Melissa McCarthy brought laughs as Kia used political causes to promote the new Niro crossover during the Super Bowl.
Every February, millions upon millions of people settle into watch the Super Bowl in hopes of seeing … the best commercials ever. While some of this year’s ads missed the mark, a few things stood out, including Melissa McCarthy’s politically tinged, “eco-warrior” Kia Niro spot and Hyundai’s ad featuring American service men and women and their families.
“It’s hard to be an eco-warrior. But it’s easy to drive like one,” according to the tagline leading into McCarthy’s ad as she’s driving behind the wheel of the all new Niro.
The ad follows McCarthy’s altruistic efforts to save the whales, trees, ice caps and rhinos. Of course, since its McCarthy, one of the funniest women in television and film today, hilariously horrific things happen to her each time she jumps in to help a cause.
A series of brief supplemental spots find McCarthy in her Niro calling Kia roadside service as she floats away on an ice floe; trying to please a persnickety penguin who wants his heated seats turned on; and narrowly avoiding being rear-ended by a charging rhinoceros thanks to her backup camera.
McCarthy’s Niro ads come on the heels of her portrayal of Trump Administration Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Saturday Night Live. “I’m not here to be your buddy. I’m here to swallow gum, and I’m here to take names,” McCarthy tells reporters while pouring gum in her mouth.
(Politics creating minefield for auto industry. Click Here for the story.)
Spicer noted the performance was “exaggerated,” but said it was “funny” adding she should “cut back on the gum.” He also took a moment to criticize the show’s portrayal of his boss, President Donald Trump, saying Alec Baldwin’s portrayal was simply mean-spirited and not funny.
People from all political stripes seemed to enjoy the Kia Super Bowl ad with Melissa McCarthy.
Other auto ads took on an edgier feel, such as Audi’s commercial, which tackled gender equity. What should I tell my daughter,” begins the narrator of the 60-second spot, as he watches his daughter race on a go-kart track, “that she will automatically be valued less than every man she’ll ever meet?”
In a world where women earn, on average, 79 cents to every dollar, in a comparable job, compared to men, the narrator admits to himself that “her drive, her skills, her intelligence” still may not mean much.
It may not be the typical automotive ad, with lots of pretty driving scenes, but it doesn’t skip the product entirely. “Maybe I’ll be able to tell her something different,” says the father, as his daughter takes the checkered flag, and the two head walk off toward his Audi S5 Sportback Prestige.
“In light of the social and political commentary that was particularly prominent in this year’s advertising,” said Rick Wainschel, Vice President of Customer Analytics and Insights, Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, “the 236% and 182% jump in activity that the Audi S5 experienced – on Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com, respectively – was an indication that consumers are drawn in by messages that extend far outside the specific model offering.
“The emphasis on equality for women was resonant by speaking to Audi’s view of the consumer rather than focusing on any specific aspects of the car itself.”
(Click Here for details about Audi’s Super Bowl ad.)
For the most part, the automakers played it straight, including Fiat Chrysler introducing the audience to the new Alfa Romeo Giulia.
Edmunds said web traffic for Alfa Romeo vehicles surged 784% the day of the Super Bowl: the largest increase among automotive brands. Kia was second with a 63% increase in traffic. Considering a 30-second spot cost $5 million, FCA may have spent well.
“FCA played aggressive offense with Alfa’s re-launch to the U.S. market, putting up three dedicated spots that were likely a first introduction to the brand for many younger Americans,” said Andy MacLeay, Director of Digital Marketing, Dealer.com.
Audi's Super Bowl ad made a statement, focusing on gender equality.
“Traffic spikes on both Google and the Dealer.com network showed the ads were effective in driving interest for the brand. Great comeback for Alfa Romeo as a brand, in what turned out to be the greatest comeback game in Super Bowl history.”
However, Hyundai strayed from both formulas with its ad.
(To see more about UAW’s Cindy Estrada criticizing GM for its Buick Super Bowl ad, Click Here.)
Hyundai, which filmed a 90-second ad in real-time during the first half of the game. Hyundai threw a Super Bowl party for a battalion stationed in Zagan, Poland, and three U.S. soldiers not only watched the game through a 360-degree video feed, they’re families were part of the feed, giving the soldiers the feeling as if they were in Houston’s NRG Stadium with them.