The Kia motor company aired this video starring the NBA basketball player Blake Griffin. Awkward humor is present throughout the advertisement and Griffin is the source of the majority of it. During the commercial, he offers the two campers safety in a way that is not ordinary. With the help of Griffin, Kia has been able to make this commercial very popular and successful.
Kia motor company is using Blake Griffin's success to pull people into buying their car. They do this by his presence alone but also at the end it says "Kia+Blake Griffin," on the screen. Saying that Blake Griffin supports Kia and therefore you should as well. Throughout the commercial Blake is positioned in a very scenic way. He is standing by a deer with a God-like light shining on him as he gives safety advice to the campers in a red track suit. He doesn't belong in the scene really at all and I think that that shows that Kia was relying on his name and face alone to promote the car.
The commercial begins with an unsafe gesture dealing with fire. Blake Griffin comes in and suggests that buying a Kia would be a safe gesture. He includes details on the crash protection to legitimize his statement. It is evident that he does not fit in with the scenery and clearly sticks out. This could suggest that a Kia would stick out on the road. The commercial states that Blake is not an ordinary spokesman, and the Kia Optima is not your “average midsize sedan”. They are telling viewers that their vehicle is above average and has much more to offer than previous models. Blake is fearless while in the woods-he is feeding the deer. This shows that when you have a Kia Optima you are fearless and confident. Also his star status suggests that if the car is good enough for him it must be high quality. While Blake is driving he is the only one on the road. This can suggest that the Optima are the only car that you should consider and that it rules the streets. By using this approach of humor and fearlessness, Kia has hoped to pull viewers toward their car.
The Kia commercial left me completely confused. I agree with the above statement that Kia relies on Blake to promote their car and that everything else seems to be an after thought. My question is why did they choose to place Blake in the wildness. It seems that it may relate to an eco-friendly idea about the company, at the end of the commercial the car is driving near a forest. There may also be a possible humanitarian feel with Blake feeding the deer. This perhaps is suggesting that the vehicle is safe in more ways than just one; it is safe for the environment, animals and the people driving the car. Another piece of the commercial I found to be out of place was Blake stretching with his foot on the rock. To me it seems like he has been running or walking through the forest, this idea being aided by the fact he is wearing a running suit. But if that is the purpose, then it contradicts the idea of him driving the car as his transportation. Going alone with this same idea, camping and cars usually don’t go together. In the commercial the only thing connecting the camping experience with the car is the idea of being safe. Overall the commercial seems very dysfunctional and relies to heavily on Blake to promote their company.
After watching this commercial, the lasting message left with me as a viewer is the fact that Kia is trying to emphasize the safety of the 2012 Kia Optima. The main point of Blake Griffin's dialog it that this car has received a Five Star Crash Safety rating. It also seems to me that Kia is trying to draw many parallels between Griffin and the 2012 Optima. For one, Griffin just started to become a big name in the NBA in the past two years and he has established himself as a player to look out for in the game. Perhaps Kia is trying to make the same mark by saying that their cars are something to be reckoned with and they should not be ignored. Also, as stated above, placing Griffin in the a bright red track suit and putting him in nature might suggest to the viewer that the Kia Optima is very flashy and will stand out. This commercial also depicts Griffin as being very powerful and dominating over nature. As viewers, we then further link this to the car when we see that the Kia Optima is the only car driving on the road.
One thing to point out during the commercial, is at the end, where it flashes 'Kia Optima+ Blake Griffin- not your average spokesman, not your average midsize sedan.' This statement at the end sums up the entirety of irrelevance Blake Griffin is to this commercial. Not only did I not know who he was, but also the commercial was very confusing. It makes sense now, knowing that he is a professional athlete, in saying that he isn't the average spokesman. This is true because as of late he has just now become more famous. However if I had directed this commercial I would've used someone on a football team instead of basketball. I don't really think Blake has the image of a very safe and protective person. A defensive football player definitely would have portrayed safety better than the lanky Blake Griffin.
