Ever wonder who designed Kia Motors America Inc.’s first electric vehicle?
The Kia hamsters, of course!
The Irvine-based automaker’s new TV ad features the hamsters working in a high-tech laboratory to develop the all-electric, zero-emissions 2015 Soul EV.
The popular trio also discovers a new female friend, created when a tiny hamster wanders into their lab and crosses paths with a surge of electricity.
The commercial, set to the tune of Maroon 5’s new song “Animals,” was produced by Kia’s advertising agency of record, David&Goliath. It debuted during the MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 24.
The TV spot is part of a multiplatform marketing campaign titled “Fully Charged,” which also includes print and digital ads.
It follows other hamster appearances, including 2011’s “Share Some Soul” spot, which amassed 20 million views on YouTube, and the hamsters’ slimmed-down look in last year’s “Totally Transformed.”
“Over the past six years, the Kia Soul and the hamsters have evolved together,” Colin Jeffery, David&Goliath’s chief creative officer, said in a statement. “In 2013, the Soul was totally transformed, so it made sense for the Hamsters to become just as sleek and sophisticated. This year, we were tasked with introducing Kia’s first electric vehicle in the U.S., and to suit their smart new ride, the hamsters started hitting the books instead of the gym. Smart is the new sexy, and the hamsters are using their wits, and a fortuitous lab accident, to their advantage.”
DigiGo’s New Boss
DigiGo, an Internet automotive marketing company in Costa Mesa, has been acquired by San Diego-based Search Optics.
It will continue to operate as a separate business unit under the name DigiGo, a Search Optics company. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
DigiGo was a division of Lafayette, Colo.-based KPA, which provides consulting services and software for environmental health and safety and human resources management.
The deal “enhances Search Optics’ capabilities for delivering transformative new digital solutions and strategies to dealers, OEMs and car shoppers,” the company said on its site.
Mall Runway
Brea Mall, vying for back-to-school shoppers, recently upped the ante with a fashion show and a live performance by pop band Before You Exit.
The mall was among Simon Property Group LP’s 80 shopping centers hosting the recent “ABCs of Style” event.
Some 1,200 also teens got a swag bag filled with samples from brands like St. Ives, Simple, Q-tips and Coca-Cola.
Bits & Pieces
Forge 54 group is holding its second annual “marathon marketing weekend” Sept. 12 to 14 at PeopleSpace in Irvine to create a free ad campaign for Playworks SoCal. More than 50 volunteers are involved in developing new commercials, mobile apps, a redesigned website, and a social media and PR package for the nonprofit group … Peter Hamborg of Hamboards skate shop in Huntington Beach was a panelist at Facebook Inc.’s Small Business Boost event, which focused on helping more than 500 small-business owners optimize their presence on the social network. … Costa Mesa-based Juju Factory said its advertising plan helped homebuilder D.R. Horton Inc. in Fort Worth, Texas, sell out the first phase of the Seaglass townhome community in San Marcos. … Tania Weinkle joined the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau as communications director. … Idea Hall in Costa Mesa has hired three new staff members: Kristen Adams, who fills the role of production artist/graphic designer; Korina Kannedy, who joined the agency as design studio manager; and Jana Pesek, the agency’s new senior art director.
