Kia Soul wins Automotive Ad of the Year

We are sure we are not the only ones that resort to channel surfing when our favorite TV show becomes the victim of yet another commercial break, but we are also sure that no one was dumb enough to change the channel when the Kia Soul commercial came on the big screen. The commercial opens up in a quiet neighborhood featuring hammers commuting in their ever-revolving hamster wheels. As the run-of-the-mill hamsters truck along aimlessly on their circles of death, a bright red Kia Soul->ke2186 thumping to music by Marz featuring Pack and Mumiez comes rolling along. Inside, the hip, music-loving rodents are bobbing their heads and tapping their paws expressing just how cool they really are. With a quick, cool guy...umm cool hamster nod, the Soul rolls on its way to wherever the young, trendy hamsters are hanging out these days illustrating their “new way to roll”.

It is because of this hilarious commercial that Kia has won the “Automotive Ad of the Year” award from the Nielsen Automotive Advertising Awards event at the 2010 New York Auto Show->ke226. This is their fourth year doling at such awards and the winners are chosen by a panel of TV viewers who watch the programs and commercials in a non-controlled, natural environment and then answer survey questions about what they have seen.

"Truly effective advertising starts with a great creative idea," said Nielsen Automotive President Lois Miller. "When you combine that idea with a memorable and unique hook that grabs viewers' attention, you are going to get the results that we saw from Kia this year."

Hit the jump to see Kia’s so-called competition as well as the press release.

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Press Release

Already a recipient of numerous accolades including a "2010 Automotive Excellence Award" from Popular Mechanics and being recognized as the "Best Hatchback of 2010" by Cars.com, the new 2010 Kia Soul was honored yet again today at the Nielsen Automotive Advertising Awards event in conjunction with the New York International Auto Show when the TV commercial for the uniquely styled urban passenger vehicle was named "Automotive Ad of the Year."

Created by David&Goliath, the Soul spot depicts city and suburban streets inhabited exclusively by hamsters who are mindlessly running in place inside their exercise wheels until a molten red Kia Soul pulls up to a stoplight and the passenger window rolls down to reveal a trio of paw-tapping, music-loving hamsters who have discovered "A New Way to Roll."

Portraying Soul as a lounge on wheels with its highly specified audio system that includes speaker lights that pulse to the beat of the music, the hamsters bob their heads to four different music tracks that appear in slightly different versions of the spot to keep each viewing fresh. Viewers with a sharp eye can identify song and artist information on the hamsters' iPod screen, and the campaign extended online with each track available for download at www.kiasoul.com.

"The Soul was designed to stand out in a sea of sameness and that same philosophy guided the creative development of the hamster campaign and to position Soul as Kia's affordable halo vehicle," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing, Kia Motors America. "Soul was the first vehicle to emerge from Kia's design-led transformation, and the hamsters quickly became a viral success and grabbed the attention of young and young-at-heart buyers looking for something with a unique personality and turned Soul into an overnight sales success story for the brand."

The Nielsen Automotive Advertising Awards are based on results from Nielsen IAG's National Ad Effectiveness Study which employs an online panel of TV viewers who have watched programs within a natural viewing environment (as opposed to a clinical research environment) in the past 24 hours. Panelists answer survey questions about the programs they watched and the commercials they were exposed to. Finalists for the 2010 IAG Automotive Advertising Awards are determined based on ad performance results from commercials which were launched in calendar year 2009.

Soul offers an immense amount of style and value on top of an extensive list of standard safety features sure to appeal to all consumers looking for a well-equipped vehicle suited to their personalities, including front seat active headrests, dual front advanced airbags, front seat-mounted and full-length side curtain airbags, an Antilock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist System (BAS) and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). Front and rear crumple zones, side-impact door beams, an impact-absorbing steering column and Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system also come standard.

Available in four trims, Soul, Soul+, Soul! (exclaim) and Soul sport, the five-door hatchback offers an attractive starting price below $14,000(1) as well as unique and utilitarian style. Designed with the young and young-at-heart in mind, Soul presents an immense amount of style, value and function with a relatively small footprint and surprisingly spacious interior. Passengers will find comfort Soul's roomy cabin, usefulness from Soul's efficient cargo carrier with 14 storage zones and will benefit from numerous standard convenience features, including an AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system outfitted with SIRIUS® Satellite Radio capabilities (including a three month complimentary subscription)(2), and USB and auxiliary input jacks in the center console with full iPod®(3) and MP3 controllability via the audio head unit and steering wheel controls (achieved with an optional Kia accessory cable).

KMA has released three special edition Souls -- Denim, Ignition and Shadow Dragon -- based on the Soul+ trim, including Denim Soul, Ignition Soul and most recently Shadow Dragon Soul. Offering consumers even more ways to personalize the Soul, each special edition comes with its own unique exterior color and packaging.