• by Karl Greenberg , October 2, 2015

Kia may be the official auto partner of the NBA, but the company isn’t avoiding the pigskin. Once again, Kia's U.S.-based marketing arm, in Irvine, Calif., is running a number of new ads during “NBC Sunday Night Football” for the 2015-16 NFL. 

The campaign, to promote the automaker's new third-generation 2016 Sorento CUV, kicks off on Oct. 4. The crossover, which got its big stage during the Super Bowl in an ad starring former 007 and Remington Steele star Pierce Brosnan, keeps the humor and light touch going with a football-family theme. 

Each of three spots -- via David&Goliath, Kia's U.S. AOR -- offer an “Inside Out” (the Pixar movie, not the vehicle) with parents saying one thing and thinking another. The ads put a light focus on a key vehicle attributes and the car’s design. 

In one, a father and son walk to their Sorento after a game. He lauds his son's performance -- a sentiment echoed, audibly at least, by his mom. Then we hear her internal dialogue, with facial expressions, about how he was really terrible, but maybe could make a great commentator. 

In another, dad comes back to the Sorento with his kid after an end-of-season ceremony with a trophy in hand. The dad is dumbstruck when he sees that the trophy plaque says “Participant.” He ponders why an undefeated season only gets a participation trophy. He peels off the plaque and writes “Champs.”

In full-contact sport of U.S. auto sales, Kia had a bang-up September, after what Kia said was its best-ever first half and third-quarter performance. The automaker posted a record September, hitting 49,820 units, a 22.6% increase over the same period last year. Kia says sales were buoyed by its Soul compact crossover, and Optima sedan, with 13,614 and 11,719 units sold, respectively. As for the Sorento, its sales increased 42% over the same period last year. 

“In addition to the Labor Day weekend and strong consumer confidence, our sustained growth stems from buyers who are entering the market for the first time in years and discovering the transformed Kia brand,” said Michael Sprague, chief operating officer and EVP, KMA, in a statement. “We’re on a mission to elevate brand perception to match the reality of our world-class products.”