Kia's soulful Hamsters honored by Madison Avenue

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Submitted by Don Bain on October 6, 2011 - 5:30PM

Not content to solely sell cars, Kia’s music-loving Hamsters have been recognized by the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame who honored Kia's hamsters yesterday with the first-ever "Rookie of the Year" award.

Since their first appearance in 2009 in advertisements for the funky Soul urban passenger vehicle, Kia Motors' lovable hamsters have connected with consumers in a larger than life way while entertaining the young and the young-at-heart in ads and videos in theaters, on television and all over the web. The Madison Avenue award comes in recognition of the furry pitchmen’s meteoric rise to iconic status.

"In just two years the hamsters have become pop culture icons and driven record sales for the Soul and the Kia brand," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, Kia Motors America (KMA). "The Soul and its advertising were designed to stand out in a sea of sameness, and this Rookie of the Year honor is a tribute to the hamsters' viral success and ability to grab the attention of consumers looking for something with a unique style and personality."

Each of the hamster promotional campaigns were created by the advertising agency for Kia Motors America, David&Goliath, and won numerous accolades including Automotive Ad of the Year two years in a row from Nielsen as well as Silver and Gold Effie awards.

The most recent ad titled Share Some Soul, with LMFAO's hit song Party Rock Anthem has generated over 5.5 million views on YouTube by itself.

Collectively, the A New Way to Roll, This or That and Share Some Soul campaigns have contributed to significant increases in consumer awareness, perception and consideration of the Kia brand in the U.S., attracted millions of online views and helped KMA recently surpass its all-time best annual sales total in less than nine months.

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