Hyundai didn't promote their automobiles during the 2017 Super Bowl. Rather, the company promoted the idea of making the world a better place, bringing a first-of-its-kind live commercial to the game while simultaneously bringing tears to our eyes.
The Korean automotive company used their commercial space to reunite American troops with their families for the big game, utilizing technology to create an emotional documentary shot in real-time after the Super Bowl kicked off.
With the help of director Peter Berg, Hyundai filmed from a U.S. military base in Zagan, Poland, where they set up "360-degree immersive pods" for the occasion, inviting soldiers to watch the game and "feel as though they were in the NRG Stadium in Houston."
For some of them, their families were at the game, waiting to surprise them.
We watched as three soldiers, Sgt. Richard Morrill, Spc. Erik Guerrero and Cpl. Trista Strauch, stepped into the pods and put on virtual reality glasses, expecting to watch the game. What they didn't expect, however, was to look around and see their families on the left and right of them.
Berg explained to Good Morning America, "They think that's the experience, they're watching the game. They take the glasses off, the whole pod lights up 360-degrees...they look to their left and their kids are there, look to the right and their mom's there."
He added, "It's an opportunity for them to see each other and that should be a very emotional experience."
Strauch is on her first deployment and said she would have been watching the game at home with her husband, Joseph, and their 16-month-old son.
"Being away is pretty rough," she explained during the commercial. "I'm just worried about my son growing up and missing daily things that he does."
Her husband added, "This is my first time being a single dad, so having this experience to see her again...it was very emotional."
Cue the tears!