Do Kia Super Bowl Ads Make a Difference?

Word comes that Kia will be promoting its upcoming Kia K900 during the Super Bowl broadcast that takes place Feb. 2, 2014 in New Jersey but do television ads really make a difference when it comes to selling vehicles?

After all, as Ad Week points out, ads cost "a whopping $4 million per 30 seconds," and "the game's ad slots were already sold out months in advance." Now the American public eagerly awaits word on what the ads will actually be like. (Go ahead and admit it. You tune in for the Bud Lite ads.)

What's not known yet is the exact ad itself. Here is a 15-second spot currently running that gives a taste of what the 2015 Kia K900 is going to be like when it rolls out during the second quarter of 2014.

According to Ad Week.com, "The frequent Super Bowl advertiser will return, this time with at least one spot promoting its new rear-wheel flagship K900 model. According to Automotive News, the sedan will debut in early 2014 with a sticker price starting around $50,000. "

"Some are also predicting a return of the Kia hamsters, who have pitched the compact Soul in multiple widely beloved spots, including a recent ad that debuted during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards," Ad Age said. In my opinion, the hamster ads were amazingly effective for creating brand awareness but at what point do they become dated?

It's a question I don't know the answer to, but I hope the hamsters eventually mature and drive more upscale vehicles. After all, they seem to be patterned after music stars and we all know they don't stay small when it comes to their tastes in vehicles for long.

One website, SuperBowl-commercials.org, says, "Actually, though no one is likely to wait breathlessly for Kia’s commercial, exactly, the company’s release of [the K900] is pretty big news. The biggest television audience of the year seems a fitting place for Kia to showcase one of its most luxurious, powerful, and expensive vehicles sold to date." Maybe the Super Bowl is the right place to pump out luxury.

Kia has done some great Super Bowl ads in the past, including the one that explains where babies come from. It became an instant classic and it probably helped Kia sell some more crossovers.

Then you have the other Kia Super Bowl commercial for 2013 that featured the hot bots. Its tag line was "Respect the Tech" and showcased the 2014 Kia Forte sedan.

The 2014 Kia Forte sedan, though, has not been a great seller and is lagging behind last year's numbers. So did its marketing not work, including the huge investment in the Super Bowl ad?

What are some of your favorite Kia Super Bowl commercials of the past? Comment below. Include links if you can so other fans can follow along.