Kia Soul Even Makes Hamsters Cool

Coming soon to a television near you, here's a look at the Kia Soul "cool hamsters." I mentioned them in a recent blog, but didn't have the images before now.

Kia's ad agency, David&Goliath, El Segundo, Calif., employs simlar, nonconformist imagery with fish, with chess pawns, with sheep and with robots, in ads for the Kia Soul, which just went on sale.

In TV ads, the unhip -- that is, anybody not driving a Kia Soul -- are symbolized by hamsters running in their exercise wheels.

The "cool hamsters" drive a Kia Soul and bob their heads in unison, in time with the beat. The Kia Soul also has optional speakers that flash a light in time with the music.

The image is really funny, reminding me a bit of the "Wayne's World" version of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." Like Wayne and Garth, the Kia Hamsters will no doubt enjoy a second life on YouTube. The unexpected combination of cute hamsters and popular music will be irresistable.

The TV ads start running April 1, according to Michael Sprague, marketing vice president for Kia Motors America.

Photos: Kia Motors