• by Tanya Gazdik , February 8, 2024

Kia America, normally known for humorous and slightly over-the-top Super Bowl spots like "Binky Dad" and "Robo Dog," took a different direction this year with an emotionally rich effort. 

The 60-second spot shows a girl competing in an ice skating completion. Her father watches from the stands and she makes eye contact with him as she glances a the empty seat beside him and appears a little downfallen. 

After the event, they head off in the Kia EV9 three-row SUV and she perks off when they go down snow-covered road into the woods. Upon arriving at a remote house, her father uses EV9’s onboard power station to electrify a string of lights and a speaker in front of a frozen pond to set the stage for her performance.

Her grandfather watches from inside the home as she repeats her earlier performance, this time with a giant smile on her face. He writes “10” on the window’s condensation and places his hand over his heart, clearly filled with love and appreciation for her effort. 

“The commercial made sure to note that the three-row SUV is now available at dealerships across the country,” according to SlashGear. “It also showcased how the EV9 handles snowy environments. The model shown likely had the available heat pump for preserving electrical range in the cold and the battery warmer for enhanced charging in chilly environments. A highlight of the commercial was the dad powering external equipment using the car's EV9's Vehicle to Load (V2L) capability. The Onboard Power Generator has an output of 1,920 watts. Kia notes that Vehicle-to-home (V2H) is also coming soon to the EV9.”

The spot, which is called “Perfect 10,” was previewed Thursday morning on the "Today" show and brought the anchors to tears. It was created by agency of record David&Goliath. The tagline is “Electric like you’ve never seen.” It is set to Cat Power and Coldplay’s “Wish I Was Here.” 

“It will be seen by roughly 100 million people and it promotes family as well as an electric crossover,” according to CarScoops. "The commercial is part of a larger campaign that includes digital, print, and social media components as well as shorter cut downs of the original clip. As a result, even if you don’t watch the Super Bowl, you’ll likely see the ad campaign somewhere.”

We all have this power within us to do incredible things in life, big or small, says David Angelo, founder and creative chairman of David&Goliath.

“We wanted to lean into that message by illuminating what’s possible when power meets functionality meets inspiration,” Angelo tells Little Black Book. “Because when that magic combination occurs, anything is possible. Our goal is to inspire the world’s biggest audience with a Super Bowl experience that evokes that emotion felt when creating something incredible from power, with the hope it motivates them to bring their own power to life.”