Kia wins USA TODAY's Ad Meter behind Melissa McCarthy's 'Hero's Journey'

No one had a better night than Tom Brady, but Melissa McCarthy and Kia came close.

Her slapstick shtick for Kia won the 29th annual USA TODAY Ad Meter competition in a crazy commercial where she gets bounced out of a boat by a rampaging whale, among other ecological calamities.

The 60-second spot, called “Hero’s Journey,” is about an eco-warrior called on to save the whales — and the trees and the polar ice caps. Each time she strives heroically but ends up with the sort of cartoonish comeuppance more commonly associated with Wile E. Coyote. (Except that he chased the Roadrunner, while she gets chased by rhinos.)

The ad’s save-the-planet theme dovetails with the 2017 Kia Niro, which the company ballyhoos as a smarter kind of crossover. The spot was created by the David & Goliath agency, which is based in El Segundo, Calif.

Car humor won the day last year, too, when Hyundai took the prize for an ad starring Kevin Hart. This makes two years in a row for automakers after Anheuser-Busch InBev won it the three previous years.

Car companies drove off with Ad Meter’s second and third places too. Honda scored for a 60-second spot called “Yearbooks.” Real photos of nine celebrities in their youth come to life and talk about the power of dreams. They are (in alphabetical order) Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Viola Davis, Missy Elliott, Tina Fey, Magic Johnson, Jimmy Kimmel, Stan Lee and Robert Redford.

Audi offered “Daughter,” a powerful 60-second spot that shows a father watching his daughter weave her way down the course in a cart race. Her father worries about her place in the world as she drives to first place in the race. The ad fades to black as these words appear: “Audi of America is committed to equal pay for equal work. Progress is for everyone.”

“Born the Hard Way,” an ad telling the immigrant story of Budweiser co-founder Adolphus Busch, finished fourth. And “#BradshawStain” — Terry Bradshaw’s meta spot for Tide about a spot on his shirt — finished fifth.

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Kia Motors Breaks New Ground With Planned Debut Of Super Bowl Ad On NiroBot For Messenger

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On the verge of making its eighth straight appearance in the big game, Kia Motors today announced plans to debut the brand's Super Bowl commercial on the NiroBot for Messenger on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Starring actress Melissa McCarthy, the ad is the centerpiece of a multi-faceted marketing campaign for the all-new 2017 Niro which blends crossover style and utility with exceptional fuel economy of up to 50 mpg combined for the FE trim.  

"With its advanced technology and tremendous efficiency, the Niro sets a new standard in the market, and being the first bot for Messenger to debut a Super Bowl ad reinforces the idea that our newest crossover is like nothing consumers have ever seen before," said Michael Sprague, chief operating officer and EVP, Kia Motors America (KMA)

Kia was one of the first automotive manufacturers to utilize the bot platform and has achieved more than half a million engagements since the NiroBot was launched in November 2016. Developed and implemented by Ansible, KMA's agency partner, the interactive NiroBot chat experience includes guided vehicle discovery, expansive technical knowledge, step-by-step tutorials and test drive scheduling.

Created by David&Goliath, KMA's advertising agency of record, the ad traces a heroic and harrowing journey stretching from the polar ice caps to an arid desert, and continues to prove why the Niro is "a smarter kind of crossover."

A key component to Kia Motors' Green Car Roadmap, the Niro is a no-compromise choice that combines driving enjoyment with eye-catching design, functional utility and hybrid efficiency, thereby striking the perfect balance for today's consumers and staking claim to a unique position between the hybrid-electric vehicle and CUV segments. As part of Kia Motors EcoDynamics philosophy, the Niro represents an important next step on the path to nearly tripling the brand's global green car line-up by 2020.  A plug-in hybrid powertrain is due to be added to the car's line-up later in its life-cycle.

