From cute hamsters to cute toys. Kia has a new ad timed for the Super Bowl, “Joy Ride” that features a cast of characters that are life size toys. The promo is for the 2011 Sorento SUV.
Media Post’s Marketing Daily had an interview with Michael Sprague, the vice president of marketing at Irvine, Calif.-based Kia. In it, he explained the story behind the new ad and provides insight into why the toys appearing in the ad were chosen.
There were five attributes we wanted to call out in the vehicle. But instead of saying “look at this design,” or “Sorento: it’s fun to drive, and has lots if great technology,” etc., we wanted to use characters to represent those attributes. So the Muno (from Nick Jr.’s “Yo! Gabba Gabba” series) represents eye-catching design; the Sock Monkey is agility; Mr. X (the Blabla Mr. X Boogaloo Doll) represents fun; the teddy bear represents safety and security and the wind-up robot toy represents Sorento’s advanced technology. These characters will be used as icons for vehicle attributes. They will be incorporated in all marketing materials once the Super Bowl launches: in digital, print, out-of-home, direct, mobile. For example, if we are highlighting one of Sorento’s technology attributes, you will clearly see the robot as the representation.
See the ad below. And as a refresher, also included is one of the hamster ads.
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Love the commercial. I never tire of it.
Saw that Kia just opened their first plant in North America (http://www.manufacturing.net/article.aspx?id=244136). Shows that they are “all in” and committed to the U.S. market. That’s good. And their ad makes me smile every time I see it.