• by Tanya Gazdik , 2 hours ago

From the plus-sized Telluride to the Sportage Hybrid to the Carnival MPV, Kia America has a hybrid model to fit every lifestyle.

This isn’t anything new—the automaker has offered the second largest lineup of hybrid vehicles in the industry (after Toyota) for a while. But there’s been a lag in consumer awareness, according to Russell Wager, vice president, marketing, Kia America.

“We're number two, we've got six models, and most everyone else is like 4,3,2,1, and people don't give us credit for that,” Wager tells Marketing Daily. "They know one or two, but they don't know that we've got a full lineup of SUVs and a Carnival and a Niro, and and so that's the purpose for this communication. That's why we started here, to let people know that we whatever you need, we've got probably an offering that's a hybrid.”

The 30-second spot from AOR David&Goliath is set to “OPR” by the Grammy-winning French DJ, songwriter, and record producer Gesaffelstein, whose work includes collaborations with The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, Daft Punk, Lil Nas X, Charli XCX and Pharrell Williams.

The theme is that hybrids move to a different beat. 

First on the screen is the Telluride Turbo-Hybrid swiftly accelerating through the city streets of an urban landscape. As the Telluride progresses, the windows of the skyscrapers lining the street illuminate in sync with the soundtrack. 

“The lights are the simulation of a stereo equalizer, which is kind of cool,” Wager says.

The spot continues as the Sportage Turbo-Hybrid drives through an inner-city tunnel before cutting to the stylish Carnival Turbo-Hybrid MPV cornering through a sharp turn as the music continues and building lights come to life. 

Throughout the spot, various features of each vehicle are showcased, including Telluride’s Dual Panoramic Display, three-row seating, and available ambient interior LEDs. Its 329 hp and 564-mile total range are displayed as supers.

As Sportage makes its way through the darkened tunnel, the model’s distinctive and dynamic daytime running lights are shown to full effect. As the sequence ends, the impressive 608-mile total range of Carnival is flashed on screen.

“Most hybrids are either very fuel-efficient, or they can be powerful,” Wager says. “And ours are the best of both worlds. They're fuel-efficient and give the power.”

When the three vehicles converge on a multilane highway, the building lights continue to pulsate in perfect sync to the music as they are joined by Kia’s Sorento HEV and Niro HEV models. From overheard, the five vehicles create the look of knobs on a music soundboard. It ends with the super "Five Kia Hybrid Models + Seltos coming soon." The Seltos is scheduled to go on sale in the fourth quarter.

“Hybrids That Move to a New Beat” is the centerpiece of a campaign that combines broadcast, print, digital, OOH and social media elements.