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Melissa McCarthy sent fleeing in the Kia Niro Super Bowl teaser

The Super Bowl is drawing near and with it comes a cavalcade of over-the-top and outrageously expensive mid-game ads. The cult of the commercial has grown so large that 60-second ads are getting 15-second teasers. For Kia's eighth year at the Super Bowl, the Korean automaker will be promoting its new hybrid, the Niro. The company released a new trailer hyping its third-quarter ad slot.

The teaser doesn't actually feature the Niro. Instead flag-waving actor Melissa McCarthy is shown screaming and fleeing across a field from some unknown assailant, presumably the Niro's rival, a Toyota Prius, done up like the War Rig from Mad Max Fury Road. Kia promises the game day commercial will trace "a heroic and harrowing journey stretching from the polar ice caps to an arid desert" all while showing why the Niro is a new type of crossover. We really just want to know what's written on the flag.

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PureCars named Kia Certified Digital Advertising Partner

CHARLESTON, S.C. - 

PureCars has been named a Kia Certified Digital Advertising Partner by KiaMotors.

The partnership will make PureCars’ digital advertising solutions available to Kia dealers across the U.S.

Kia’s Certified Digital Advertising Program allows dealers to use paid search and online advertising from certified providers to drive incremental local traffic to their respective websites.

Now, Kia dealers can take advantage of PureCars’ Smart Advertising offerings for improved targeting efforts. SmartAdvertising provides a singular digital advertising solution that executes campaigns across various media channels, enabling dealers to follow consumers’ journeys across search, social, display and video.

“We are honored to be recognized by Kia as a valuable advertising partner for their dealers,” said Jeremy Anspach, chief executive officer of PureCars. “Working with Kia will allow PureCars to continue helping dealers take the guesswork out of search architecture and digital advertising.

“Now, PureCars can provide even higher quality service, technology and online marketing expertise to Kia dealers and help them effectively reach customers across all channels.”

PureCars recently earned a spot on the annual Inc. 500|5000 list for the third consecutive year, following the launch of social and video extensions of its SmartAdvertising platform in early 2016 and a major acquisition by Raycom Media last October for $125 million.

“With a vast majority of consumers going online to research a vehicle prior to purchase, search engine marketing must be a key component of any dealership’s digital marketing strategy,” said Anspach.

“As a Kia partner, PureCars will help Kia dealers more efficiently serve car shoppers' tailored, relevant advertisements at the right time and in all the right places, driving more consumers to the lot as a result.”

Click here to learn more about the Kia Certified Digital Advertising Partner Program.

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Kia Dancing at Top of Auto Ads Rankings

For the second week in a row Kia beats out Mazda to top the Most Engaging Auto Ads chart, powered forWardsAuto by iSpot.tv.

The spot, which features musician Nathaniel Rateliff and the brand’s signature dancing hamsters, has been a fan favorite for weeks with 15.81% of the industry’s digital share of voice and over 2,170 national airings.

Once again Mazda grabs second place with its “Driving Matters” ad for the CX-9, which received 10.61% of the digital share of voice and has had over 3,250 airings.Toyota comes in at No.3 with a commercial featuring brothers in a friendly driving competition with ʼ17 Camrys.

Honda takes fourth place with a summer clearance event spot featuring an a cappella group, and Ram rounds out the chart, dropping from No.3 to No.5 with an ad about its long-lasting pickup trucks.

iSpot.tv tracks TV ads in real-time and allows customers to monitor social actions, search activity and online video views associated with TV spots across Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, Bing and Yahoo!.

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X-Men Team Up with Kia and Rafael Nadal for New Ad Campaign

If you've ever questioned how certain athletes are that good, Kia may have the answer: They're mutants, with mutant powers.

That's what this (slightly jumbled) commercial is saying about tennis star Rafael Nadal, anyway, as Kia unveils a new Sportage transformed into the "X-Car" for the Australian Open 2016.

Kia has created several X-Cars, including Cyclops and Mystique as seen above - Mystique is the official one for the Aussie Open. Check out more info about these custom vehicles, also promoting X-Men: Apocalypse, at the Kia site.

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