This commercial is interesting because it has Blake Griffin in an all red outfit making sure that he stands out in the forest. Blake only talks about safety. By having these two factors in the commercial, Kia wants the audience to know that their vehicle is the only one that is safe for any one to drive and that it will stick out on the road. Also, the silence after Blake talks is very awkward. This is very strange because there is no real meaning behind this. Another thing is that the music is only played at the end of the commercial and it is repetitive. This is probably to catch the viewer's attention to make sure they pay attention to the end of it. When the viewer focuses on that part of the commercial, they see that Kia is paired with this athlete and by doing so, they hope to pull in customers. In the previous comments, people pointed out how Blake has just recently become famous. Kia could be using this to show that they too have just recently become a good car company. Therefore showing that people should invest in their vehicles.
Going off of what Abby said, I also took special note on the ending where it says 'Kia Optima+ Blake Griffin- not your average spokesman, not your average midsize sedan.' I think that by using Blake Griffin to promote this car the creator might have been trying to show that he does not advertise for many companies and that if he chose to do a commercial for the Kia Optima then the car must be worthy enough for people to buy. Furthermore, if Blake Griffin who is very well respected in the NBA, took the time to film this commercial then viewers should definitely consider this as their next car. On another note, they might have chose to use Blake Griffin because they are making this commercial for people who are more likely to buy this car, such as middle-age men because they typically follow the NBA and know who he is. This seems like car that men would buy because women usually buy bigger cars like SUV’s and mini vans because they drive kids. In general, a man is more likely to buy this car and know who Blake Griffin is so that is why they used him as a spokesman.
The use of the abnormal spokesperson, Blake Griffin, adds humor and grabs the attention of a certain demographic, middle-aged men who typically follow NBA (like Adrienne pointed out). This, and the use of only men in a campsite setting, could imply that Kia is working to change their target market from mainly women to include more middle-aged men. Before, Kia could have had large sales of minivans and larger sized cars in which were probably purchased more by women, and now they want to expand their sales of sedans, reaching more men. With this commercial, they keep the women interested by mentioning safety but also bring in the interest of men with humor and the professional NBA spokesperson, creating a good balance between male and female appeals.
First of all, inviting the NBA basketball star Black Griffin is one of their publicity strategies. It may attract some fans of Black to view the ad even if they have no interest of the Kia at all. Then, the creator of the ad made a binary throughout the ad—safe and unsafe. The creator set the first scene in an open country, and the unsafe thing is that one of the campers pours some combustion improver into the fire in order to improve it. And the most interesting thing is that Black suddenly appears in red sports clothes, which is not harmonious with the forest environment. It seems that Black was training in another space, and suddenly heard the conversation from the campers and traveled to this space to tell them what the safe is. He relaxed presses his leg, pulls a twig off to feed the deer, and tells them Kia cars have 5 stars safety rating. His relaxed expression is more available to demonstrate the car’s quality than a serious expression. Try to image, if a person who wears a suit, and says seriously: Kia optima have 5 stars safety rating! I do not believe the effect is as good as this one.
Going off of what a few of the comments have said about Blake's appearance in the ad and the appeal to men,it appears that Blake is a majestic figure guiding the men. The way Blake seems to a appear to come out of nowhere to give advice to the campers along with his pose suggest he is a superior being of some sort. He is a beacon of manliness, if you will, and this coupled with him feeding the deer speaks to the versatility of the optima, and add humor to the commercial. The setting of campground also adds to masculine appeal.
In order to explain what is safe, the ad set the unsafe situation in the beginning in which a man pours some liquid into the fire. Before Griffin comes out, I cannot even guess what the ad is about, because the unsafe situation is irrelevant to car safety from my opinion. And I cannot be convinced by the ad that KIA is a safe brand. Furthermore, the seconds of starring from 00:19 seems awkward. Griffin’s expression in his eyes does not look confident. Although Griffin’s appearance is tall and strong, he might give us a sense of safe. But overall, he is not the right one for the product. I cannot imagine that such a tall strong men is driving a small KIA car.
