Kia revels in its youth: “Kia’s youth is its greatest weapon. In an industry full of old automakers, Kia is too young to know what can’t be done.”
Its strapline is Fuelled by youth.
And its agency, David&Goliath, has used the Super Bowl to promote Kia’s youthfully optimistic attitude about its new car, Stinger, and the Kia mantra, “age isn’t the main factor in pushing the industry forward. It’s passion.”
In the 60-second ad, Feel Something Again, Aerosmith rock legend Steven Tyler puts Stinger through its paces, to his band’s 1973 hit, Dream On.
Backwards.
When he comes to a stop, he finds himself in the early 1970s – a young rock star in his prime, at a moment when he felt most alive. The spot ends with the words, Feel Something Again.
https://youtu.be/0YVbVXOjJv4
David Angelo, founder & chairman of D&G, commented, “After test driving the Stinger and all its competitors, the biggest difference was that the Stinger made me feel something. The challenge was to bring that feeling to life in a way that was totally unexpected. Kind of like driving backwards on a racetrack to another point in time. We chose Steven Tyler because like the Stinger, he is a challenger brand himself with an ageless, audacious spirit. And while the expectation would be to use humour, we purposefully chose a more serious and epic tone to properly reflect the Stinger’s persona and where the Kia brand is going.”
MJZ director, Nicolai Fuglsig, (12 Strong) gave the spot its epic cinematic, almost haunting, tone.
He noted, “One of the biggest challenges was authentically re-creating the 25-year-old version of Steven. We had to get that absolutely right. Fortunately, thanks to the amazing artists at the Mill, we were able to get the glowing approval of Steven, his daughter, friends and a handful of rockers who know him best. With the help of Human, an LA-based music company, and Steven Tyler, we created an original music composition that gradually transforms into Tyler’s ‘Dream On’ – a song about the passage of time – almost as if it was a distant memory that resurfaced as he raced back through the years.”
The Stinger Super Bowl campaign began with a 15-second teaser:
https://youtu.be/ndRKmlTTmCI
A 30-second launch spot, The Rise, will go live in broadcast during the Super Bowl pre-game on Sunday, February 4.
The full Steven Tyler Feel Something Again commercial will air during the 3rd quarter of the Big Game.
Then, from Monday, February 5, a 30-second spot, What Every Racer Needs, will begin airing to sustain the campaign.
Kia also included a surprise in the spot to inspire people to engage with the brand via social media Inspired by the use of “backmasking,” or hiding secret messages in ‘70s rock songs, Tyler included a message of his own in the spot. People who watch the ad on YouTube can hear something garbled, but will only be able to make out the actual message when watching the spot in reverse, which will be provided on Kia’s channel.
“If people tweet the hidden message on Twitter, they might be up for an awesome surprise and delight,” the brand promised.
Credits:
Agency: David&Goliath Los Angeles
Founder & Chairman: David Angelo
President: Yumi Prentice
Chief Creative Officer: Bobby Pearce
Executive Creative Director: Gustavo Sarkis
Creative Directors: Basil Cowieson, James Cohen, John O’Hea & Courtney Pulver
Copywriter: Mark Monteiro/Steven Tyler
Director of Broadcast Production: Paul Albanese
Executive Broadcast Producer: Curt O’Brien
Director of Digital Production: Peter Bassett
Digital Senior Producer: Justine Kleeman
Senior Art Producer: Cara Nieto
Chief Strategy Officer: Wells Davis
Group Planning Director: Andrew Lynch
Planning Director: Ed Gibson
Project Management: Genie Lara, Amy Chiang & Paul Stephens
Managing Director: Jeff Moohr
Account Management: Aleks Rzeznik, Annelise Lorenzo, Marco Koenig & Rebecca Hanson
Business Affairs: Rodney Pizarro & Natasha Royzina
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Nicolai Fuglsig
Director of Photography: Alwin Kuchler
Production Designer: Christopher Glass
President: David Zander
Executive Producer: Emma Wilcockson
Producer: Karen O’Brien
Editorial Company: EXILE
Editor: Grant Surmi
Assistant Editor: Dusten Zimmerman
Executive Producer: CL Weaver
Producer: Brittany Carson
