Kia Returns To The Super Bowl With A Fully Charged Quest For Unconditional Love

Robo Dog, the wide-eyed, adorable, electronic-charged, robotic pup longingly stares outside the showroom window of an innocuous electronics store.  As the world passes by in front of Robo Dog, loneliness ensues as Robo Dog sees a real dog joyfully play with its owner. Suddenly, Robo Dog’s bright eyes widen and tail wags at the sight of something familiar. And in that one electrified moment, Robo Dog charges out of the store in heart-pumping pursuit of what could possibly be this endearing pup’s forever home.  

Created by David&Goliath, this aspirational 60-second Super Bowl spot, which debuted Thursday, February 3, follows Robo Dog as it escapes the stark retail store and begins an epic chase around a buzzing city in search of the all-electric Kia EV6 and its owner. From crowded streets to a glass elevator to roof tops, Robo Dog relentlessly tracks the elusive EV6 as Bonnie Tyler’s iconic “Total Eclipse of the Heart” swells in the background, providing the perfect union of emotion and humor. You can’t help but root for this lovable pup as it makes a leap of faith toward the EV6 when – the battery drains and Robo Dog shuts down. Thanks to the  innovative onboard charger of the EV6, the owner is able to quickly power up the pup and as they lock eyes, they fall for each other, and drive off to live a fully charged life. 

“When I think about what it means to live a fully charged life, it’s about not only doing your part to protect the environment by owning an electric vehicle, it also means to go all in with the journey,” said David Angelo, founder and creative chairman, David&Goliath. “Robo Dog is the personification of that charge within us all, one that inspires us to dream big and never settle. It’s the truth behind this ad for Super Bowl and the truth of Kia’s brand.” 

“The EV6 marks the beginning of Kia as a sustainable mobility solutions provider and is the next step in our shift to electrification,” said Russell Wager, vice president, marketing, Kia America. “To introduce over 100 million viewers to the Kia EV6, we wanted to juxtapose the future with the emotions we all know and understand today – the love that can be shared between a human and an animal.” 

The spot is part of an integrated campaign that includes a partnership between Kia and the Petfinder Foundation designed to shine a spotlight on shelter animals seeking adoption. It’s the latest initiative under Kia’s celebrated Accelerate The Good Program, and includes the brand’s first-ever immersive augmented reality experience to raise awareness and help shelter animals find their forever homes. 

“At Kia, we continue to give back to the communities in which we work and live,” continued Wager. “We looked at issues that needed attention and found that during the pandemic, many animals were adopted only to sadly be returned later, so we wanted to help.” 

ROBO DOGMENTED REALITY

While Kia’s Robo Dog found its forever home, there are countless real shelter dogs who are not as lucky. Especially in the wake of the pandemic where many dogs were adopted, only to be returned to shelters. 

Going live Wednesday, February 9, Kia will launch its “Robo Dogmented Reality” mobile web experience which allows animal lovers to simply scan a QR Code to bring Kia’s Robo Dog into their own home through any mobile device. This innovative experience virtualizes pet adoption instantly, and entices users to consider adopting an animal in need, in their local communities.

TIKTOK’S ROBO DOG “TURN AROUND” DANCE

As part of the fully integrated campaign, on Friday, February 11, Kia will launch its first-ever TikTok integration, which will provide users a chance to dance with the cutest robotic dog ever, Robo Dog, to Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” Every time users hear “turn around” Robo Dog turns and users can turn with the adorable pup. Kia partnered with five TikTok creators/influencers to help amplify the campaign and encourage pet adoption, while spreading the fun and love. Creators are @dougthepug, @besperon, @hi_im_chewie, @melissabecraft and @laurengottlieb. 

The campaign includes :15- and :30-second versions of the “Robo Dog” spot, as well as print, out-of-home and social media components. Extending beyond the Super Bowl, the campaign includes a series of spots starring Robo Dog and its owner, while showcasing the innovative features of the EV6. 

