Staying relevant in the automotive industry is hard enough. Vying to include the latest in-vehicle technologies, the most impressive interior amenities, and the coolest new additions – creating a vehicle that is relevant year after year is nearly impossible. It is for this reason alone, that car manufacturers are constantly updating, refreshing, and offering new generations of their models. Appealing to such a wide customer base can be tricky when designing vehicles, but even trickier when trying to decide how to market them.

Kia is a brand known for its out of the box commercials and advertisements. Whether or not you liked the rapping hamsters in the Kia Soul commercials, you most likely remember them. The absurdity worked, and in other Kia marketing campaigns, the same has been true. The Korean automaker did not cut any corners in their latest 2016 Kia Sportage commercial, and while it doesn’t include dancing hamsters, it is still considered off the wall by many who have seen it.

Grand Theft Auto is a video game that is well known for chaos, debauchery, and cars. Most of what is seen in the game cannot be talked about on a public blog, so if you have never played Grand Theft Auto , just imagine a lot of illegal activities mixed in with awesome cars. Now that you know the basic premise of the popular video game, you can better imagine what the latest Kia Sportage commercial looks like. Debuting in Korea, the video game focused commercial was created to appeal to a younger audience – one who knows Grand Theft Auto very well.

You may not see women walking the street in scantily-clad clothing on the new Sportage commercial, but instead features the overall layout of the video game. The point of the commercial is to highlight the efficiency of the 2016 Sportage, in one of the most creative and interesting ways we have yet to see from any other automaker.

Commercial Highlights Efficiency and Performance

The commercial begins with the main character on the toilet, doing what a lot of us do when we sit on the porcelain throne – playing with his phone. Rather than use the Grand Theft Auto title in the commercial (probably as a way to avoid licensing issues), the character is playing “Generation Today’s Action” game on his smartphone. In the fictional game, the player chooses to play the character who opts to take a ride in the 2016 Sportage. Those of us who are viewing the commercial, get a first hand look at the video game screen. As the Kia crossover zig zags throughout the city streets, the power and fuel efficiency statistics of the Sportage are highlighted.

Another Unique Marketing Spin

Kia knows what it is doing when they create a unique commercial such as this one. Rather than showcase the vehicle in the same manner as other automakers, Kia steps out of the box and truly inspires creativeness. The spin off of the classic Grand Theft Auto video game is instantly recognizable to all who have played it, and as equally as successful at grabbing the attention of those who have not.

We are interested to see if this latest commercial advertisement ever makes its way to the United States. The ad would have to be filmed to appeal to the American viewer, and would most likely include the backdrop of a major metropolitan city here in the United States, rather than the Korean city that is shown. The premise is unique, and the message that Kia wants to get across is clear – the new Kia Sportage is an efficiently powerful crossover. Check out the full commercial below.

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