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From Kia to Kia Ora: shape-cutting, car-selling hamsters to hit Kiwi screens

Youtube VideoNew Zealanders often have to wait for a bit longer than everyone else for the newest iPhone, hit TV shows and, occasionally, the latest blockbuster movie. And, as a new ad for Kia featuring three hip-hop hamsters that’s about to be launched on Kiwi screens attests, the same is occasionally true for commercials. 

Youtube Video

Youtube Video

First they drove, then they rapped and now the Kia hamsters, which were brought to life by Los Angeles-based agency David & Goliath, are busting some shapes to the tune of LMFAO’s top 40 hit Party Rock Anthem to promote Kia’s five-year warranty programme in the New Zealand market.

The rodents have proved a hit in the US where they are credited with turning the Kia Soul into a bestseller, and the ad has won numerous awards including Nielsen’s ‘Automotive Ad of the Year’ two years in a row and both silver and gold Effie awards.

Todd McDonald, general manager of Kia Motors New Zealand, says the company had been considering introducing the rapping hamsters for some time, but was waiting for the right opportunity, something Heineken also recently did with its global ‘The Entrance’ campaign.

“There isn’t anything else like it on TV at the moment and we felt there was an opportunity to inject a bit of fun and entertainment onto our TV screens over the summer season,” he says. “I guess viewers will either love them or loathe the hamsters, but they will certainly get noticed.”

The new ad has already clocked up almost 9 million views on YouTube and the hamsters have also fronted their own Facebook campaign, with dancers from around the globe invited to join their party and participate in a LMFAO-inspired dance video submission contest called the “Soul Shuffle Slam”.

Youtube Video

 

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