It's interesting that they use Blake Griffin rather than a more well known and seasoned player. If you don't know anything about basketball you probably won't know who Blake Griffin is, for instance women usually watch less basketball, which goes back to what Emily said about the commercial targeting men. But why then wouldn't they use someone like Lebron that everyone knows basketball fan or not? It's kind of obvious why not Lebron, since everyone hates him but more experienced players in general will have more baggage. Since Blake Griffin is a new player most people don't have much dislike for him since he hasn't knocked anybody's team out of the playoffs yet. So I guess my point is because Griffin is a fresh new player he's more widely liked and will target a larger audience rather than someone like Kobe or Lebron who have made many enemies.
As previously mentioned, the advertisement is focusing towards a specific audience. This commercial opens with two men camping, an activity considered virile. Blake Griffin randomly shows up clearly unexpected and advertises the Kia Optima explicitly mentioning the five star crash safety rating; however, there is a hidden tactic here. While some Kia models previously been labeled as cars for girls, this advertisement Kia is sending the message that their car is manly. There is a very clear effort to keep the identity of the Griffin as a basketball player as he is dressed in bright red workout gear and very white shoes, both which are not suitable for the woods. This commercial uses Blake Griffin, an NBA player, as well as a seemingly irrelevant campsite location to appeal to men.
The unexpected presence of Blake Griffin in the commercial can easily be counterproductive to their focus. Even in the case that a person follows the NBA and understands who he is, it's still odd that a basketball player would correlate to an advertisement for KIA. It might make more sense for him to be advertising a company more like Nike, Adidas, etc. because then the relationship can be understood. However the red jumpsuit he's wearing could be KIA's attempt at calling their vehicle safe, with the red signifying caution and safety. As it has been mentioned in previous comments the tent scene that the commercial starts with just leaves a very confusing image in the viewer's mind. KIA has a strategic plan though because if the audience is confused, at the end when their product is introduced the reader pays attention because it's the first thing that actually makes sense.
This commercial uses a little bit of psychology to get their message across. You are more likely to remember something if it is delivered by a famous person. The commercial doesn't actually focus on Kia, however because Blake Griffin is there people talk about it and remember it more. At the end it reinforces that connection when it says "Kia motors + Blake Griffin. This creates a commercial that is actually more successful.
This commercial has an interesting way of marketing to the consumer. Rather than focusing the entire time slot on the Kia Optima, they chose to market half the commercial’s time to Blake Griffin. They are paying to now only advertise the car, but in addition an athlete, Griffin. They are willing to sacrifice half of the time slot on Blake Griffin on hoping that it will generate interest with the consumer (preferably young adults). They are anticipating that the commercial will grab the viewer’s attention by presenting Griffin because they realize by just promoting the Kia Optima, the consumer will zone out.
This ad is very interesting because it uses an unlikely spokesman, Blake Griffin, for a commercial about safety. Black Griffin is a professional athlete that plays in the NBA, and is associated with the stereotype that athletes only care for cars with speed and power. Kia puts a twist on this stereotype, and instead says that athletes also care for safety, since Griffin wants to protect the forest from a fire. This makes the viewer want to buy a Kia because a lot of people with money are middle aged men/women and most of these people try to balance their social lives with caring for their families. Kia uses this information in order to persuade viewers that by buying a Kia Optima, you can be “hip and cool” like an athlete and still safe and protective like a parent.
Coming from a foreign country, I initially had difficulty interpreting the various car commercials that were displayed between shows. The company makes an interesting twist on the concept of 'safety', and links the KIA to the athlete. In this commercial, there are two groups: the unsafe 'stupid' group, and the safe 'smart' group. The commercial attributes safety and an 'attunement with nature' with the athlete. This, in turn, allows the viewers to place themselves in the shoes of the athlete: buy purchasing this car, not only will they be able to feed deer and create campfires, they can also categorize themselves as athletes on Griffin's level.
