Super Bowl Special: BTS with David&Goliath for Kia

Well, that was exciting! After a record-breaking Super Bowl LI, with the Patriots overcoming a record 25 point deficit and the Patriots' quarterback, Tom Brady, becoming the first QB to win five Super Bowl rings, the game seemed to live up to the hype.

As did some of the commercials screened during (and, increasingly, before) game day. One such spot was from David & Goliath for the Kia Niro. Called Hero's Journey [above] the Melissa McCarthy-starring spot features the actress in a host of eco warrior situations which prove to be better for the environment than for her. 

Below, David Angelo, founder and chairman of David&Goliath, discusses the reasons they chose McCarthy for the role and the pressures of creating a Super Bowl commercial. 

What was the brief with which Kia approached you and when did they ask you to begin working on it? 

Our goal was to position the Niro as the first-ever, ground-up hybrid crossover without the hybrid stigma that comes with it. We began working on the campaign in March of 2016 and finished a week before the Super Bowl.

Why did you decide that Melissa McCarthy was the right actress for the spot?  

Kia is a challenger brand that is always looking for new and different ways to leverage its products and messaging. And when it comes to celebrity talent, we look for people who embrace a similar challenger mindset. Over the years, we’ve leveraged the likes of Laurence Fishburne, Pierce Brosnan and Christopher Walken. This year we partnered with one of the funniest female comedians out there, Melissa McCarthy.

Because of the election, 2016 was a year full of high emotion, negativity and, in some cases, was extremely toxic. This year, we wanted to give people something to smile about. And there’s no better celebrity to make you laugh than Melissa McCarthy. Like Kia, she is an authentic challenger brand. Her physical comedy is the ultimate icebreaker.

How long did the shoot take and where was it filmed? 

We were in production for four-to-six weeks. The shoot took place mostly in the Los Angeles area and a few locations outside of Los Angeles.

What were the biggest challenges in realising the campaign? 

This spot was a very complicated story that involved so many elements. A key element of the creative was to create believable environments for each segment of the campaign. Findingthe balance between CG and live-action can be a challenge and this spot had quite a bit of CG. 

We also had to strike the balance between Melissa’s dialoge, a caller, a popular song and SFX. It was a house of cards that required a still hand and determined vision.

Why did you decide to release two 15-second teasers before the Big Game?

When we set out to create a Super Bowl spot we don't create a spot for big game, we create a Super Bowl experience. One that is designed to generate awareness and educate consumers about the product through a series of teasers and touchpoints leading up to the Super Bowl and continuing a few weeks after. 

Were you not worried it could spoil the surprise on the day? 

Not at all. We feel that it gives people something to look forward to leading up to the big game. It gives them just enough creative juice to pull them in and leave them wanting more.

What does it mean to you to work on a Super Bowl ad and was there a certain pressure to live up to the hype?

It’s always an honour to work on the Super Bowl ad. After all, you’re going up against some of the best advertising in the whole world. It forces you to think about every creative possibility to generate the most buzz around the spot. 

For the past eight years, we have used the Super Bowl and its massive audience as a means to showcase a Kia product’s vast design and quality enhancements. It gives us an opportunity to expand our brand affinity with an audience that is accustomed to rooting for the underdog. It also gives us a chance to build brand momentum that we’ve created throughout the year. It is not a one-off event for Kia, but rather part of a larger brand story. 

As far as pressure — sure there’s pressure, from our Facebook community to friends and family, even our grandparents are watching. So we have to go all in and create a spot that goes above and beyond what anyone, especially family, can possibly imagine.