aimed at Black consumers on channels such as TV One and Bounce.

The Korean automaker’s annual revenue increased by 7.7% to some $120 billion U.S. dollars, according to its 2024 Q4 earnings results.

As Hyundai continues to embrace DEI, company after company appears to be turning away from the controversial policies. General Motors removed all references to DEI in its latest SEC 10-K filing. 

Meta announced they are ending their DEI policies, with Harley Davidson, Target, John Deere, Pepsi and others following suit. Google has officially initiated the process of phasing out their DEI employee training programs.

Other companies, such as Costco, are sticking with DEI. Costco’s shareholders shot down a proposal to analyze the risks of its DEI policies in January. Apple shut down a shareholder proposal calling for the iPhone maker to end DEI, with a majority of shareholders voting against the proposal. 

The shift away from DEI in corporate America comes on the heels of a series of executive orders by President Trump calling for the elimination of DEI in the federal government and federal contractors.