Markets

Kia Hamsters Not Boring Enough for Future Ads, Company Says

By Jim Edwards

Updated on: June 11, 2009 / 10:46 AM EDT / MoneyWatch

Kia will abandon its giant hamsters in new ads for the Kia Forte sedan. The hamsters -- bobbing their heads to their iPod driven sound-system -- were introduced in February to promote the Kia Soul, and were arguably the first ads for the car company that really got people's attention. The news was broken by BNET Auto. Michael Sprague, Kia's marketing vp, said:

We didn't want the hamsters to become the spokesperson for our brand. We wanted to be a more serious brand.

A brief Google search reveals that reaction (online, at least) to the Hamster ads, created by David & Goliath, was almost universally popular. A selection:

The spot was No. 6 on Ad Age's viral video chart in May.
It was also the 6th most recalled ad in April.
It was Ad of the Week at the Account Plan.ning blog.
"This commercial cracks me up" -- The Huffington Post.
"Gotta Love Those Hamsters" -- Examiner.com

Having run some successful advertising, Sprague said Kia wanted to revert back to the safety of normal, boring car advertising that has served the U.S. auto industry so well in recent months. My BNET colleage Jim Henry wrote:

... ads for the Kia Forte will stress more straightforward messages about features and benefits for the money, because according to Kia research, that's what sedan buyers in the Kia Forte's segment want to know.