CREDITS

Agency: David&Goliath 

David Angelo Founder & Creative Chairman 

Yumi Prentice President 

Laura Forman Chief Strategy Officer 

Ben Purcell Chief Creative Officer 

Frauke Tiemann Executive Creative Director/Art Director 

Mark Koelfgen Executive Creative Director/Copywriter 

Mark Monteiro Executive Creative Director

Courtney Pulver Group Creative Director/Copywriter 

Robert Casillas Group Creative Director/Art Director 

Bennett Austin Creative Director/Art Director 

Nick Micale Creative Director/Copywriter 

Paul Albanese Managing Director, Broadcast Production 

Peter Bassett Managing Director, Integrated Production & Technology Services 

Christopher Coleman Executive Producer 

Juliet Diamond Executive Producer

Lisa Tanner Managing Director 

Allison Draskovich Group Account Director 

Shay Davis Senior Business Affairs Manager 

Sheila Barrand Business Affairs Manager 

Allan de Leon Digital Executive Producer 

Allison Minton Digital Producer 

Abigail Grinberg Associate Digital Producer 

Meagan Steinkamp Senior Digital Designer 

Evon Forbes Digital Designer 

Jay Mattingly Account Director 

Kylie Harmon Management Supervisor 

Aurelia Fulginiti Account Supervisor  

Jen James Account Executive 

Jillian Littleton Account Executive 

Maddie Webster Assistant Account Executive 

Mark McNaul Product Information Manager   

Bruno Cunha Group Strategy Director  

Natalie Gomez Associate Communications Planning Director 

Jasmine Spraglin Senior Creatist 

Beka Tesfaye Strategist 

Genie Lara Associate Director of Project Management 

Mike Antonellis Senior Project Manager 

Cara Nieto Executive Art Producer 

Jenny Wu Executive Print Producer 

Elisa Atwood Senior Print Producer 

Lisa Stevens Senior Print Producer 
 

Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks 

Director: Noam Murro 

Partner / Managing Director: Shawn Lacy 

Executive Producer: Andrew Travelstead  

Producer: Jason Groves 

Head of Production: Sean Moody 

Director of Photography: Eric Schmidt 

Production Designer: Brock Houghton 

VFX Company: Parliament 

Editorial Company: Spinach 

Managing Director:, Adam Bright 

Executive Producer:, Jonathan Carpio 

Producer:, Nicole Haws 

Editor (Robo Dog):, Damion Clayton (Courtesy of RPS) 

Assistant Editor (Robo Dog):, Michael Shugarman (Courtesy of RPS) 

Color Studio: Company 3 

Colorist: Jill Bogdanowicz 

Color Producer: Matt Moran 

Executive Producer: Ashley McKim 

Augmented Reality: 14Four 

Jeff Oswalt - President 

Avery McKee - Producer 

Brandon DeLauney - Creative Director 

Madison Merica - Lead Designer 

Eric Narad - Director of 3D Animation 

Alex Michaluk - Senior Front End Developer / AR Lead 

Jared Darr - Front End Developer 

Coby Forrester - Front End Developer 

Steve Wanless - Technical Strategy Director 

Augmented Reality SDK: 8^th Wall 
 

Audio Services: Margarita Mix Santa Monica  

Audio Mixer/Sound Designer: Nathan Dubin 

Executive Producer: Whitney Morris  

Executive Producer: Paula Arnett  

Operations Manager: Brian Frank 

Assistant Engineer: Sean Melia 

Assistant Engineer: Mike Murzyn 

Assistant Engineer: Zach Olson 

Licensed Music (Robo Dog):  
Song – “Total Eclipse of the Heart”  
Written by - Jim Steinman 
Published by – Edward B. Marks Music Company (BMI), Lost Boys Music (BMI)  
Licensed by – Round Hill Carlin, LLC   
Performed by -  Bonnie Tyler 
Courtesy of -  Sony Music Entertainment 
  

Music Editor/Creative Director: Rory Doggett // Model Citizen Creative