David&Goliath Launches Third Integrated Campaign for Kia Soul During MTV Video Music Awards

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - Aug 29, 2011) - LA-based creative agency David&Goliath today announced the launch of a new campaign for Kia Soul, its third effort featuring the music-loving Soul hamsters and building on award-winning advertising and record sales performance. The campaign, titled Share Some Soul, made its television debut with a :60 spot on Sunday, August 28 during MTV's Video Music Awards (VMAs).

The new spot features the biggest song of the summer, number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks, "Party Rock Anthem" by electro-pop group LMFAO -- the first time an automaker has featured a recent number one song in a commercial. The fully integrated campaign consisting of national TV, in-cinema, digital, promotion and experiential will follow in early September.

"The evolution of the Soul campaign continues this year, and once again the hamsters are at the forefront of pop culture," said David Angelo, chief creative officer of David&Goliath. "The spot brings back new levels of fun to an otherwise mundane compact crossover segment, demonstrating that Kia Soul's tagline, 'A New Way to Roll,' is all about positivity, creativity and optimism. It's not merely a car, but a lifestyle for those who have their own distinct image."

This time around, the setting for the commercial is the soulless, futuristic world of a first-person-shooter videogame. It's a dark battleground full of alien robots and humanoids locked in brutal combat, a scene all too familiar in today's videogame culture. The Hamsters, decked out in the summer's latest fluorescent Hamstar® street wear, drive into the scene in an aptly named Alien Green 2012 Kia Soul blasting "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO, and begin to perform the latest dance trend, shuffling. Their energy and positivity becomes infectious and the aliens and humanoids can't hold back the urge to drop their weapons and dance. Eventually this gloomy, war-torn world becomes brighter as the hamsters and warriors all dance in unison -- shuffling, jerking and freestyling. Once their work is complete, the hamsters drive off into the sunset as the warriors dance on, having adopted "a new way to roll."

David&Goliath once again joins forces with some of the best in the business to pull off this momentous spot. From acclaimed film, music video and commercial director Mark Romanek, to award-winning visual effects company Method -- one of the most sought-after vfx studios in the world, having worked on such films as "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" and the Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or winner "The Tree of Life" -- the commercial is some of Kia's most ambitious and unique work to date.

"The success and popularity of the Soul continues to grow and attract new customers to the Kia brand, and with music playing an important role in our marketing efforts it is the perfect time for the hamsters to return for a third installment featuring the infectious sounds of LMFAO's 'Party Rock Anthem' to highlight the 2012 Soul's new attributes," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, KMA. "After just two model years, the Soul receives significant technology improvements for the 2012 model year and delivers class-leading power and fuel efficiency. Our new multifaceted campaign will continue to raise consumer awareness, perception and consideration for the Kia brand through online engagement, experiential activations and TV."

"LMFAO is striking both visually and sonically," said Jennifer Frommer, senior vice president, brand partnerships, Interscope. "The same can be said about Kia and their Soul hamster campaigns. Together with David&Goliath and Kia Motors we devised an integrated program tapping into the band's cultural phenomenon with their song of the summer 'Party Rock Anthem.'"

The Kia Soul was introduced to the world two years ago as "A New Way to Roll," featuring a crew of hip hamsters cruising the city in their distinctive Soul vehicles. Building off the success of this launch and the hamsters' popularity, a second commercial was created in the style of a music video set to the classic hip hop track, "The Choice Is Yours" by the Black Sheep. The campaigns connected with Gen Y consumers who wanted to feel unique within their group in an effortless way, and consequently won two Effies in addition to being named "Automotive Ad of the Year" by Nielsen two years in a row.

The new campaign launched on August 28 with the television debut of the :60 spot during the MTV VMAs and the introduction of a new line of Hamstar® apparel inspired by the commercial. Movie theaters across the country will begin airing the :60 version of the spot on September 2 with :30 versions appearing on network and cable television beginning September 5. In addition, the new campaign will have a presence on Facebook, Kia.com and YouTube. Beginning mid-September, consumers will be invited to participate in a LMFAO-inspired "shuffle" dance video submission contest hosted on the Kia Soul YouTube and Facebook channels for a chance to win cash and other surprise prizes.

About David&Goliath
Founded in 1999, David&Goliath is a full-service independent creative agency with offices in Los Angeles, London and Frankfurt. Dedicated to thinking creatively about any and all ways to build its clients' business, David&Goliath arms itself with the knowledge, resources and firepower needed to build and protect brands in this ever-changing media landscape. Current clients include Kia Motors, CKE (Carl's Jr. and Hardee's), California Lottery, Universal Studios and MGM Resorts (Monte Carlo and New York-New York), to name a few. The agency's mission is to be the antithesis of the traditional advertising agency -- no strings, no conflicts, no limitations.

David&Goliath was recently named 2011 Small Agency of the Year (76-150 Employees) at Ad Age's Small Agency Awards.

Brave in the face of goliath marketing challenges, David&Goliath is about overcoming something big. For more information, visit www.dng.com.