David&Goliath taps Bo and Boz for new Kia work
Now that the NFL season has kicked off, the ad flurry with current and former NFL stars is underway as well. Kia Motors, with the help of its AOR, LA independent David&Goliath, is tackling the theme with an old-school take on digital football games, featuring NFL phenom Bo Jackson and one-time rival Brian “Boz” Bosworth in both live and 8-bit pixelated versions of themselves.
The campaign highlights the 2017 Kia Sorento SX Limited V6 SUV and features two spots, “Tecmo Bo” and “Tecmo Bros.” The “MVP of SUV’s” campaign showcases the 2017 Sorento’s extensive list of standard and available driver assistance and infotainment features
The spots utilize the graphics from Nintendo’s popular Tecmo Bowl game from the early ’90s, which was the first to have licensing privileges from the NFL, which meant they could use player names and likenesses (however crude the graphics may have been).
There is most certainly nostalgia at work, rehashing the famous play where Bo Jackson literally ran over Brian Bosworth, the headbanded linebacker who was definitely the bad boy of football at the time while Jackson was a two-sport star. Nearly 30 years after that play, with both long since retired, the two meet again on a digital playing field and in an SUV.
“Football fans remember these legendary players, and paired with the ever-lasting popularity of Tecmo Bowl, we believed these were the perfect channels to communicate the power, intelligence and nimble handling of the Sorento,” said Colin Jeffery, chief creative officer, David&Goliath. “The play on technology in terms of blending the old video game graphics with the new advancements in the Sorento illustrates just how far Kia has come and how advanced this SUV truly is.”
The first spot, “Tecmo Bo,” features just Jackson. As a Tecmo Bowl player he runs out of the stadium – using the chintzy music of the time and shaky graphics – then turns into the live version of himself and drives back into the stadium in a Sorento. The digitized version – this time with updated metal music – zigs and zags back and forth between defenders, then finally careens into the end zone for a score.
In “Tecmo Bros,” Bo takes a hand off in the Sorento, then proceeds towards the end zone before running into the blocky version of the Boz. The autonomous emergency braking feature reacts, then the real Bosworth gets into the vehicle. In a subtle nod to their earlier on-field meeting, Bosworth says, “thanks for not running me over,” to which Jackson replies, “you mean again?”
The spots, aside from their appeal to the Gen X sports fans, are meant to show that the Sorento is an MVP of SUVs with all its high tech features, including advanced crash avoidance and infotainment technologies.
The spots will debut on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, marking Kia’s third consecutive season with Sunday Night Football.
“At Kia, we are always looking to stand out, and using the Sorento to take football fans inside a beloved video game and bring two legendary players roaring back in all their 8-bit glory was an opportunity that was simply too good to pass up,” said Michael Sprague, chief operating officer and EVP, Kia Motors America (KMA). “Sunday Night Football has been the top-rated primetime show for five straight years, and after our football-themed advertising helped push Sorento sales up more than 13 per cent in 2015, returning this year was a no-brainer.”
Credits:
Agency: David&Goliath, LA
Founder & Chairman: David Angelo
President: Brian Dunbar
Chief Creative Officer: Colin Jeffery
Creative Director: Rick Utzinger
Sr. Art Director: Sheldon Melvin
Sr. Copywriter: Matt Kappler
Sr. Copywriter: Andy Sciamanna
Planning Director: Andrew Lynch
Director of Broadcast Production: Paul Albanese
Sr. Broadcast Producer: Katie Lambrecht
Senior Project Manager: Kemit Ray
Managing Director: Jeff Moohr
Group Account Director: Mike O’Malley
Account Supervisor: Tara Poosti
Account Executive: Jack Scott
Product Information Manager: Mark McNaul
Director, Business Affairs: Rodney Pizarro
Business Affairs Manager: Camara Price
Production Company: MJZ
Director / DP: Joaquin Baca-Asay
President: David Zander
Executive Producer: Eriks Krumins
Line Producer: Lalou Dammond
Sales Representative: In-House Reps (Steven Monkarsh / Irma Rodriguez)
Editorial House: Spinach
Editor: Nate Gross
Asst Editor: Zaldy Lopez
Producer: Jonathan Carpio / Patricia Gushikuma
VFX / Animation / Online: Method
Creative Director: Jon Noorlander
Lead Flame Artist / On Set Supervisor: Tom Leckie
Lead Flame Artist: Chihcheng Peng
CG Supervisor: Ivan Guerrero, Rick Walia
Compositing Supervisor: David Piombino
Executive Producers: Stuart Robinson & Stephanie Gilgar
Senior VFX Producer: Heather Saunders
Color: Company 3
Colorist: Tim Masick
Music: Beacon Street
Composers: John Nau, Andrew Feltenstein, Danny Dunlap
Sound Design & Mix: Beacon Street
Mixer / Sound Designer: Rommel Molina
Executive Producer: Adrea Lavezzoli
Mix Producer: Kate Vadnais
Associate Producer: Lindsey Lerman