In a sign Kia wants to lock horns with the big players in the Aussie ute space, it is launching its own version by gathering the help of one of the biggest ranges of sporting icons gathered together for one ad.
Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin, Ash Barty, Dylan Alcott, Kerry O’Keefe, John Aloisi, Wendell Sailor, Alexander Volkanovski, and Steve Waugh are just some of the 20 names in its promotional TV commercial in preparation for a 2025 launch.
The backdrop for the advertisement is an iconic Australian pub where the sporting legends debate what the Kia ute should be named.
The campaign for the launch of the vehicle is aimed at taking on Toyota, Ford and Isuzu in the highly popular vehicle area where these companies regularly dominate the five most popular new vehicles in Australia.
Joining a popular Aussie trend
In 2023 the Ford Ranger grabbed the top position from the Toyota Hi-Lux, a position it had held for consecutive years.
Kia Australia Chief Executive Officer, Damien Meredith said says it keen to keep the Australian market up to date about the vehicle’s progress.
“We are now officially taking Expressions of Interest on the Kia Australia website, for both private and fleet customers, and we invite all ute-loving Australians to sign up and join us on the journey,” Meredith says.
“Kia Australia has always been very candid about our desire to bring a Light Commercial Vehicle to the local market, so it is with great excitement that we are taking an important step towards it becoming a reality.”
“This includes an extensive local ride and handling program, covering tens of thousands of unrelenting Aussie kilometres, to ensure it meets the hard-working requirements of the Aussie public.”
Where the idea came from
Kia Australia General Manager of Marketing, Dean Norbiato said the inspiration for the commercial came from the time-honoured Aussie tradition of everyone having a nickname.
“We were looking for a unique and quintessentially Aussie way to launch Kia’s most Australian product ever – our ute – and what better way than to bring together our country’s most iconic themes – sporting heroes, nicknames and an old-fashioned Aussie watering hole,” Mr Norbiato said.
Kia says the campaign is one of the the biggest casts of famous faces in an Australian TV commercial, boasting between them 29 Premierships, four Paralympic gold medals, four World Championships, 26 Grand Slams, 1 Golden Slam, three Melbourne Cups, six sporting captains, two Australians of the Year, two Young Australians of the Year and nine Hall of Fame entrants.