Kia motor company is using Blake Griffin's success to pull people into buying their car. They do this by his presence alone but also at the end it says "Kia+Blake Griffin," on the screen. Saying that Blake Griffin supports Kia and therefore you should as well. Throughout the commercial Blake is positioned in a very scenic way. He is standing by a deer with a God-like light shining on him as he gives safety advice to the campers in a red track suit. He doesn't belong in the scene really at all and I think that that shows that Kia was relying on his name and face alone to promote the car.
ReplyDeleteThe commercial begins with an unsafe gesture dealing with fire. Blake Griffin comes in and suggests that buying a Kia would be a safe gesture. He includes details on the crash protection to legitimize his statement. It is evident that he does not fit in with the scenery and clearly sticks out. This could suggest that a Kia would stick out on the road. The commercial states that Blake is not an ordinary spokesman, and the Kia Optima is not your “average midsize sedan”. They are telling viewers that their vehicle is above average and has much more to offer than previous models. Blake is fearless while in the woods-he is feeding the deer. This shows that when you have a Kia Optima you are fearless and confident. Also his star status suggests that if the car is good enough for him it must be high quality. While Blake is driving he is the only one on the road. This can suggest that the Optima are the only car that you should consider and that it rules the streets. By using this approach of humor and fearlessness, Kia has hoped to pull viewers toward their car.
ReplyDeleteThe Kia commercial left me completely confused. I agree with the above statement that Kia relies on Blake to promote their car and that everything else seems to be an after thought. My question is why did they choose to place Blake in the wildness. It seems that it may relate to an eco-friendly idea about the company, at the end of the commercial the car is driving near a forest. There may also be a possible humanitarian feel with Blake feeding the deer. This perhaps is suggesting that the vehicle is safe in more ways than just one; it is safe for the environment, animals and the people driving the car. Another piece of the commercial I found to be out of place was Blake stretching with his foot on the rock. To me it seems like he has been running or walking through the forest, this idea being aided by the fact he is wearing a running suit. But if that is the purpose, then it contradicts the idea of him driving the car as his transportation. Going alone with this same idea, camping and cars usually don’t go together. In the commercial the only thing connecting the camping experience with the car is the idea of being safe. Overall the commercial seems very dysfunctional and relies to heavily on Blake to promote their company.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this commercial, the lasting message left with me as a viewer is the fact that Kia is trying to emphasize the safety of the 2012 Kia Optima. The main point of Blake Griffin's dialog it that this car has received a Five Star Crash Safety rating. It also seems to me that Kia is trying to draw many parallels between Griffin and the 2012 Optima. For one, Griffin just started to become a big name in the NBA in the past two years and he has established himself as a player to look out for in the game. Perhaps Kia is trying to make the same mark by saying that their cars are something to be reckoned with and they should not be ignored. Also, as stated above, placing Griffin in the a bright red track suit and putting him in nature might suggest to the viewer that the Kia Optima is very flashy and will stand out. This commercial also depicts Griffin as being very powerful and dominating over nature. As viewers, we then further link this to the car when we see that the Kia Optima is the only car driving on the road.
ReplyDeleteOne thing to point out during the commercial, is at the end, where it flashes 'Kia Optima+ Blake Griffin- not your average spokesman, not your average midsize sedan.' This statement at the end sums up the entirety of irrelevance Blake Griffin is to this commercial. Not only did I not know who he was, but also the commercial was very confusing. It makes sense now, knowing that he is a professional athlete, in saying that he isn't the average spokesman. This is true because as of late he has just now become more famous. However if I had directed this commercial I would've used someone on a football team instead of basketball. I don't really think Blake has the image of a very safe and protective person. A defensive football player definitely would have portrayed safety better than the lanky Blake Griffin.
