Kia Courts Cool Parents with “Joyride”

There’s no doubt who Kia was targeting with its first-ever Super Bowl ad—young families!

The commercial features a cast of familiar kid-friendly characters (including Muno from Yo Gabba Gabba, sock puppet and Blabla’s Mr X) embarking on a joyride that takes them to Vegas, a tattoo parlor and a bowling alley. Throughout their adventures, the characters are grooving to “How You Like Me Now?” by indie band The Heavy.

The creative strategy and execution perfectly speaks to Kia’s primary target audience for the new 2011 Sorenta. According to Michael Sprague, VP of marketing for Kia, “we call them contemporary parents: they are people who have active lifestyles before they have kids, and still want to continue that lifestyle.” Sprague talks in detail about Kia’s parent marketing strategy in a recent interview with Media Post.

So my take on Kia’s “Joyride?”

• Cool indie music: Check
• Hip kiddie characters: Check
• Slightly retro feel: Check
• Tattoo reference: Check
• Road trip to Vegas: Check

Kudos to the team at Kia.