Kia To Release Teaser Trailer For Super Bowl Ad In Movie Theaters On Friday

To kick off its Super Bowl ad campaign, Kia Motors will "release a teaser trailer for its upcoming Super Bowl commercial in 18,000 movie theaters" beginning Friday, according to Meg James of the L.A. TIMES. Four days before the Feb. 5 game on NBC, Kia will "introduce the full-length 60-second commercial, called 'Drive the Dream,' on the same 18,000 screens." James noted it is "believed to be the first time a Super Bowl commercial will premiere in movie theaters." Kia Motors America VP/Marketing & Communications Michael Sprague said, "Consumers at the movies will start tweeting about the ad, and that should help us build momentum and awareness." Kia's Optima sedan ad -- "created by the car company's longtime agency, David & Goliath of El Segundo -- features super model Adriana Lima, MMA fighter Chuck Liddell and the rock band Motley Crue." Sprague said, "We are simply trying to create the buzz and get people talking." The Kia ad will be "distributed in theaters by National CineMedia" (LATIMES.com, 1/20).

MARKETING TO THE "BARK SIDE": The L.A. TIMES' James noted to get "more bang for their bucks, major advertisers and their advertising agencies are giving previews, running teaser spots and even releasing their ads early to generate chatter on social media platforms." Deutsch L.A., which "does the creative work for Volkswagen, let the dogs out" last week, releasing a teaser ad Wednesday for its upcoming Super Bowl spot. With its chorus of "barking dogs, 'The Bark Side' went viral overnight." Deutsch LA CEO Mike Sheldon said that the commercial "generated more than 4 million online views in less than 48 hours, faster than 'The Force,'" from last year. Kantar Media Senior VP/Research Jon Swallen said, "Definitely the trend [in] recent years has been to attract more publicity earlier and build buzz in an effort to make their ad an 'event' rather than just another commercial" (L.A. TIMES, 1/22). Volkswagen of America Exec VP/Chief Product & Marketing Officer Tim Mahoney said that for "The Bark Side" spot, the dozen dogs, "selected from a pool of 40 who 'auditioned,' were chosen not for their vocal chops but, in some cases, for their resemblance to 'Star Wars' characters." AD AGE's Ann-Christine Diaz noted the idea behind the commercial was to "create an ad to promote an ad." Deutsch L.A. Chief Creative Officer Mark Hunter said, "We were among a few brands last year who pre-released our Super Bowl ad, and the feeling was we were ahead of the pack" (ADAGE.com, 1/21). In Toronto, Raju Mudhar writes Volkswagen's teaser is "brilliant -- both virally and aesthetically -- and offers only a taste of what they have hatched for the big game" (TORONTO STAR, 1/23).

SUPER PLANS: The HUFFINGTON POST's Jason Gilbert cited a source as saying that Samsung "plans to air a new 'Fanboy' ad" during the Super Bowl. The spot "will mark the next phase of Samsung's 'Next Big Thing' series of commercials, which have depicted disgruntled Apple fanboys waiting in line for the iPhone 4S, only to be upstaged by passersby carrying a superior Samsung Galaxy S II." The spot will be the company's "first-ever Super Bowl commercial" (HUFFINGTONPOST.com, 1/20)....E*Trade Friday formally announced plans for a new "talking baby" TV ad to air during NBC's telecast of the game. This marks the fifth anniversary of the brand's baby campaign, created by E*Trade's agency of record, Grey, N.Y. (E*Trade).