ReplyDeleteThis commercial is interesting because it has Blake Griffin in an all red outfit making sure that he stands out in the forest. Blake only talks about safety. By having these two factors in the commercial, Kia wants the audience to know that their vehicle is the only one that is safe for any one to drive and that it will stick out on the road. Also, the silence after Blake talks is very awkward. This is very strange because there is no real meaning behind this. Another thing is that the music is only played at the end of the commercial and it is repetitive. This is probably to catch the viewer's attention to make sure they pay attention to the end of it. When the viewer focuses on that part of the commercial, they see that Kia is paired with this athlete and by doing so, they hope to pull in customers. In the previous comments, people pointed out how Blake has just recently become famous. Kia could be using this to show that they too have just recently become a good car company. Therefore showing that people should invest in their vehicles.
ReplyDeleteGoing off of what Abby said, I also took special note on the ending where it says 'Kia Optima+ Blake Griffin- not your average spokesman, not your average midsize sedan.' I think that by using Blake Griffin to promote this car the creator might have been trying to show that he does not advertise for many companies and that if he chose to do a commercial for the Kia Optima then the car must be worthy enough for people to buy. Furthermore, if Blake Griffin who is very well respected in the NBA, took the time to film this commercial then viewers should definitely consider this as their next car. On another note, they might have chose to use Blake Griffin because they are making this commercial for people who are more likely to buy this car, such as middle-age men because they typically follow the NBA and know who he is. This seems like car that men would buy because women usually buy bigger cars like SUV’s and mini vans because they drive kids. In general, a man is more likely to buy this car and know who Blake Griffin is so that is why they used him as a spokesman.
ReplyDeleteThe use of the abnormal spokesperson, Blake Griffin, adds humor and grabs the attention of a certain demographic, middle-aged men who typically follow NBA (like Adrienne pointed out). This, and the use of only men in a campsite setting, could imply that Kia is working to change their target market from mainly women to include more middle-aged men. Before, Kia could have had large sales of minivans and larger sized cars in which were probably purchased more by women, and now they want to expand their sales of sedans, reaching more men. With this commercial, they keep the women interested by mentioning safety but also bring in the interest of men with humor and the professional NBA spokesperson, creating a good balance between male and female appeals.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, inviting the NBA basketball star Black Griffin is one of their publicity strategies. It may attract some fans of Black to view the ad even if they have no interest of the Kia at all. Then, the creator of the ad made a binary throughout the ad—safe and unsafe. The creator set the first scene in an open country, and the unsafe thing is that one of the campers pours some combustion improver into the fire in order to improve it. And the most interesting thing is that Black suddenly appears in red sports clothes, which is not harmonious with the forest environment. It seems that Black was training in another space, and suddenly heard the conversation from the campers and traveled to this space to tell them what the safe is. He relaxed presses his leg, pulls a twig off to feed the deer, and tells them Kia cars have 5 stars safety rating. His relaxed expression is more available to demonstrate the car’s quality than a serious expression. Try to image, if a person who wears a suit, and says seriously: Kia optima have 5 stars safety rating! I do not believe the effect is as good as this one.
ReplyDeleteGoing off of what a few of the comments have said about Blake's appearance in the ad and the appeal to men,it appears that Blake is a majestic figure guiding the men. The way Blake seems to a appear to come out of nowhere to give advice to the campers along with his pose suggest he is a superior being of some sort. He is a beacon of manliness, if you will, and this coupled with him feeding the deer speaks to the versatility of the optima, and add humor to the commercial. The setting of campground also adds to masculine appeal.
ReplyDeleteIn order to explain what is safe, the ad set the unsafe situation in the beginning in which a man pours some liquid into the fire. Before Griffin comes out, I cannot even guess what the ad is about, because the unsafe situation is irrelevant to car safety from my opinion. And I cannot be convinced by the ad that KIA is a safe brand. Furthermore, the seconds of starring from 00:19 seems awkward. Griffin’s expression in his eyes does not look confident. Although Griffin’s appearance is tall and strong, he might give us a sense of safe. But overall, he is not the right one for the product. I cannot imagine that such a tall strong men is driving a small KIA car.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that they use Blake Griffin rather than a more well known and seasoned player. If you don't know anything about basketball you probably won't know who Blake Griffin is, for instance women usually watch less basketball, which goes back to what Emily said about the commercial targeting men. But why then wouldn't they use someone like Lebron that everyone knows basketball fan or not? It's kind of obvious why not Lebron, since everyone hates him but more experienced players in general will have more baggage. Since Blake Griffin is a new player most people don't have much dislike for him since he hasn't knocked anybody's team out of the playoffs yet. So I guess my point is because Griffin is a fresh new player he's more widely liked and will target a larger audience rather than someone like Kobe or Lebron who have made many enemies.
