In January 2009, in the depths of America's worst economy since the Great Depression, while every other major automotive manufacturer was facing huge losses, Hyundai managed to sell 14% more cars than the same period in 2008. Instead of blindly pumping sheet metal and price, Hyundai explicitly took the economic context into consideration and approached the problem from the consumers' perspective. The Assurance campaign bolstered consumer confidence by removing the financial risk from buying a new car, and as a result, drove positive brand perception as well as sales. The idea went on to win a Grand Effie.