Irvine-based Kia Automotive Group debuted a new 60-second commercial featuring life-sized dancing hamsters on more than 18,000 movie screens over Labor Day weekend along with a television debut during the recent MTV Video Music Awards.
Bringing Down the House is the fourth installment of the hamster ad campaign for the Kia Soul vehicle. It was first created in 2009 by El Segundo-based David & Goliath, Kia’s advertising agency of record.
“The Soul is designed for a new, youthful audience that wants to stand out from the crowd and that carries through to our marketing efforts, which emphasize creativity, optimism and fun,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of marketing and communications for the automaker.
The spot introduces the electronic dance song In My Mind remixed by Axwell (a member of the DJ trio Swedish House Mafia) to a seated audience in a stuffy 18th century opera house. The hamsters take over the theater with music, dancing, lasers and a stage dive.
The spots are also shown through Kia social-media platforms on Facebook and YouTube.
Kia launched a user-generated video contest on YouTube to accompany the spots.
Contestants are asked to create a 90-second music video lip syncing the lyrics of the song used in the Soul commercial.
Videos must be uploaded through Kia’s YouTube profile and shared through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Six finalists will be chosen in mid-October. The grand prize is a 2013 Kia Soul valued at $14,400; other prizes include a Sony professional video camcorder and tripod valued at $5,000, and a Macbook Pro laptop equipped with Final Cut Pro video editing software, valued at $2,500.
Kia touts itself as the fastest-growing car company in the U.S. during the past five years. That’s based on five-year cumulative growth between 12-month retail sales for periods ending July 2007 and July 2012 of all U.S. automotive brands.
Kia is a division of Seoul-based Hyundai Kia Automotive Group. Kia sold 485,492 vehicles in 2011, its best year yet in the U.S. It’s on pace to surpass that mark this year. The company has about 250 OC employees.
Charity Partnership
Irvine-based clothing and shoes manufacturer Asics America Corp. has joined the fight against breast cancer by creating special edition products to promote breast cancer awareness and donating at least $75,000 to a related charity.
The company is partnering with foundation Right Action for Women, started by actress and breast cancer survivor Christina Applegate. The foundation provides educational resources and encouragement for breast screenings to women who are at increased risk for breast cancer, along with financial assistance to women without insurance or who are financially burdened.
The affiliation calls for Asics to release a special edition collection featuring four of its products, including running shoes, a sports bra, headbands and reversible knee pads, all in bright pink. The products will be available at retail stores nationwide during the month of October in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Asics has pledged to give a minimum of $75,000 to Applegate’s foundation from the sale of the special edition products.
Asics America is part of Japan-based Asics Corp. and makes footwear, clothes and accessories.
It had $2.8 billion in sales during its last fiscal year and has 190 OC employees.
Social Strategies
Recent social media promotions of Orange County companies include:
n Orange County Bride magazine offered one free photo shoot with celebrity wedding photographer Tony Florez to fans who left a comment with their best idea for a unique photo shoot on the magazine’s blog.
n Lake Forest-based fast-food chain Del Taco LLC asked Facebook fans to provide a photo caption for a “smiling” French fry. It’s also offering free shrimp tacos to Facebook fans.
Bits and Pieces
Aliso Viejo-based online brand protection agency CitizenHawk hired Brian Conchuratt as regional sales director. … Mission Viejo-based women’s health and wellness website Lifescript released a Pregnancy & Parenting section.