ReplyDeleteAs previously mentioned, the advertisement is focusing towards a specific audience. This commercial opens with two men camping, an activity considered virile. Blake Griffin randomly shows up clearly unexpected and advertises the Kia Optima explicitly mentioning the five star crash safety rating; however, there is a hidden tactic here. While some Kia models previously been labeled as cars for girls, this advertisement Kia is sending the message that their car is manly. There is a very clear effort to keep the identity of the Griffin as a basketball player as he is dressed in bright red workout gear and very white shoes, both which are not suitable for the woods. This commercial uses Blake Griffin, an NBA player, as well as a seemingly irrelevant campsite location to appeal to men.
ReplyDeleteThe unexpected presence of Blake Griffin in the commercial can easily be counterproductive to their focus. Even in the case that a person follows the NBA and understands who he is, it's still odd that a basketball player would correlate to an advertisement for KIA. It might make more sense for him to be advertising a company more like Nike, Adidas, etc. because then the relationship can be understood. However the red jumpsuit he's wearing could be KIA's attempt at calling their vehicle safe, with the red signifying caution and safety. As it has been mentioned in previous comments the tent scene that the commercial starts with just leaves a very confusing image in the viewer's mind. KIA has a strategic plan though because if the audience is confused, at the end when their product is introduced the reader pays attention because it's the first thing that actually makes sense.
ReplyDeleteThis commercial uses a little bit of psychology to get their message across. You are more likely to remember something if it is delivered by a famous person. The commercial doesn't actually focus on Kia, however because Blake Griffin is there people talk about it and remember it more. At the end it reinforces that connection when it says "Kia motors + Blake Griffin. This creates a commercial that is actually more successful.
ReplyDeleteThis commercial has an interesting way of marketing to the consumer. Rather than focusing the entire time slot on the Kia Optima, they chose to market half the commercial’s time to Blake Griffin. They are paying to now only advertise the car, but in addition an athlete, Griffin. They are willing to sacrifice half of the time slot on Blake Griffin on hoping that it will generate interest with the consumer (preferably young adults). They are anticipating that the commercial will grab the viewer’s attention by presenting Griffin because they realize by just promoting the Kia Optima, the consumer will zone out.
ReplyDeleteThis ad is very interesting because it uses an unlikely spokesman, Blake Griffin, for a commercial about safety. Black Griffin is a professional athlete that plays in the NBA, and is associated with the stereotype that athletes only care for cars with speed and power. Kia puts a twist on this stereotype, and instead says that athletes also care for safety, since Griffin wants to protect the forest from a fire. This makes the viewer want to buy a Kia because a lot of people with money are middle aged men/women and most of these people try to balance their social lives with caring for their families. Kia uses this information in order to persuade viewers that by buying a Kia Optima, you can be “hip and cool” like an athlete and still safe and protective like a parent.
ReplyDeleteComing from a foreign country, I initially had difficulty interpreting the various car commercials that were displayed between shows. The company makes an interesting twist on the concept of 'safety', and links the KIA to the athlete. In this commercial, there are two groups: the unsafe 'stupid' group, and the safe 'smart' group. The commercial attributes safety and an 'attunement with nature' with the athlete. This, in turn, allows the viewers to place themselves in the shoes of the athlete: buy purchasing this car, not only will they be able to feed deer and create campfires, they can also categorize themselves as athletes on Griffin's level.
ReplyDelete