Power To Surprise KIA Commercials
In 2006, the South Korean, KIA Motors Corporation, decided that future technological and ergonomic model development, would focus on design aesthetics as a core brand attribute.
As a result, ‘The Power To Surprise’ became their advertising theme that has seen the development of many, highly rewarding KIA brand communication commercials.
The most notable advertising campaigns are from the Los Angeles, David&Goliath, Advertising Agency. Their creatively consistent power to surprise, is remarkable.
1. KIA Quoris K900, The Truth
Advertising Agency: David&Goliath, Los Angeles, USA
Directed by Carl Erik Rinsch and Colin Jeffery, the commercial for KIA’s luxury sedan stars actor Laurence Fishburne, who reprises his powerful role as Morpheus from the ‘Matrix’ movie trilogy.
The scenario depicts a highly dramatised, phantasmagorical demonstration of luxury that is surprising, and immensely entertaining.
2. KIA Optima, Walken Closet
Advertising Agency: David&Goliath, Los Angeles, USA
Directed by Matthijs Van Heijningen with Joost van Gelder as Director of Photography, the highly watchable commercial stars Academy Award actor Christopher Walken.
He amusingly uses colourful ‘sock-puppets’ as a very unusual and perhaps puzzling metaphor for KIA’s Optima.
The tongue-in-cheek relevance of the metaphorical analogy that was advanced on the ‘Inspiration Room’ website, I think is right on the button.
“With aggressive exterior styling, genuine Nappa leather seats, and a 2.0L GDI turbo engine, the next generation KIA Optima is a midsize sedan that makes a statement. It stands alone in a category that’s as bored and uninspired as beige socks.”
3. KIA Forte, Hotbots
Advertising Agency: David&Goliath, Los Angeles, USA
Directed by Carl Erik Rinsch with Robert Elswit as Director of Photography, the commercial amusingly features Miss USA Alyssa Campanella as a robotic KIA promoter at a Motor Show.
Robotic Alyssa takes umbrage of a demonstrably inept, and nerdish reporter, not being duly respectful of the unveiled Forte’s sophisticated technology.
The activated fury of her disdain on the hapless reporter, makes for highly entertaining viewing.
4. KIA Sorento, The Perfect Getaway
Advertising Agency: David&Goliath, Los Angeles USA
Directed by multi-award winning Matthijs Van Heijningen, the commercial is about a film producer unpacking his proposal to James Bond actor, Pierce Brosnan, to star in a film about the perfect getaway vehicle.
What makes for rewarding, cinematic viewing is that the dramatic firepower the actor envisioned encountering, amusingly turns out to be fireworks of a romantic encounter.
5. KIA Sorento, Space Babies
Advertising Agency: David&Goliath, Los Angeles, USA
My favourite Jake Scott directed commercial is this story about a young boy who asks his Dad where babies come from.
The highly imaginative story of the Dad’s explanatory response however, doesn’t completely convince his skeptical young son.
The spectacular story depiction is superbly crafted, a joy to watch and well worth multiple viewing.
6. KIA Soul, A New Way to Roll
Advertising Agency: David&Goliath, Los Angeles, USA
Superbly directed by Tarsem Singh, this was the first commercial to feature the ultra-cool KIA ‘Soul Hamsters’.
‘A New Way to Roll’ was also the start of a remarkable success story of what would become one of the longest running advertising campaigns in the recent history of Automotive Advertising.
(The remarkable, award-winning commercials of the KIA ‘Soul Hamsters’ campaign are featured on the ACES Themes menu as; ‘The Coolest Hamsters On The Planet’)
7. KIA Selos, Magical Inspirations
Advertising Agency: Sideways Consulting LLP, Mumbai, India
KIA India’s power to surprise was revealed when their ‘Selos’ became the first production car to roll out of their brand new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh.
The integrated campaign’s commercial features a surreal, ‘magical’ mix of compelling images, directed by Vijay Sawant, that are accompanied by Subhajit Mukherjee’s vibrant instrumental soundtrack.
The commercial made headline news becoming India’s most watched commercial of 2019, and motivating 297 million global views in two months, of which 230 million were via YouTube.