A few months ago, Kia rolled out its fifth commercial featuring the dancing hamsters to Lady Gaga's new single Applause. The commercial debuted during the MTV Video Music Awards and on 33,000 movie screens nationwide. At the awards show, Lady Gaga also performed her new single for the first time live. For the ad, the hip-hop hamsters were brought back to promote the redesigned Kia Soul. However, the hamsters also remade themselves by hitting the gym. At the end of the commercial, the hamsters' hard work pays off and they reemerge out of the 2014 Kia Soul as suave and refined rodents. I really enjoyed this commercial and believe it was very well produced.
Humor: 5
Kia's new commercial is very funny. It is suitable for all age groups,but especially the twenty-somethings the ad is targeting. With a catchy song, fast pace, and good message, I believe this commercial will be around for a while.
Effectiveness: 5
Kia has seen impressive results from its hamster campaign. Michael Sprague, Kia's U.S. executive vice president of marketing, said that the campaign "Will connect with a broad range of consumers, not only Gen Y who like the funky style and their ability to take their friends with them, but also to an audience that still wants to be youthful or youthful minded." As the face of the Kia Soul, the hamster commercials are some of the most-watched automotive ads on YouTube. With almost 11.5 million views, this commercial is the most-popular video on Kia Motors America's YouTube page. Sprague also made an interesting comment about this commercial's dominance on social media. Sprague said, "With social media we can track how well we're doing there and what people are thinking. In this day and age, everything is about the return on the investment and tracking. And there are so many things to track." From a social media standpoint, this commercial and campaign has been very dominant. From an advertising standpoint, this campaign has received Effie awards and Nielsen's "Automotive Ad of the Year." Colin Jeffery, David & Goliath's executive creative director who directed the latest ad, said "the hamsters always have their paws on the pulse of pop culture. With the help of Lady Gaga, some current fashion trends, and our friends at MPC VFX, we introduce a sleeker, sexier, and more sophisticated Soul. The hamsters don't look too shabby themselves." An interesting point is that your traditional car commercial shows footage of a zooming car against a beautiful backdrop with a voice over of someone describing key features and awards. That is why Kia's hamster commercials are so dynamic with dancing animals, high-dollar animation, and a killer song. For this campaign, Kia has spent about $4.3 billion on advertising, which is nearly 2.6 percent of its revenue. In contrast, GM spent $24.2 million (3.5 percent of revenues) and Ford $19.9 million (3 percent of revenues) on advertising. Due to its fantastic advertising campaign, Kia has doubled its annual vehicle sales during the last five years. Michael Sprague and Kia could not be happier. "This is the kind of social fuel that a lot of car companies and their advertising shops fail to fill up on. It's interesting enough to see Jennifer Lopez tool around her old neighborhood in a little Fiat, but it's not necessarily the type of thing one might e-mail to a friend or post on Twitter," said Sprague. Overall, I think Kia has had great success with this advertising campaign.
Emotion: 3
I do not believe this commercial is supposed to be very emotional. However, it does promote a popular social cause-getting fit. During an age where most people are trying to stay healthy, the hamsters makeover is a popular message among Kia's target market. However, the main purpose of this commercial is to promote the redesigned Kia Soul.
Customer Reviews: 5
Since the hamsters and Lady Gaga's collaboration was such a success, Kia customers are giving the 2014 Soul much applause. Maybe the hamsters will make an appearance in Lady Gaga's next music video.
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ad-day-kias-hamsters-youve-never-seen-them-152011
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/08/23/kia-soul-hamsters-gym-rats/2689749/
http://wardsauto.com/sales-amp-marketing/michael-sprague-keeping-kia-s-hamsters-top
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-08-26/kias-hip-hop-hamsters-are-a-branding-bargain
Best West Palm Beach KIA article ever, thanks for sharing this very informative and educational article with me!
ReplyDeleteBest West Palm Beach KIA article ever, thanks for sharing this very informative and educational article with me!
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