Hyundai has launched a new global campaign to name, map and ultimately preserve the world’s undersea forests, including off the coast of Australia, in new work via BBDO New York.
The new ‘Forests Without Names’ campaign is designed to help bring these overlooked ocean ecosystems into maps, public conversation, and the frameworks needed for long-term protection.
Sea forests are climate-critical but often overlooked and are are biodiversity hotspots that support hundreds to thousands of species locally.
Globally, seaweeds (including kelp) are thought to sequester nearly 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year – as much as New York State’s annual emissions.
Their loss can trigger ecosystem collapse in some coastal regions. In areas where kelp disappears, biodiversity drops dramatically. Yet, despite their importance for biodiversity and carbon capture, many remain fragmented across local data sets and are not consistently recognised within broader environmental systems.
Working with coastal communities and NGO partners, Forests Without Names introduces the first unified global map of sea forests. The program merges local and regional maps from multiple organisations into a shared standard, creating a single reference point for understanding sea forest ecosystems worldwide.
The map is designed as a living scientific resource that ultimately supports efforts to preserve biodiversity. The map combines NGO sea forest data with ocean conditions from The Weather Company, including sea temperature and storm patterns. This becomes a living map to help scientists and conservation groups track ecosystem changes over time, build historical records, and better understand how sea forests grow, shift, or decline.
By helping researchers identify patterns that precede growth or decline, the platform becomes a practical tool for NGOs and scientists working to protect ecosystems globally. Over time, the data supports the evidence needed to help sea forests gain formal recognition and inclusion in universally recognised global mapping systems.
The campaign will culminate in the naming of three previously unrecognised sea forests. Local communities will play a central role in the naming process, ensuring that the identities assigned to sea forests reflect regional culture, place and identity.
In Australia, Hyundai said it is working in close collaboration with the local NGO and community. The naming candidates have been proposed and the final name will be selected through a global public vote, ensuring broad public engagement.
In Korea, one of the two restored sea forests in Ulsan was formally named as ‘Ullim’ (a Korean word that evokes the sense of resonance or an echo) in partnership with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, FIRA (Korea Fisheries Resources Agency) and local marine experts.
In Argentina, the official sea forest name has been assigned through a collaboration with a marine conservation NGO and local coastal community.
Through a dedicated website, unified map, and film content, Forests Without Names seeks to transform awareness into action by showing how identity, data, and community storytelling can help bring overlooked ecosystems into the future of climate conversation and conservation.
Forests Without Names builds on Hyundai’s broader IONIQ Forest Project and last year’s Tree Correspondents initiative, expanding the company’s environmental storytelling from land-based forests to ocean ecosystems. The campaign reflects Hyundai’s ongoing commitment to reforestation, biodiversity, and ecosystem restoration, now continuing its environmental efforts beneath the ocean surface.
Credits
Brand: Hyundai Motor Company
Global Chief Marketing Officer, EVP, Head of Brand Marketing Division: Sungwon Jee
VP, Head of Brand Experience Sub-Division 1: Jumi Kim
Head of Brand Experience Group: Bongjo Kang
Head of Brand Communication Team: Yoonhyue Kim
Senior Manager of Brand Communication Team: Heejun Kim
Manager, Brand Communication Team: Yeongin Cho
Manager, Brand Communication Team: Yujin Lee
Agency: BBDO New York
Chief Creative Officer: Michael Aimette
Executive Creative Director: Ricardo Franco
Creative Director: Pieter Claeys
Creative Director: Roxane Schneider
Associate Creative Director: Helio Maffia
Associate Creative Director: Yllo Pedra
Senior Art Director: Ashutosh Thakkar
Senior Copywriter: Thomas Thysens
Senior Art Director: Kate Degen
Senior Copywriter: Sandi Spino
VP, Content Director: Rachel Ginnetti
Sr. Content Creator: Lily Zacharias
SVP, Group Account Director: Diana Cash
VP Account Director: Brandon Rodriguez
Account Director: Elisa Tanganelli
Account Executive: Louis Carvell
Global Chief Data & Intelligence Officer: Tina Allan
Chief Strategy Officer: Todd Sussman
Strategy Director: Robbie Felder
Head of Comms Strategy: Johnny Corpuz
Director, Comms Strategy: Gabi Deckelman
Production: Omnicom Production
VP, Executive Producer: Daniel Roversi
Senior Producer: Alina Carrel
Director, Business Affairs: Cindy Hoffman
Business Affairs Specialist: Juan Figueroa
Associate Business Affairs Manager: Anida Djokovic
Website Design & Development: NEPYRU
CTO & ML Engineer: Will Munhoz
Creative Director: Jimmy Blom
Technical Producer: Leonard Shek
Senior Art Director: Chris Rain
Senior UX UI Designer: Colin O’Dowd
Senior Front End Developer: Juan Martinez
Senior WebGL Developer: Daniel Lewis
Live Action Production: Wildfire Content Australia
Director: Spencer Frost
Director of Photography: Louis Brandt
Executive Producer: Fletcher Watson
1st AC: Michael Moshi
Gaffer: Jeffrey Xiong
Drone Operator: Hayden Griffith
Live Action & Post Production: Final Frontier
SCO: Gustavo Karam
Executive Producer: Julieta Zajaczkowski
Executive Producer: Marcus Landsell
Creative Assistant: Agustina Kroll
Producer: Pedro Reales
Director: Nyco Dyszel
Director of Photography: Ignacio Aveille
1st AC: Alejo Frias
Sound Operator: Enrique Savino
Post Coordinator: Ayelén Guberman
Editor: Daniel Prync
Editor: Daniel Casabe
Editor: Nicolas (Hamelin) Carrizo Silvestri
Editor Assistant: Milena Szapiro
Masters: Damian Alvarez
Animation and VFX: José Lopez Ruano
Color Grading: Delfina Mayer
Audio Post & Music: Papamusic
Composer: Damian Minckas
Composer: Ezequiel Flehner
Sound Design & Mix: Matias Torraca
