Kia Helps Save New Year’s Eve in Times Square

If ever there was a celebration that needs all the help it can get, it’s New Year’s Eve. Kia comes to the rescue with a cross-country road trip to deliver “2021” to New York City’s Times Square in time for the ball to drop.

OK, before going any further, it’s important to stress that nothing sounds more dangerous from a public health standpoint than a pandemic road trip. (Don’t try this at home kids.) Kia assures us it adhered to CDC recommended protocols regarding face masks and social distancing guidelines.

Granted, this is all a big marketing ploy by Kia but the company is doing something cool for New Year’s Eve. To recognize and thank them for their hard work and dedication, Kia will host frontline workers and their families so they can safely experience the thrill of New Year’s in Times Square for themselves. The families will be shuttled to and from Times Square for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in a fleet of 2021 Kia Sorento and Telluride SUVs.

Otherwise, Times Square is closed to the public, thank heavens. Lots of New Yorkers (heck, lots of Americans) are willing to disregard public safety needs for their right to party.

Kia Motors America, a sponsor of the New Year’s Eve Countdown, will ring in the arrival of 2021 with a groundbreaking effort for the all-new Sorento SUV. The campaign began in early December with a Sorento embarking on a coast-to-coast tour of the U.S. on a mission to deliver the iconic “2021” New Year’s Eve numerals to One Times Square in time for the ball drop.

On New Year’s Eve, a new creative campaign featuring the Sorento will air on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2021 on ABC. Created by David & Goliath, Kia’s creative agency of record, the campaign includes a 30-second spot entitled, “The World’s First Storytelling Machine,” which you can watch above.

The spot portrays the all-new 2021 Sorento as a “powerful, highly sophisticated tool – a Storytelling Machine – to help us all discover stories worth telling, especially at a time when experiences are limited.” Kudos to the brain that thought up those words. By the way, a photo of a space traveler is included with this story because it just seems to sum up 2020 so well.

Hats off to Kia for allowing frontline workers to enjoy Times Square on New Year’s Eve. How are you celebrating New Year’s Eve? Have any cool automotive resolutions for 2021? Share them below in the comments.

Keith Griffin covers Hyundai and Kia at Torque News. He has been writing continuously about cars since 2002. Keith used to be a researcher/writer for US News & World Report, as well as numerous car sites, including Carfax and Car Gurus, and a contributor to The Boston Globe. Most recently, Keith was the managing editor for American Business Media. Follow Keith at @indepthauto on Twitter, on @LinkedIn and on his Indepth Auto Facebook page.