Ads That Annoy: Kia Koncedes to Kickin'

Watch TV much? Well, if you're like me, you watch too much--and probably at night. In addition, you probably "latch on" to a favorite group of channels for your daily TV fix--which means you undoubtedly see the same cache of commercials every night as well. True, this can be a good thing (if you really get an unhealthy kick out of those prolific Geico "caveman" ads.), but, in most cases, it sucks. However, suck or not, it does give you a rather unique perspective on TV ads, in as much as you have the advantage over most people when it comes to frequency of viewership. With that in mind, yours truly finds that, from time to time, certain commercials need to be investigated, dissected, mocked and--usually--throttled unmercifully. Welcome to "Ads That Annoy."
This installment takes a look at the most recent offering from KIA Motors. First of all, let's begin by stating KIA makes a fine product and has much to offer the prospective buyer. This, however, apparently does not make the company immune to being really dumb (technical term). In their most recent commercials, we are presented with two rather youngish male office workers who are talking to eachother after the close of what seems to be an electrifying business meeting. Guy 2 has really knocked them dead, apparently:

Guy 1: "Hey man, you were awesome! Have you been takin' Karate?!?"
Guy 2: (smiling) "No!"
Guy 2: (TO HIMSELF) "But I DID get a kick-ass deal at Kia recently!"

To be honest, I didn't really think there was anything all that bad with this exchange--even though I must admit I was shocked Kia went for the "ass," since they really aren't the epitome of "hip." Unfortunately, I must have been alone in that opinion, because Kia immediately pulled that exchange, and with days, it went something like this:

Guy 1: "Hey man, you were awesome! Have you been eating more fiber?!?"
Guy 2: (smiling) "No!"
Guy 2: (TO HIMSELF) "But I DID get a great deal at Kia recently!"

Umm... ok! Apparently, Kia felt that ease of digestion is less offensive than "kicking ass." To each their own. Obviously some tightass responsible parent out there got all riled up and felt that a word they use in their household 175 times a day was too much to have in a car commercial. Admittedly, it's actually kind of funny--especially if no one has seen the original. But it doesn't end there, because within a few more days, the exchange was finally changed to:

Guy 1: "Hey man, you were awesome! Have you been takin' karate?!?"
Guy 2: (smiling) "No!"
Guy 2: (TO HIMSELF) "But I DID get a kickin' at Kia recently!"

This means the advertising experts at Kia used the "fiber" version as a stopgap solution whilst they sat around deciding how to fix the marginally less funny "karate" option. Not only does this result in viewer confusion, but it also leaves us with a rather dull pun that rivals any given exhcange from a mid-90's "Full House" script. The first version was cool because it flouted society's conventions. The second was just plain mildly amusing. This version sucks.

So what we have here is a company that should be chided on two fronts: First of all, they've kowtowed to pressure from self-proclaimed do-gooders. Secondly (and even more annoyingly), they've rectified the issue by making the commercial forgettable. News Flash: Commercials are supposed to make people REMEMBER the brand.

Let's face it--car commercials are like water content in the human body: They basically make up 80-90% of commecials nowadays. You need any edge you can get to help your company stand out, and Kia just lost theirs. A good warranty and funky car names ("Sephia," "Sportage") can only get you so far. Better get those heads together at the next ad meeting, Kia: you don't want to end up like Buick.

Yea, they still sell cars.